Who Uses Spry?

Spry was an American brand of vegetable shortening owned by Lever Brothers (now Unilever) and most popular between the 1930s and '50s. The brand was created to rival Crisco, and featured the popular radio personality "Aunt Jenny" as Spry's spokesperson. No longer available in the United States, Spry is still distributed in Cyprus.

Vegetable Shortening

• Prior to the invention of vegetable shortening, American cooks used lard and butter for baking and frying. Commercial food processors wanted a profitable, inexpensive-to-produce alternative that was shelf stable and branded for advertising purposes. Through hrdrogenation, which makes liquid oils solid at room temperature, cottonseed, soybean and other oils can be cut into small pieces and combined with flour to make flaky or crisp baked goods. Unlike butter or lard, vegetable shortening is nearly tasteless and lasts indefinitely without refrigeration.

Frying

• A cook uses Spry (or vegetable shortening) for fried chicken or fish. Like lard, the fat makes a breading or batter crispy and brown, due to its low water content. Vegetable shortening is also widely used for deep frying in restaurant and home kitchens due to its low cost and ability to maintain high temperatures without burning.

Baking

• Bakers use Spry equivalents in cookies for a crisp texture, and in pies for a flaky crust. In commercial baking, vegetable shortening has virtually eliminated the use of butter and lard in these products.