Can you brown vegetable shortening like butter?

agree with Jilhil and ChezHenry, can't do w/veg shortening. It sounds like you want browning action when you use it in a recipe. Is this so? If yes, you can use other ingredients that do brown/caramelize to give you that taste...e.g. flour in a roux, for a sauce, or aromatics (onion garlic etc) when starting a savory recipe. Or add something like vinegar to sweet dishes or Worcestershire sauce to savory ones. Hope this helps.

I don't think so - the milk solids in butter are what cause the browning.