The Paleo MomQ+A: What is palm shortening?

I would like to thank you for allowing me to participate in the production of cold process soapmaking.I love the big batches recipe in the handout, but I have a question about palm shortening.When I search online, I can't find it, so where can I get it?Is it the same as shortening or palm oil?Please help me out!

It is a good recipe and I am glad you like it.They are enjoying David's Soap Class Handouts.

When it gets warm, regular palm oil will start turning to a liquid and will separate.The liquid will separate from the solid part, which is often found at the bottom of your Palm container.If you don't stir/ mix it thoroughly before pouring it, it can lead to inconsistent soap batches.

The benefit of using a Homogenized Palm is that it has been cooled in a way that makes it not separate easily.It is more solid but not hard.It's easy to scoop it out and be on your merry way soaping.David recommended it because he was a soapmaker before he became a supplier.

Just make sure to stir it thoroughly if it shows any sign of separation, regular Palm Oil is fine to use.Palm KERNEL Oil does not have the same value as regular Palm.

Crisco is a popular brand of shortening that is usually made of soybean oil and mixed with other oils like cottonseed.We don't typically use or recommend it because it gives a short shelf life to soap.If you wanted to replace the Palm Oil with another type of shortening, you would have to change the amount of lye.Where do I buy palm shortening, and what about the issue of orangutans?

The debate over Palm Oil has been going on for a long time.Palm oil is used in many food products around the world.Deforestation and harm to Orangutans is a big concern in some areas where Palm Oil is cultivated.This is a controversial issue.Some say the answer is to eliminate Palm Oil from everywhere, others say that would hurt those countries that depend on that industry.

We make our own choices every single day, from what we put in our mouths to our bodies.We recommend purchasing sustainable palm oil if you chose to use it.

There are several organizations addressing this difficult issue, and several suppliers we know and can recommend for sustainable Palm Oil, with links to those organizations for anyone who wants more info.

Columbus Foods has a division called Soapers Choice.They sell palm oil that is certified sustainable through the Rain Forest Alliance, as Orangutan are only native to Borneo and Sumatra.Be sure to search the site because they have different sizes.

The "Crafters Choice Palm Oil - No Stir" that Wholesale Supplies Plus sells indicates that it is sustainable and comes from the RSPO.You can learn more about sustainable palm and the RSPO by clicking here.

Palm Oil from Bramble Berry is not the shortening type.They carry both regular and Red Palm Oil from a supplier that is part of the Roundtable on sustainable palm oil.

Mission Peak Soap used to sell sustainable palm shortening.They are no longer in business.

If you want to try some soap recipes that are Palm-Free, check out this PDF.

It is typical for the type of Palm Oil historically used in soapmaking to be called Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized.Palm Oil in its natural state is bright orange and has a yellow color soap.Red Palm Oil can be found at most local health food stores.

We know this is a lot of information to take in, but hope this post helps clear things up for you and other soapmakers who have similar questions about Palm Oil.

Do you want to know more?David answered for us in 2012 about the differences between Palm Oil and Palm Olein.

I was looking at the questions on the site for the no-stir palm oil and they said it has some of the fat removed.I was searching for information on that and found a post that said it had a slightly different value.Do you have any thoughts on that description?

The palming is made from palm oil.The thick, luxurious texture of this oil is due to the fact that it has a reduced fat content.It is easy to scoop for measuring.It does not separate when melted.It's ideal for handmade cosmetics.It's good to use in soap, lotion and whipped butter.The RSPO has a membership that is sustainable.

According to the ingredients list, they are both 100% palm oil.

Some of the fats have been removed from the palm shortening to make it more stable.That oatmeal consistency will not be separated.That's right.

I would contact the company to answer the question.It wouldn't hurt to contact them for an explanation and confirmation of the values listed on their site.

Palm shortening is made by mixing and cooling palm into a creamy form just before it is packaged.Votated palm is used in the oil trade.This product is made primarily for the bakery industry where various melt-points are required, and that is achieved by removing some of the lighter, unsaturated components (like palmitoleic) of palm oil to provide a higher melt point and a more viscous product, or perhaps adding lighter fractions forIf you heat up palm shortening, it will separate and lose it's creamy texture when it cools again.Just like regular palm, you can use palm shortening.There are no differences between the various versions of palm shortening and regular palm oil.

I wonder if this will affect the quality of soap since some of the palmitoleic component has been removed.

We are not sure.We have made soap with both regular palm oil and palm shortening, and never noticed a difference.If you wanted to be a true scientist about it, you could make two batches of it the same and see if you like it.It wasn't something I wanted to do, but I really like how easy it is to work with Palm shortening.I always buy the sustainable type.