• Vegetable shortening is mainly added to recipes or used to grease dishes for baked goods.cake #4 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
  
  Shortening is basically oil that has been chemically altered to a solid material. All types of vegetable shortening are derived from vegetarian sources, and there are a few different types of vegetable shortening blends with varying consistency. The fat in this type of shortening comes from vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil or cottonseed oil. Some brands are also made from a variety of oils blended together. This food is commonly used for baking or for greasing pans so that food comes off easily when it's done baking. It is high in trans fats and calories.
  
  

Blended Shortening

• Blended vegetable shortening is one of the most common types. This type of shortening is made with a blend of soybean oil, corn oil and other oils. You can read the specific ingredients in the product on the label. This is helpful if you have sensitivities to certain oils like soybean oil. The taste is generally the same regardless of what type you buy. Shortening has a bland, greasy taste. Most types have a greasy or creamy texture, depending on what types of oils it's made with.
  
  

Vegetable Oil Shortening

• Pure vegetable oil shortening is only made with vegetable oil. Like other oils, this oil contains trans fats. Sometimes other ingredients such as citric acid and diglycerides are added. Most types of vegetable shortening last for more than a year.
  
  

Soybean Oil Shortening

• Soybean oil shortening is another common product that you can find in grocery stores.
  
  

Cottonseed Oil Shortening

• Cottonseed oil shortening is another type that you might find in stores. The oil is made from compressed cotton seeds, and then chemicals are added to transform the oil into a shortening mixture.