Frequently Asked Questions
Crisco is an American baking and cooking brand known for its high-quality cooking oils and All-Vegetable Shortening. Introduced in 1911, Crisco is best known for its vegetable shortening—that blue can used in baking and frying. Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening was the first shortening made entirely from vegetable oils. Shortening is a solid fat that helps create flaky pie crusts, tender baked goods, and crispy fried foods. Crisco cooking oils include Pure Vegetable Oil and Pure Canola Oil.
What Crisco is made of depends on which of our products you are using! Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening is made with a blend of soybean oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, and palm oil. It serves as a room temperature, solid substitute for butter or lard in cooking and baking, is made without dairy ingredients and is plant-based. Our Pure Vegetable and Canola Oils are made with just one ingredient: soybean oil or canola oil.
The shelf life of a shortening or oil product depends a great deal on how it has been stored and handled. For the best results, Crisco products should be stored in a cool, dry place away from strong odors, direct sunlight, and sources of heat (stoves, dishwashers, and refrigerators).
| Shortening Can | Shortening Sticks | Crisco Oil | Crisco Spray | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unopened | 2 years from manufacture date | 2 years from manufacture date | 2 years from manufacture date | 2 years |
| Opened | about 1 year | about 6 months | about 1 year | 2 years |
| Code Location | bottom of can | side of plastic tub | side of bottle back label | bottom of can |
Freshness Tip: To help keep track of how long a container’s been opened, you might write the date on the package when you first break the seal. If you notice any change in color or appearance, or if your Crisco product develops an off odor or taste, it’s probably past its shelf life and shouldn’t be used.
Shortening is a type of fat that stays solid at room temperature and is used in baking and frying to create tender, flaky textures. It is high in fat with little water content which helps produce stable, soft pastries, pie crusts, and cookies. It also has a neutral flavor, high smoke point for frying, and is commonly mixed into flour or creamed with sugar in baking recipes. The term “shortening” comes from the fact that it “shortens” gluten strands in dough, resulting in a tender texture.
