Teach Soap

What can I use in place of Lard (vegetable shorting) I keep finding recipes that call for that and I know it is a substitute for something i just don't know what. Also which is better?
TIA
Dana

It depends on the rest of your ingredients. Some shortenings are soybean based, some are hydrogenated palm oil based. Try a recipe with it and see how you like it.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

The only problem can be knowing the sap value. I was able to call the factory for a local brand and find out what it was.

Thanks all.

ljm1180 it's not that i don't want to use it, I just have read some things about it on sites that for some reason say you should not use it, (maybe some animal thing?) I am a newbie and don't know all that much and didn't know what ingr. it took the place of. I am not against using it at all, now that I know that you guys use it.

barquentine, So if I use it I have to know what the sap value is and that means I have to call the company.. does anyone know what crisco is? that is a veg shortening right?

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

A lot of the lye calculators have an option for shortening, or "hydrogenated vegetable fat", or simply crisco (note that you want new crisco, and not old crisco, the formulation has changed due to health reasons). MOST shortenings in the US are palm and soybean oil (google is your friend, and has lots of answers ). Just use that option when you use shortening, do NOT use the lard selection! This is for actual lard (pig fat) and has a completely different SAP value.

I have used both types of fats in my soaps. I prefer lard over shortening. But it is all personal preference. Just make sure that you run every recipe through a lye calculator, especially ones found online! Its amazing how many of these are very lye heavy.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist