Hi, Thank you Lisa for recommending sialis.org. They have a LOT of great suet recipes. This is what they say about lard vs. vegetable shortening: "(Beef or Sheep) Suet vs. (Pig) Lard vs. Vegetable Shortening (Crisco, etc.): All work in suet recipes, as long as you adjust the dry ingredients (e.g., flour) to keep the texture crumbly. Vegetable shortening has a longer shelf life. Suet in its raw form should be avoided. Beef suet may turn rancid when temperatures exceed 70 degrees. When melted and clarified, beef suet is called "tallow." Tallow is less likely to go rancid over time; however it is not easily digested by birds because it is high in saturated fats. Some birders are concerned about the health impact of using vegetable shortening. * A nutritionist at the San Diego Zoo indicated that there is no health risk associated specifically with vegetable oil. * Dr. Sean Pampreen, an avian vet in Marlborough, CT, indicated he did not think that vegetable shortening used as a binder in suet (which is only a supplemental food for wild birds) would cause digestive problems, especially since sunflower, millet and peanut are about 45-56% oil. * Bill Whittaker of Four Nature's Keepers says saturated fats (such as in suet) are more difficult/require more energy for birds to digest than unsaturated fats (such as in vegetable shortening). They also found in field tests that after a familiarization period, birds prefer vegetable shortening. * Dr. Kirk Klasing, Professor of Avian Nutrition at UC Davis, said that very high amounts of fatty acids are difficult to emulsify by the bile, lowering digestibility. Adding a source of unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oil or lard, improves digestibility (e.g., 80% tallow, 20% vegetable oil or lard is a good combination - you can adjust the proportions to give the melting point desired). Peanut butter also works to increase digestibility of tallow because it is high in unsaturated fats. He was not aware of any evidence for a laxative effect of vegetable oil. Like tallow, vegetable shortening is solid at room temperatures. However, the hydrogenation used to make shortening results in lots of trans fatty acids. Though we don't know for sure, it is likely that the trans fatty acids are less healthy than "natural" cis fatty acids (unhydrogenated oils). In chickens, high levels of trans fatty acids deplete antioxidants in the tissues. It would be best to avoid high levels of vegetable shortening. * Crisco does make a zero-trans-fat shortening (in a green container.) * Another alternative is soybean shortening without additives, at as low a melting temperature (less saturation) as you can use to make an acceptable food. In terms of protein content, suet has about 0.4 grams of protein/oz. in it; lard and vegetable shortening have none. Both suet and vegetable shortening have about the same amount of calories and fat content. Beef suet has more saturated fat which may be harder to digest. JL Peterson found bluebirds preferred recipes made with suet. A friend reported bluebirds in her area preferred Crisco-based suets. Crisco does offer a zero-trans fat product. If you're concerned about using either of these ingredients, you can replace them with extra peanut butter until the mixture reaches the desired consistency." So, I will definitely be using vegetable shortening, I'm going to see if they have an organic version at the health food store. It just doesn't feel right to me to help out some animals by feeding them other animals. I'm also going to use raw peanuts and seeds instead of commercial peanut butter, like the birds would naturally eat. Cooking food kills all the enzymes which are so necessary for cells to be able to use the nutrients in the food. Here's the page where I got this info: http://www.sialis.org/suet.htm#crisco Best wishes, fellow bird lovers! April Here is a link that might be useful: Sialis info on crisco/vegetarian suet

I'm sure the hydrogenated stuff will work just fine, but I don't know which is worse for you nutritionally--hydrogenated animal fat or hydrogenated vegetable oil. They're both way down on the 'good' list, and an argument over the benefits of each would be about as insightful as which is better for you, Winstons or Camels :) Fats are hydrogenated to eliminate any carbon-carbon double bonds. (A C=C bond as opposed to a simple C-C bond.) Oils with only one C=C bond are called monoenoic, or monounsaturated; the oils in olive oil are like this. Oils with more than one C=C bond are polyunsaturated, like safflower oil. They hydrogenate the fats to increase the shelf life; fats go rancid at least in part because the C=C bonds break down and oxidize. However, during the hydrogenation process trans fats are created, and those are bad actors associated with heart disease. I personally would go with shortening simply because it's probably been sitting on the shelf for a shorter period than that lard. Unless you shop at a store that serves an ethnic population that uses a lot of lard in its cooking, you may be purchasing some old stock.

I am another believer in lard......remembering being raised with lard use.....Mother had a 5 gallon can she keep lard in...she baked pie crusts, biscuits, fried every thing in it.....and a lot of frying was done. Even 50 yrs ago when My Bill and I were married we used lard from our own hogs. My pie crusts always turned out real good with lard. I tried hard using other shortening one kind or another....I was never happy always went back to lard...never gave up lard for pie crust, however let up lard use on most other things. Remember Annie said she rendered her own....that was not feasible for us anymore..... thought I would buy some fresh from a slaughter house. Last fall found one near by and yes they had lard and bought 10#. For last Thanksgiving I used for my pies, using up 2 lbs. The pie crust were not good, had an off taste. Working the crusts up things were not right, didn't feel right, didn't smell right, and the pies did not turn out right. I threw the other 8 pounds out. I buy lard in the grocery stories, do have one favorite brand tho. Just this week made a blackberry pie with store bought lard and it turned out well. Chicken fried in lard is the best fried chicken in the whole wide world! ! !

Recently I bought pork fat at the farmer's market. I intend to render it into lard for cooking. I'd only cook with lard if I got it from a reputable non commercial source. Although i know I consume less optimal lard at Mexican restaurants, which I don't visit all that often being as most New England Mexican restaurants are not that good to begin with. If I make bacon, I may use drippings for fried eggs, or maybe to add to other foods later that same day. I don't reserve it for future dates. When I have bought organic farmers market duck (not often, due to price), I reserve the duck fat for up to a month, to cook with. I am one of those whose health profile improved when I modified the fats I ate (to olive oil and avocado oil, and butter and the occasional duck or bacon fat), and when I markedly reduced junk sugars and grains in my food plan. I also eat eggs about 5 times a week. So, high fat, low carb, lotsa veggies, and watching food sources works for me.