A Little Shortening ... Plus Some Other Stuff That Is Undoubtedly Very Bad For You, Speaking From a Cardiovascular Perspective of Course.

Shortening is an ingredient used in many baked good recipes. It has come to my attention that many people do not understand what it is about shortening that makes up the shortenpart.

Well do you know?

I found the answer via google:

A white, flavorless, solid fat formulated for baking or deep frying; any fat used in baking to tenderize the product by shortening gluten strands

This is a good start ... but I wasn't sure what gluten strands are and why they are relevant. Apparently, it's all about the structure:

Wheat flours and egg whites contain proteins that provide strength and structure for a batter so it will rise and not collapse when baked. Wheat is the only grain with significant amounts of gluten-forming potential. Other grains like corn and oats do not create gluten in a batter. They provide only flavor and bulk, and must be mixed with wheat flour for strength.

And delving into the details:

They also shorten the length of the gluten strands when the flour is stirred with that moisture preventing a tough baked good.

So shortening applies to the shortening of the gluten strands, which is done to prevent a tough baked good.

I like Wikipedia's entry on shortening, which sort of brings it all home (for me at least):

Shortening is a fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it inhibits the formation of long gluten strands in wheat-based doughs, giving them a "short" texture (as in shortbread). Shortening can be made from animal fat (lard), but is more commonly a hydrogenated vegetable oil that is solid at room temperature. Shortening has a higher smoke point than butter and margarine, and it has 100% fat content, compared to 80% for butter and margarine.

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Just remember: I'm here to help.