Shortening industrial, lard and vegetable oil

Industrial shortening made from a blend of lard and vegetable oil is a solid cooking fat used mainly in commercial and large-batch baking. It is prized for producing flaky pie crusts and biscuits, tender doughnuts, and crisp results when deep frying, since the solid fat coats flour particles and creates layers as it melts during baking. Unlike butter, it has no water content, so it does not create steam pockets in the same way, giving baked goods a different, often more tender and less flavor-forward crumb, which is part of why bakeries favor it for high-volume production.

This shortening comes in blocks, cans, or pails suited to foodservice kitchens and is stored at room temperature in a cool, dry pantry away from heat sources, since it stays solid at typical kitchen temperatures. It contains no protein, sodium, or carbohydrate at all and is essentially pure fat, with 100 g of fat and 900 calories per 100 g, so it is used the way any baking fat would be, measured out by the tablespoon (about 13 g) or cup as a recipe calls for, rather than eaten on its own. Its role in the kitchen is entirely functional, providing texture and frying performance rather than flavor or nutrition on its own.