Substitutes for crisco?

If Crisco's label was subject to truth in advertising laws, it would read "Now with reduced trans fats" instead of "Zero grams trans fat" and in tiny letters "per serving". The truth is only disclosed in the ingredients list that shows it still contains partially hydrogenated oils.

At 12g / serving and .5g max trans fat / serving, it could still contain over 4% trans fat and remain legal under current law. The consensus of the medical community is that there is no safe level of trans fat consumption.

If you are trying to avoid trans fats fats, Criso changed their formulation...I use it as I always have and see little difference

One can make arguments for and against any culinary fat. Everything is a trade off. You may end up trading saturated fat for polyunsaturated fat to avoid trans fat and maybe soft, chewy cookies for flat, crispy ones.

Americans will turn their noses up at the mere mention of the word lard yet scarf down bacon with abandon. Go figure.

Lard, including leaf lard, has a distinctive odor very evident when hot and a discernible flavor in finished baked goods. It adds a desirable depth to some applications (biscuits, pie dough, tortillas) but I wouldn't choose it for chocolate chip cookies. I find it overpowering by itself and usually combine it with butter.

Beef shortening is one of my favorites. You haven't truly lived unless you've had french fries made with it. Or popovers. Mmmm…

If using lard for the first time and you're unsure as to the quality, I would suggest you melt a bit in a pan before you bake with it; heating it will tell you a lot about the flavor. I live in Denmark and the most commonly found lard is extremely pork-smelling and tasting, but it doesn't smell like anything when solid and cold. Whenever I cook with it (mostly for making refried beans), my husband claims there is a wild pig running around the kitchen. It's pretty smelly! So make sure your lard won't cause your pie/cake to smell and taste like a pig pen!

I'm totally in the lard camp also. Bring on the leaf lard.

Lard. Shortinings pushed Lard off it's rightful throne. I put it on a pedestal in my kitchen. It does things to bake goods that shortining can't touch. Feeling naughty?Try frying chicken in lard.I recall breaded pork chops fried in lard when I was a kid. Now that was good eating! Oh and I was skinny as a rail too.

Lard will produce the most Crisco-like effect. Personally, I've come to like it very much. It gets a bad rap because for so many years we've been conditioned to think animal fats were terrible for us, and the stigma dies hard. The natural products are so much healthier than the chemical ones.

Note that if you decide to go with butter or margarine you are apt to get very different results than with Crisco. What are you making and why do you want to avoid Crisco? It does make a difference.

Coconut oil is a great sub as well. It's vegan friendly and is solid at room temp, much like vegetable shortening.

What are you making? You could also potentially use lard if you're not averse. Leaf lard is especially nice, and doesn't have a "pork" flavor. Duck fat could be another option.

I usually use Spectrum http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=87 - they're pretty widely available. Is that the kind of thing you're looking for? Their shortening is made with non-hydrogenated Palm Oil (which I know isn't the best thing ever but at least it isn't hydrogenated).