Pennyaline wrote:
>
> Shortening is shortening, no matter what the product is called.
>
> And yes, the Crisco-type solid shortenings are used all the time by all
> kinds of people.

Well it is in cooking textbooks. In the actual grocery store if you
look for a package that has the word shortening on it what you'll find
is Crisco and its competitors. I figure a lot more people read labels
in grocery stores than dig through cooking textbooks. The foodies who
post on RFC may well love digging through cooking textbooks but we
aren't in the majority on the topic.

> There is no greater harm in using those than in using butter

Not true. Crisco type solid shortening still has plenty of transfat.
That's an unhealthy ingredient.

> and they are far better baking result-wise and health-wise than
> most of the butter imitators on the market.

Except for real butter and real lard, neither of which are imitators.
;^)