Let's look at shortening / Lever Brothers Company.

Date:
1940
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Let's look at shortening / Lever Brothers Company. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    quickly, thoroughly. Put 44 cup Spry and 1 tablespoon cocoa in a bowl and mix thoroughly. See how easily and quickly the cocoa blends with the shortening. Note the evenness of the blend. The shorten- ing and cocoa are so perfectly mixed that one eannot be distinguished from the other. Importance in Cookery The ease and efficiency of all mixing opera- tions depend greatly upon the blending quality of the shortening. A shortening should blend with ingredients quickly, easily, and thoroughly. The flavor of the finished product is enhanced, too, when the flavorings are perfectly blended and distributed evenly throughout the mixture. Another aspect of blending quality has to do with cake-making. A shortening with good blending quality mixes fast with the sugar and combines with other ingredients to make a well-blended batter. The increased volume of the creamed mixture in cup On right is due to air incorporated in creaming. and read the measurement. Now return to the bowl and cream well with a wooden spoon for 3 minutes. See how light and fluffy the mixture is now. Again measure the mixture in the cup. Note how the volume has increased because of the large amount of air incorporated during the creaming. Importance in Cookery The creamability of a shortening is highly important in cake-making for the volume and lightness of the final cake depend upon it to a great degree. Good creamability means the ability to absorb large amounts of air rapidly during the mixing and blending of the shortening and sugar. The shortening must have the further ability of holding this incor- Shortenings which do not have good cream- ability are not adapted to cake-making. Once a shortening has been melted, either partially or completely, the original cream- ability is lost. This explains why a cake made with lquid shortening does not have the volume, lightness, grain, and texture of one made with a shortening which has _ been creamed well with the sugar. Creamability is important, too, in making creamy, fluffy un- cooked icings and in mixing any dough where shortening is needed. 8. SHORTENING POWER — 100% efficient. ee Shortening makes the difference (see text). The following tests illustrate the physical effect of shortening on a flour mixture. Note how the character of the final product is deter- mined by the gluten structure and how this, in turn, is modified by shortening. A. Flour mixture (with no shortening) Add 4 cup water to 1 cup sifted flour and work into a dough with a fork. Roll to -inch thickness and prick with fork. Cut out circles with a 3-inch biscuit cutter and bake in a very hot oven (450°F.) 18 minutes.
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