Home Storage Focus Item: Fats and Oils

Benefits and Drawbacks of Fats
Dietary fats are necessary for a healthy body. But just like any good thing, fats can be overdone. Fats have many functions in our bodies. Fats along with protein are a basic part of cell membranes. They are components for many body compounds that help regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipids, and immune response to injury and infection. Body fat cushions internal organs and protects them from being damaged. The fat layer below the skin insulates the body from heat loss. Fats also are important sources of the fat-soluble vitamins. Fats are a concentrated source of energy. One gram of fat provides 9 calories. Our bodies use this energy or store it as fat for later use. It is efficient to store energy as fat instead of carbohydrate because fats are calorie dense. Almost half the weight of fat compared to carbohydrate is needed to provide the same amount of calories. In addition, water is also stored with carbohydrates, further increasing stored carbohydrate weight. Storing fat means the body has less weight to carry.

Plants do not move around so the weight of stored energy is not a problem. Plants can easily store energy as the bulkier carbohydrate. Excess fat, carbohydrate, and protein, beyond what our body needs, are converted into fats and stored for later use. Although fat is important in the diet, many adults eat more fat than they should. High fat diets are a risk factor for heart disease, cancer, and obesity. By increasing the risk of obesity, high fat diets may indirectly increase risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Recommendations are that 30 percent or less of total calories come from fat, and 10 percent or less of total calories come from saturated fat.
(Hermann, J.R., Dietary Fat and Cholesterol, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, available: http://www.osuextra.com)

Food Storage Guidelines:
Storage conditions that affect the deterioration of fats, oils, and food in general are summarized in the acronym HALT: Humidity, Air, Light, and Temperature. Reducing exposure to humidity, air, light, and warm temperatures will prolong storage life. Proper food packaging can reduce or eliminate moisture, air, and light. Newly opened oil should be left in its original container or be placed in a clean container, since even a small amount of old oil mixed with fresh oil will hasten rancidity. Temperature dramatically affects the storage life and quality of fats and oils. Some fats, such as butter or margarine, can be frozen to prolong storage time. All fats, oils, and foods containing fat keep better in a cool area of a house, such as a basement. (Oscar A. Pike, “Storing Fats and Oils,” Ensign, June 1999, 71)

Shelf Life of Fats and Oils
Generally, shortening can be stored for several years, whereas cooking oil must be rotated more frequently…. Food storage rotation, important in avoiding rancidity, is easier when we buy and store the types of foods we are accustomed to eating. (Oscar A. Pike, “Storing Fats and Oils,” Ensign, June 1999, 71)

When stored in the original container at an average of 70 degrees F in a cool/dry storage area:
* Solid shortening stores up to 9-12 months
* Oil stores up to 6-9 months
(USU Extension, "Use It or Lose It," available: http://extension.usu.edu/htm/publications/publication=5767)

Fat Substitutions:

Because storing fats can be so difficult, here are some options for using less or eliminating fat to avoid storing as much fat:

* Decrease the amount of fat in recipes. Start by decreasing by ¼ to 1/3. The fat in quick bread, muffin, cake and some soft cookie recipes may be cut up to ½ or 2 tablespoons fat per cup of flour. (Tips for Baking and Serving Food with Less Fat, University of Wisconsin Extension, Family Living Programs; Altering Recipes for Good Health, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System)

* Substitute pureed white beans for fat in recipes (1/2 the fat doesn’t change the taste much, but you can substitute all the fat if necessary)

* Substitute pureed fruit
Replace the desired amount of butter, margarine, or other solid shortening with half as much fat substitute. For instance, if you are omitting 1/2 cup of butter from a recipe, replace it with 1/4 cup of fruit purée. (If the recipe calls for oil, substitute three-fourths as much purée.) Mix up the batter. If it seems too dry, add a little more fruit purée. To insure the greatest success when trimming the fat from your favorite recipes, also keep the following tips in mind.
At first, eliminate only half the fat in a recipe. (From Altering Recipes for Good Health, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System)

SPECIAL NOTES:

+ Use low-gluten flours. …Use low-gluten flours like whole wheat pastry flour and oat flour in your lighter baking [to avoid making the baked good tough or rubbery in low-fat baking]. Oat bran, rolled oats, and cornmeal are also low in gluten, making these products ideal ingredients for low-fat baking.

+Minimize mixing. Stirring batter excessively develops gluten and toughens the texture of baked goods. Stir only enough to mix well.

+Avoid overbaking. Reduced-fat baked goods tend to bake more quickly than do those made with fat, and if left in the oven too long, they can become dry. To prevent this, reduce oven temperatures by 25°F, and check the product for doneness a few minutes before the end of the usual baking time.
(Excerpted from The Best-Kept Secrets of Healthy Cooking by Sandra Woodruff, R.D. Copyright © 2000 by Sandra Woodruff)

RECIPES FOR FATLESS COOKING

No-Fat Whipped Topping
(From Altering Recipes for Good Health, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System)
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin 2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons boiling water 3 tablespoons sugar
½ cup non-fat dry milk powder 1 teaspoon vanilla
a cup ice water
1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water.
2. In a thoroughly chilled, small bowl, beat milk and ice water.
3. Beat in lemon juice.
4. Add sugar and vanilla and beat to soft peaks.
5. Add gelatin mixture and beat.
Yield: about 1½ cups Calories: 12 per tablespoon

Casserole Sauce Mix
(From Altering Recipes for Good Health, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System)
Use this instead of canned cream soups in casserole recipes. It has about one-third
the calories.
2 cups non-fat dry milk powder
¾ cup cornstarch
¼ cup instant reduced sodium chicken or beef bouillon
½ teaspoon dried crushed thyme
½ teaspoon dried crushed basil
¼ teaspoon pepper
1. Combine all ingredients using blender or food processor. Store in an airtight container.
2. To prepare a substitute for one can of condensed cream soup in recipes, stir together a cup dry mix and 1¼ cups water in a saucepan.
3. Cook and stir until thickened.Yield: Equivalent to 9 cans condensed soup Calories: 107 per cup of dry mix Fat: 1 gram