Palm Oil or Palm Shortening Oil? Is there a difference?

DextrousM · May 23, 2018

Essential depot is having a sale on Palm Shortening Oil cubes. BOGO, yet I think you have to join their club. Their smaller size is labelled Palm Oil and their 50lb Cubes are labelled Palm Shortening Oil. To me it seems they should be different. Are they?

http://www.essentialdepot.com/product/PALM-PAIL-25LB.html

http://www.essentialdepot.com/product/PALM-CUBE-50LBS.html

Thanks in Advance!

earlene · May 23, 2018

I think they are the same when it comes to using in soap. But to make it into a shortening, emulsifiers are added and tempering for a period of time allows it to maintain the softer consistency. Other sites mention that some of the unsaturated fatty acids are removed from palm oil when making palm shortening (WSP & PaleoMom). So even though we often use the same saponification value for palm oil when using palm shortening, I wonder if it may be slightly off.

lsg · May 23, 2018

Are you referring to just the palm and shortening in the links you provided? Some palm oil shortening has other oils added. Crisco contains both palm and soybean oils. Just be sure the shortening is 100% palm.

Pjclark1 · May 24, 2018

Often shortening has 10% to 20% water content.
(It's in the small print on the label)
Although this product does appear to be 100%.

shunt2011 · May 24, 2018

Just a guess but the cube is labeled as no stir which I believe has been hydrogenated or something to keep it all together.

The pail is regular palm that some folk melt down and separate (I never did) to keep it from separating.

I mostly used the no stir in a cube when I used it but I got it from Soaper's Choice back then. It's a good deal though. If I hadn't just purchased 50 lbs of lard I would purchase this for sure. Unfortunately, I'm out of storage space.

Lin19687 · May 24, 2018

Wow what is with their pricing from pails to cube ?
I wonder what the shipping cost for the 2nd cube is

Funny thing about this CUBE. That company listed on the label is here in MA. I emailed them about bullk buying of the cubes. It is the Almost the Same price as ED price ???

Talk about a not too friendly company, they were not so very happy to talk to 'small' bulk buyers. I get my PO from Jedwards for under 30 bucks for a 44# cube !!