From Deseret News archives:
Trans-fat-free Crisco works fine
Bonnie: Crisco recently released its new Zero Grams Trans Fat All-Vegetable Shortening, which is similar to regular Crisco in its use. Both regular Crisco and the trans fat-free shortenings contain a blend of vegetable oils; both contain 12 grams of fat and 110 calories per serving. The main difference? Zero Grams Trans Fat Crisco contains no trans fats to regular Crisco's 1.5 grams.
Trans fats are formed when vegetable oils are hardened with the addition of hydrogen in a process called hydrogenation. Trans fats are a concern because they've been shown to raise the bad blood cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) and increase the risk of heart disease.
Crisco is just one in what I expect to be a flood of new trans fat-free products in the upcoming year. If you use regular Crisco, you should give this new trans-fat-free variety a try.
Carolyn: I used this new Crisco to make brownies, to grease some tins for corn muffins and to fry up some French toast. It's made from soybean, cottonseed and sunflower oils vs. just soybean and cottonseed oils in my old can of regular Crisco.
My main man actually preferred French toast made with the Trans Fat Crisco to some I made at the same time with the old Crisco formula. (But that could have been because the Trans Fat Crisco was newly opened, whereas my opened can of regular Crisco was at least four months old.) But I detected no significant difference in how the two tasted or performed in any use. And this is a longtime Crisco consumer speaking.
McCormick Neon Food Colors. $3.69 per box of four .25-ounce bottles.
Bonnie: For the first time since McCormick's initial introduction of food colorings, there's something new in that slot on the grocer's shelf: neon colors.
These four new colorings are brighter than McCormick's original colors, but not as bright as the food pastes I buy from specialty stores to decorate my cakes. Both of these products get their colors artificially, but the paste colors are truly vibrant and, in the end, more economical to use because you need so little.
But if food pastes aren't available to you, these are a great way to brighten up both your baked goods and holiday craft projects.
Carolyn: Clothes, cars, even house colors have long since gone beyond the standard blue, orange and red and into electric blue, shocking pink and Nickelodeon slime green. But food coloring hues haven't changed in decades.
McCormick Neon is a smart move that is long overdue. But with the possible exception of the near-phosphorescent yellow-green, they're more vibrant pastels than neon.
