# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Gardening >  Shelf life of shortening?

## marylp

So what do you all think about longterm storage of oils and shortening? Some say that all oils will go rancid and shortening has a longer shelf life. Someone suggested to extend the shelf life of shortening, snap a vitamin E pill,throw it in the Crisco can, I like the idea of shortening because it does not require refridgeration. I always keep my canola oil in the fridge. What do you think?

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## buttercup

I make my own lard. It stores in my cool cellar for months at a time without getting strong. I put it in large size coffee cans so in case (which hasn't happened) one batch goes bad, it is not a big loss as if it were in huge containers. I have frozen the cans too which works well if you have freezer space. Right now I have 16 large cans and 4 small size coffe cans full.

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## marylp

Wow, I would not have any idea on how to make lard. And there is no such thing as a cold anything in South Texas. The best I have done is save bacon grease for my famous refried beans recipe.

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## crashdive123

Mary - found this on shortening http://www.ochef.com/1052.htm

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## crashdive123

.....and this on cooking oils http://www.ochef.com/64.htm

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## Sourdough

If'n you'a leave da fat attached to the bear when you throw's him in da cache, she be good all winter, and you just cuts off what ya need when ya cuts off a hank'o meat.

Throws da fat in da pan and melt her, and pour da extra in yous'a coffee. Da bear greese bee good on da boots also. But don't be putt'in it in da coffee after it be on da boots.    ...... :Smile:  :Smile:  :Smile:

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## BraggSurvivor

In my stores we keep Olive Oil. The real unprocessed oil will last up to 10 years if store properly.

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/oliveoil.html

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## marylp

Crash, you always hook me up with the best links, Thank you. Hopeak, u r the cooooolest, what ever u said. Bragg, thanks!!

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## cabingirl

I stored shortening  back in 1999. I opened a can a few months ago and it  was still good, and white. The oils I stored a few years ago have turned really dark colored.

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## marylp

Cabingirl, What brand is it? What kind of conditions? How can you tell its still good? beside the color? Thanks. Mary

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## tacmedic

Bragg, that is why you should buy Spanish olive oil.  They are the largest producer of olive oils in the world.  The only problem is that they don't export a lot of it, they keep it for domestic consumption.  Most of the olive oil that I had when I lived their was the cloudy and wonderfully flavorful unfiltered kind.  Absolutely delicious!

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## cabingirl

Mary, the brand I use is crisco,the condition of it when opened was  very good, I made bread from it and it had no bad taste.I buy it in the 3 lb. cans.

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## crashdive123

Cabingirl - did the oils just turn darker or had they gone rancid?

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## nell67

3 years ago,a store here was going out of business,and I bought 12 cans of Crisco for .35 cents each,I never had a problem with it going bad,I did lose 3 cans of it when the house burned.

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## bulrush

The real question is, will you die of a heart attack before your shortening goes bad? There's a reason why we don't use lard anymore. It clogs the arteries. Any lipid/fat/oil that is solid at room temperature is bad for you.

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## Sourdough

My father talked about lard sandwiches, being all they had to eat. He smoked 3 packs a day, and died at 82. I think if the choice is death by starvation, or a lard sandwich, I know my choice.

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## Chris

Fully saturated oils last forever and are very stable.

Unsaturated oils do not.

It is a chemistry thing

Fully saturated oils have no open positions on their chain for bonding. They're all filled with hydrogen atoms.

Unsaturated oils do have open positions, and many different things can bond with them, causing them to go rancid when exposed to air/light. 

Once opened, most unsaturated oils have around 6 months. 

The more unsaturated it is the quicker it can go. So polyunsaturated will go quicker than monounsaturated.

Hydrogenated vegetable oils are unsaturated fats that have had hydrogen rammed in them turning them into saturated fats. Thus increasing shelf life (and they're bad for you).

Beware the hydrogenated oils.

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## Sourdough

Well done Chris.

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## cabingirl

the oil did go rancid

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## Sourdough

Rancid oil is great bait, I would save it if you can.

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## marylp

Hey Hopeak, Do you just dip your real bait in the oil?

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## crashdive123

Bait for what?

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## Sourdough

> Bait for what?


Well, Bears for sure, and I would guess any meat eater. When one homesteads you never throw anything away, it would drive Martha Stewart types up the wall.

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## crashdive123

Gotcha.  Thanks.

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## marylp

Dont I feel stupid, I told my husband that dipping the minnows in rancid oil, before putting them on the hook would probably work. He gave me the stangest look, suggested I take a nap.

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## crashdive123

Don't feel bad Mary.  I've used the oil from a cat food can to attract shrimp.....was wondering if rancid oil could/would do the same thing.

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## Chris

bad/used cooking oil can be used for biodiesel I know. You gotta filter it and do other stuff to it, but then it works. Free gas. 

I've read about cities getting all the used oil from their local restaurants and using it to power their city vehicles. Restaurants are happy with it, they used to have to pay someone to dispose of it.

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