FATS in Baking

FATS: Animal and Vegetable Fats are an important source of energy for our bodies as long as we get the right kind. The chemical structure of the fat determines if it is liquid or solid at room temperature or when refrigerated.

FATS: Animal and Vegetable At room temperature, the fats rich in saturated fats (butter, lard, coconut oil) are solid while polyunsaturated fatty acids (vegetable oils) are liquid.

FATS: Animal and Vegetable As a general rule, the more saturated the fat, the more likely it will be hard at room temperature. Beef tallow and pork lard, vegetable shortening, margarine, butter, saturated tropical fats in are all solid at room temperature. Solid fats are more stable and increase the shelf life of baked goods.

FATS: Animal and Vegetable Fats high in monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil) are liquid at room temperature but thicken when refrigerated

Refined Fats Vegetable oils (corn, soy, canola, sunflower) are obtained through high heat and chemical processing which alters their chemical structure Vegetable oils are hydrogenated (shortening) to make them solid by forming trans fats

Butter is an animal fat and a dairy product Churned from the cream that rises to the top of nonhomogenized milk A healthy fat

Lard Pig fat that is collected during the butchering process Best fat for pastry Healthy, stable fat

Coconut Oil Tropical fat Mostly saturated fat Solid at room temperature (75 degrees and lower) Liquid at temperatures above 76 degrees Healthy, stable fat

Margarine mixture of hydrogentated vegetable oils (corn, sunflower or canola) and sometimes dried skimmed milk. used as a substitute to butter A refined fat containing trans fats Not a healthy choice

Vegetable OILS made from different grains (corn) and seeds (sunflower, soy)in various combinations Not healthy choices

Olive Oil When pressing olives, it produces oil. It is a healthy oil rich in monounsaturated fat

Rapeseed Oil Known as canola oil pressed from rapeseed It stands for Canadian Oil. Like olive oil, rapeseed oil contains mostly monounsaturated fats. similar qualities with olive oil but cheaper cost, restaurants use it as a substitute instead of olive oil. A very refined oil, unhealthy

Corn Oil Corn produces oil rich in polyunsaturated fats. The abundancy of corn makes the oil cheaper. Sunflower Oil Sunflower oil come from pressing the seeds of the flower. Like corn oil, sunflower oil contains mostly polyunsaturated fats.

Vegetable Oil Vegetable oil refers to the process of mixing oils from different plants like rapeseed, sunflowers and /or corn. Vegetable oil is a cheaper source for cooking fat. Different mixtures can be used to obtain certain qualities desired in cooking. Unhealthy due to altered fatty acid structure and composition which results in the wrong fatty acids in the body’s cell walls. reasons-why-vegetable-oils-are- toxic/