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My recipe calls for shortening, I want to substitute lard for the shortening, will this work? Or can I just use butter?

rumtscho
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Rose
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  • Related: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/7149/are-there-any-substitutes-for-shortening?rq=1 – Cindy Aug 17 '17 at 10:27

1 Answers1

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Yes, and also yes. Moreso lard than butter, as butter has significant water content, but it often does not matter enough to worry about. Most recipes that have been around for a while probably started with lard.

For MOST things, you can simply pick any of the three and it will be fine, or you can mix them if you like.

Ecnerwal
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    The flavor and texture will likely be even better with lard than shortening. – Sobachatina Aug 16 '17 at 22:48
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    And an exception that ecnerwal hinted at -- if it calls for melted butter, you might need to add some water, especially when it's in baking. (as water will develop gluten, fat won't) – Joe Aug 17 '17 at 00:16
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    Totally. Butter is about 16% water. If you modify the fat/liquid calculations by about that much, you should be good. – ChefAndy Aug 17 '17 at 17:57