"Interesting" Facts About Crisco

Crisco has been a staple in American pantries for many years. It's used for cooking, frying, baking, and making a flaky pie crust. It came about as a matter of necessity. William Proctor, a candle maker, and his brother-in-law James Gamble, a soap maker, teamed-up in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Competition was fierce, and the men knew they had to take huge steps if their company was going to survive. Read this informative article and find out some more interesting facts about Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening.


The Birth of Crisco

Proctor & Gamble christened their all-vegetable shortening Krispo. Problems with trademarks made them change it to Cryst which came from Crystalized Cottonseed Oil. Since "Chryst" was too close to "Christ", they finally changed the name once-and-for-all to Crisco. Crisco made its market debut in 1911. Selling their product to housewives who habitually cooked and baked with butter and lard was going to be no easy task.


Successful Advertising

Proctor & Gamble marketed their all-vegetable shortening as being healthier than animal fats, cheaper than butter, and easier to digest. The company published and gave away cookbooks full of recipes using Crisco. Jewish cooks were the first to switch over to the imitation lard.

The War Effort and Other Miscellaneous Facts

Another advantage of using Crisco was that it was easy to store in its tin can because it didn't need refrigeration. During World War II, it was packaged in glass jars.

The J.M. Smucker Company acquired the Crisco brand in 2002. In 2007, the company announced that it now contained zero grams trans-fat per serving.

Resources

http://www.crisco.com/About_Crisco/History.aspx

http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/rise-and-fall-of-crisco