window on the past

Lubbock Cotton Oil Mill
19th and Avenue A

Cotton seed oil is the most significant by-product of cotton seed and, since the 1880s, one of the first vegetable oils used for cooking. River Smith's, a local eatery, supports local agriculture by cooking their catfish and chicken in cotton seed oil. The recent trend toward zero-trans fat benefits cotton seed oil although canola, sunflower and others are more popular. In 1911 Proctor & Gamble released Crisco as a premier shortening- sold in hermetically sealed cans wrapped in white paper. The name Crisco was modified from "crystallized cotton seed oil."