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Trans
fat transformed American cooking
January 19, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Trans
fat is the current dietary no-no. But it played a large role
in the creation of the modern, mass-market food production
system – a role that demonstrates just how difficult
it is to remove trans fat from our diets.
We know now that trans fat is linked with coronary artery
disease. According to the Institute of Medicine, no level
of intake is safe.
But trans fat – found in partially hydrogenated vegetable
oil – is found in 40 percent of the products on supermarket
shelves. Here’s how that happened:
In the early 1900s, Proctor & Gamble saw trouble ahead
when the widening use of electricity cut into demand for its
candles. Then meatpackers cornered the market on lard, another
major P&G product. In 1907, a German chemist contacted
the company with a new technology – hydrogenation –
that converted liquid cottonseed oil into a solid fat with
cooking properties similar to that of butter and lard.
By 1911, Crisco was born, a creamy white shortening that gave
cakes and pastries the same qualities as foods made with lard
but stayed fresh longer. Crisco was also cheaper than butter
and could be produced with consistent results.
Ladies’ Home Journal ran the first advertisement for
Crisco in 1912, declaring it “An absolutely new product.
A scientific discovery which will affect every kitchen in
America.”
And it did.
P&G set up traveling “cooking schools” hosting
food demos that taught American housewives how to cook with
Crisco. Free recipes and inexpensive cookbooks were distributed.
By 1921, Crisco ads questioned, “Why have a smoky kitchen?”
and promised women, “Out of the kitchen by noon!”
Within just a few years, Crisco became the best-selling all-purpose
household vegetable shortening in the U.S. – and revolutionized
home baking.
It revolutionized industrial food production, too.
Partially hydrogenated oils made possible large-scale production
and, just as importantly, transportation of baked goods. For
the first time, cakes, pies, cookies and doughnuts could be
made in factories and shipped to grocery stores where they
were sold to housewives. That’s how “store-bought”
became the new standard for cake quality.
Cost was another major factor driving industry to adopt the
use of partially hydrogenated oils. Partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils could take the place of – and cost less
than – butter and lard in most foods.
Hydrogenated oils are useful in other ways, too. They make
crackers and cookies crisp, keep cakes moist and make foods
taste good. They don’t break down as quickly as liquid
oils, so fast-food companies and other restaurants can use
them longer in deep-fat fryers for cooking french fries, fried
pies, chicken nuggets, breaded fish and other foods.
Today, hydrogenated oils are so widespread in foods that removing
them – or lessening dependence on their use –
presents a major challenge. Not only do substitutes cost more,
but they often taste different, too. Part of industry’s
challenge in getting rid of trans fat is creating new recipes
that closely match the familiar flavors and textures of popular
foods.
In some cases, the food industry has succeeded. A new version
of Crisco shortening, now owned by J.M. Smucker Co., has been
created with a blend of sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils
– and no trans fat. The new incarnation of the old staple
– which is still available – is called “Crisco
0 Grams Trans Fat Shortening.”
But many of our favorite foods still contain trans fat. It’s
up to you to read the food labels, find the trans fat, and
cut it out of your diet.
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