Granny's lye soap redux

[Arthur Dent]

I would have just sat down and cried. I lost all of my grandmother's cast iron to Hurricane Rita.

I thought for years that these were gone. Dad's sisters fought over all of grandma's stuff when she passed, all the good stuff disappeared pretty quickly and none of them would ever admit to having it. To this day the cousins all swear that they have no idea where that stuff went (those aunts are gone now).
The skillets are in remarkably good condition considering how long they have been in storage. Grandma passed away in... 1976 or so, and I don't remember mom or dad either one using them. Of course I was a teenager at the time and wasn't really paying attention to things like that, so who knows? Anyway, whenever they were "put up" they were just oiled and put in a box and there they sat for who knows how long. It could be that dad got them out and re oiled them from time to time, he doesn't remember now. The oil is all moldy and pretty funky now, but that wipes off, and underneath they are wonderfully seasoned. I can't wait to get them all cleaned up and ready for use again. Don't worry, I know how to treat cast iron.

 

[Susie]

Wow, that is just miraculous that they were found, and in such good shape! You are so fortunate!

 

[dixiedragon]

Susie - that's so sad!

 

[galaxyMLP]

Wow! That's incredible. I'm very happy for you!

 

[Soapmaker145]

Sorry, no. Trans fats are a partial by product of hydrogenation. Vegetable shortening is now made without any by products. There's nothing except ordinary fat in vegetable shortening. There are no adverse effects to anyone.

If you are interested, do a PubMed search when you have time. I thought the same as you until I saw the contradictory studies and all the permutations that can end up in the final product including trans fats.

 

[topofmurrayhill]

If you are interested, do a PubMed search when you have time. I thought the same as you until I saw the contradictory studies and all the permutations that can end up in the final product including trans fats.

So far i found one that says vegetable shortening is better than lard to avoid obesity and insulin resistance. If there is so much research of the sort you describe why don't you just point me to an example.

 

[dosco]

The chart shows cholesterol increases from lauric acid (C12:0), myristic acid (C14:0), and palmitic acid (C16:0) which are found in coconut oil, palm oil, and butter. Elaidic acid (trans-C18:1), which is present in hydrogenated fats, is the worst because it increases LDL and decreases HDL. The saturated fatty acid stearic acid (C18:0), the monounsaturated oleic acid (C18:1), and the polyunsaturated linoleic acid (C18:2) decrease LDL and increase HDL to various degrees.[23]

... and ...

Animal fats and tropical oils which are high in myristic acid and low in linoleic acid increase cholesterol levels. We can also conclude from this table that oils high in linoleic acid such as grape seed oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil can play a significant role in reducing blood cholesterol levels when consumed regularly as part of the diet. Keep in mind that "high-oleic safflower oil" or safflower oil refined for high-temperature cooking does not have any cholesterol-lowering effect because its fatty acid composition is similar to olive oil. The effect of olive oil on cholesterol is relatively neutral.

 

[Soapmaker145]

So far i found one that says vegetable shortening is better than lard to avoid obesity and insulin resistance. If there is so much research of the sort you describe why don't you just point me to an example.

Look up PM IDs 20823487, 19442321, 18982377. The 2 reviews will give an idea of what the issues are and the limitations of the studies done so far. They will get you started. The search term you are looking for is interesterification of oils or fats.

The problem with oils natural or modified is where the various fatty acids reside on the glycerol backbone, particularly what is located on the sn2 position. They've been the subject of many animal and human studies for a long time.

I don't sell oil and I'm not involved in this research in any way. It is just a question of "to eat or not to eat".

 

[penelopejane]

The secret is frozen lard, frozen flour, and cutting in with your fingertips, according to my grandmother. She is long gone, but her biscuits live on.

Did she have a marble bench top?
It's the little things that sometimes make the difference. Marble or granite stays cool for longer.

There was a show on tv Michael mosely's trust me I'm a doctor.
Current research shows eating a Mediterranean diet reduces heart disease they tried to work out why and it comes down to olive oil. Other oils appear to be "better" but it's just the olive oil. There is "something" in it. They suggest eating (not cooked) 20ml a day.

 

[dosco]

Current research shows eating a Mediterranean diet reduces heart disease they tried to work out why and it comes down to olive oil. Other oils appear to be "better" but it's just the olive oil. There is "something" in it. They suggest eating (not cooked) 20ml a day.

I'd take the grapeseed over the OO (although I enjoy the flavor of OO). My mother did and her cholesterol went way down. I've yet to get my cholesterol tested ... one of these days.

-Dave

 

[penelopejane]

I'd take the grapeseed over the OO (although I enjoy the flavor of OO). My mother did and her cholesterol went way down. I've yet to get my cholesterol tested ... one of these days.

-Dave

Yes they did tests on other oils that "should" have been better than OO but OO reduced the markers the most. They still couldn't work out why. There must just be "something" in OO.

 

[Susie]

Did she have a marble bench top?
It's the little things that sometimes make the difference. Marble or granite stays cool for longer.

Nope, and she refused to use air conditioning, so chances are it was at least 80F (probably more) and 80% humidity, as she lived on the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

 

[topofmurrayhill]

Current research shows eating a Mediterranean diet reduces heart disease they tried to work out why and it comes down to olive oil. Other oils appear to be "better" but it's just the olive oil. There is "something" in it. They suggest eating (not cooked) 20ml a day.

Science really gets abused by the media, because otherwise it's not very interesting to people. Nobody is excited that there is nothing specific in the MD that has ever been proven to account for its health benefits, even though that's the truth. Misinterpreting results, or hyping an isolated experiment, quickly turns into "current research shows" and "they say" that something has general health benefits far beyond what a particular study suggested, not to mention the study has methodological limitations and was never confirmed by others. The "Dr. Oz" type of business relies on an unending stream BS extracted from science by torture. If you are a doctor you could heal people. You could also cash in your credibility for fame and fortune. Ka-ching!