Crisco

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Crisco, a popular brand of shortening, was first produced in 1911 by Procter & Gamble and was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil.

When William Procter and James Gamble started the company Procter & Gamble, they hired chemist E. C. Kayser and developed the process to hydrogenate cottonseed oil, which ensures the shortening remains solid at normal storage temperatures. The initial purpose was to create a cheaper substance to make candles than the expensive animal fats in use at the time. Electricity began to diminish the candle market, and since the product looked like lard, they began selling it as a food. This product became known as Crisco, with the name deriving from the initial sounds of the expression "crystalized cottonseed oil". Further success came from the marketing technique of giving away free cookbooks with every recipe calling for Crisco. Crisco vegetable oil was introduced in 1960. In 1976, Procter & Gamble introduced Puritan Oil, an oil made with sunflower oil, which was touted as a lower cholesterol alternative. In 1988, Puritan Oil became 100% canola oil.

Procter & Gamble divested the Crisco (oil and shortening) brand (along with Jif peanut butter) in a spinoff to their stockholders, followed by an immediate merger with The J. M. Smucker Co. in 2002.

In April 2004, Smucker introduced "Crisco Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening," which contains fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil blended with liquid vegetable oils to yield a shortening much like the original Crisco. The trans fat found in partially hydrogenated oils, such as the cottonseed oil used in the original Crisco, is believed to be tied to an increased risk of certain diseases, such as coronary heart disease (CHD), obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

External links

http://www.crisco.com/
[Crisco timeline]
[Crisco Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening]
[Press release: Crisco® Introduces Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening]

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