How to Make a Pie Crust: Miscellanea, Episode 14

[IampureSol]

Sweet video : ) thanks! can i use coconut butter to substitute for that veg shortening? I love that you used the extra to make some treats : ) that was awesome! I can't wait to try it.

[dsjwhatnot]

@IampureSol Good question! I just bought some coconut butter for a non-food project, but I might have to try that. It seems like it would work pretty well. It would even have a slightly sweet taste.

[RyanTheIncredulous]

Do you know of a replacement for shortening that is vegan? I've experimented with raw peanut butter (just ground peanuts and a little salt) and the result wasn't TOO bad, but if you don't want your recipe tasting like peanut butter, or if you have peanut allergies, you're out of luck.

[dsjwhatnot]

@RyanTheIncredulous While I stand by my answer to your other comment, it's reasonable for you to want to find a substitute for shortening. I haven't tried things like peanut butter for pie crust myself. Maybe something made from a nut with a flavor that isn't as strong, such as cashews? Cashews should work at least as well as peanuts, as they are high in fat. It's something I'll have to look into. Thanks for watching.

[TheQuiltedkat]

@RyanTheIncredulous Dude. Peanut butter? Just use canola. Or peanut oil.

[RyanTheIncredulous]

Unfortunately, the use of shortening in your pie crust results in an excessive amount of trans fat, which is bad if you want to avoid heart problems.

[dsjwhatnot]

@RyanTheIncredulous While that would have been true a few years ago, most, if not all, shortenings sold in the the United States and many other countries these days do not contain trans fats, or contains only trace amounts. In 2007, researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada discovered a way of giving liquid oils the properties of solid fats by encapsulating them within monoglyceride in water, so you can use Crisco or other shortenings these days without fear of trans fats.

[RyanTheIncredulous]

@dsjwhatnot In defense of my comment, Crisco's shortening still contains partially hydrogenated oil, and 0.5 grams of trans fat per tablespoon. According to the National Academy of Science, there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. Anyways, many products which state 0 trans fat really have 0.5 g/serving, since the FDA allows food to be labeled as containing zero trans fat if it has <0.5 g/serving, no matter how small the serving is. So, it's definitely still important to look out for.

[suekanji]

@RyanTheIncredulous You may want to try more "health-oriented" brands of shortening such as Spectrum (its also organic) or Earth Balance, which are trans-fat free. They're easy to find at a Whole Foods market or other organic/healthy foods supermarket if there are no Whole Foods in your area. I'm sure it would make a way better tasting pie crust than peanut butter would....