Alix said:Crisco is shortening. You can use lard in the same amounts for shortening if you wish. The texture of whatever you are baking will remain roughly the same if you sub shortening for lard. If you sub butter or margarine or oil then the textures of things will be different. Can you post the recipes you are looking to sub and we can help you from there?
Goodweed of the North said:Lard is actually healthier than either butter or shortening. It is lower in cholesterol, though this seems counter-intuitive. It's true.
Alix said:I'm not going to disagree with Goodweed and hijack this thread, but I will say that claiming lard to be healthier than butter or shortening is a slippery slope lol: ) at best. No solid fat is "healthy" in large amounts. Animals fats are an especially tricky issue.
So, if you are looking for the "healthiest" alternative, do some research and don't just take our word for it.