Question for the Aussies...

[Galavanting Gifts]

I have a soaping book here full of recipes requiring Vegetable shortening. I can get the Crisco from USA Foods but if I can avoid it and find a cheaper substitute that would be great. Any ideas what I could use?

Is vegetable shortening the same as soliderfied vegetable oil such as Fry master?

 

[topcat]

Hey there!

Frymasta (yellow wrapper) is palm oil, Supafry (red wrapper) is tallow. My understanding that vegetable shortening is used as a hard oil in a soap recipe and depending on the properties you want in your soap, you can sub any other hard oil in the same proportion. Just make sure to run it through a lye calculator with the change to get the correct lye amount! I would suggest using the Frymaster as this is our closest relative to Crisco....or else play it safe and get hold of the Crisco :wink:

Tanya

 

[Galavanting Gifts]

No way :shock: I had no idea that the fry master is palm oil, well how about that, that helps me out. ok if the Super fry is Tallow (animal based?) then what is Lard?

 

[EmilyKate]

Lard is pig fat )

I have been wondering if you could use Copha- that stuff that come in a block that you melt down for use in the recipe for chocolate crackles- to make soap with?!?!

 

[Callmebubbles]

I am pretty sure that Copha is Coconut oil..it soaps fine, I used as coconut and no zap.

 

[Galavanting Gifts]

o.k. so what animal fat is in the super fry, it just says animal fat on the label.

 

[topcat]

It's blended cow and possibly sheep fat rendered (i.e. tallow) and soaps at the sap value of tallow (cow & sheep are around the same). Lard soaps differently as far as the amount of lye is concerned. And Yes, copha is coconut oil with some soy lecithin as an emulsifier. HTH!

Tanya

 

[Galavanting Gifts]

Tanya, that helps heaps, I will need to make note of all this because I get confused every time.

 

[Vonna]

Hi there
Just in case you didn't see this thread..heres a link. It's has some info for the Aussies in it HTH!!

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... php?t=8544