# Oil in place of shortening banana bread



## ninatiss (Oct 6, 2010)

May i substitute canola oil for shortening in banana bread?


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## ninatiss (Oct 6, 2010)

Help!! Can i substitute oil in place of shortening in banana bread?


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## Selkie (Oct 6, 2010)

Yes. My recipe calls for oil and does not use lard or solid shortening. I use canola oil.


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## Chef Dave (Oct 6, 2010)

In general, one solid fat may replace another ... and one liquid fat may replace another ... but liquid fats should not be used as substitutes for solid fats.

Part of the reason has to do with fat content. Shortening has a higher fat content than canola oil. Fats with less than 80% fat content will affect the taste of your product.


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## DaveSoMD (Oct 6, 2010)

No. Baking recipes are formulated to use specific ingredients and switching like that may not work.  And even if you switch shortening for butter it still may not work out right. If you look at the side of a package of criso or criso sticks (I forget which one) they even tell you how to switch out the two because you need to add extra liquid.


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## Selkie (Oct 6, 2010)

Chef Dave said:


> In general, one solid fat may replace another ... and one liquid fat may replace another ... but liquid fats should not be used as substitutes for solid fats.
> 
> Part of the reason has to do with fat content. Shortening has a higher fat content than canola oil. Fats with less than 80% fat content will affect the taste of your product.



We're not talking about "...In general...." We're talking specifics, in this case, banana bread. The fat content of canola oil is more than sufficient to coat the flour and not interfere with the liquid content.

Not speaking in theory, but in practical experience, I have interchanged them with success.


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## Andy M. (Oct 6, 2010)

Chef Dave said:


> In general, one solid fat may replace another ... and one liquid fat may replace another ... but liquid fats should not be used as substitutes for solid fats.
> 
> Part of the reason has to do with fat content. Shortening has a higher fat content than canola oil. Fats with less than 80% fat content will affect the taste of your product.




To my knowledge, both canola oil and vegetable shortening are 100% fat.  Butter, on the other hand, is around 80% fat.


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## Chef Dave (Oct 7, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> To my knowledge, both canola oil and vegetable shortening are 100% fat.  Butter, on the other hand, is around 80% fat.



Not all fats are equal and the fatty acid composition of a product i.e. the balance of saturated to unsaturated fats makes a huge difference in baking. Canola only has 4% saturated fat while 55% is monounsaturated. 

In contrast shortening contains 20-30% of saturated fat.

The fat content of shortening makes a huge difference in terms of a product's structure and flavor.


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## Andy M. (Oct 7, 2010)

I agree.  However, you threw me off when you referred to fats rather than the composition of the fats.  I was thinking total fat.


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