Smucker’s is rolling out a new formula of Crisco after 95 years that nearly eliminates artery-clogging trans fats. The solid, white shortening -- used to bake flaky pie crusts and fry crispy chicken -- was “the poster child of the anti-trans fat brigade," says Stephen Joseph, San Franciscan lawyer and founder of BanTransFats.com. "We all considered Crisco to be the very worst thing there was." The bad rap, combined with the fact that not many women bake from scratch these days, shrank the entire shortening-and-lard-for-home category by three to five percent a year.
Could the new trans-free Crisco boost sales? Maybe. Certainly loyalists are willing to give it a try. "If I can't taste any difference, and I know it's healthier, I will certainly switch to that . . . I can't wait to try it," says Paula Deen, American celebrity chef and cooking show television host. She considers herself a life-long Crisco fan. "I love Crisco because it's always made me flaky pie crusts and moist cakes. I use…show more content… How, then, did Smucker’s make a trans fat-free Crisco? They're secretive, but they will say that instead of using partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, they combined sunflower oil, soybean oil and fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil. Crisco officials are proud that they eliminated the trans fats without increasing the saturated fats. And they also retained Crisco's famous taste--or lack thereof.
Don't expect a New Coke/Classic Coke debacle. Smucker’s plans to continue offering original Crisco, even though it is required to list that it contains 1.5 grams of trans fats per one tablespoon serving on the label. "Bakers are finicky,” says Steve Oakland, vice president and general manager of consumer oils and baking for Crisco. “We have to be very careful. We have a long history of satisfying
