5 More Unexpected Uses for Crisco

Whether you do or do not care about sports, there was an amazingly clever stunt that took place last night in Philadelphia that we need to discuss. In order to prevent excited fans from scaling the street poles throughout the city, the police assigned officers to slather Crisco on said poles. This way, any sort of grip that an enthused Eagles fan might have had to climb up and celebrate their team’s victory is now completely gone, due to the greasiness that shortening provides. Does it take the fun out of a city-wide celebration? Yes. Is it completely genius/hilarious? Totally.

With this out-of-the-box application for a pantry ingredient that’s most commonly used for making flakey pie crust, it got me thinking—what else can you do with shortening?

Whether you’re the proud new owner of a wooden kitchen piece or your current cutting board is looking a little sad, give it a nice slather of shortening and let it sit overnight. Wipe it clean the next day, and boom—you’ve got yourself a like-brand-new board. In the case of a cast-iron, the fat from the shortening serves as an excellent substance to season a new or worn-down skillet.

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Forget what they tell you about coconut oil—it’s not as hydrating to your skin as you’re led to believe. Shortening, however, is a different story. Apply it like lotion, and your skin will be soft and supple in no time. It’s even a great remedy for diaper rash on a baby, as it’s great for soothing and moisturizing sensitive skin.

Talk about a sticky situation. Next time you accidentally let a piece of gum fall into your hair or get it stuck on an article of clothing, rub some Crisco into the situation, and the gum will slide right off. Bet you wish you knew that 10 years ago when you cut off some of your locks to get that stubborn, sticky gum out of your hair, huh?

Next time a blizzard rolls through, make sure you’ve got a stash of Crisco. Simply spread some all over the head of your snow shovel so that when you shovel, the icy snow slides right off, rather than piling up on your shovel. Your upper body will definitely thank you.

You know those obnoxious price tags that are stuck onto new plates, mugs, books, and ceramics? Rather than fussing with the corners of the sticker, slowly trying to peel it off without leaving behind any gummy residue, spread a thin layer of Crisco atop the sticker. Wait about 10 minutes, and gently scrub the area clean with a sponge. Wasn’t that painless?