Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumWhich brand of margarine tastes more buttery?
I like butter on things like freshly baked bread, but its expensive and for most other foods I use margarine. Country Crock is the brand I use most. I've tried I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! but my taste buds tells my that doesn't taste anything like butter. What about the rest of you folks, which margarine would you recommend for a good buttery taste?
dewsgirl
(14,961 posts)hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)I've used it for years--produced in Boulder, but I think Whole Foods has it nationwide
TexasProgresive
(12,165 posts)I believe margarine is as unhealthy as any hydrogenated oils. My cholesterol and triglycerides are in a very good range regardless of eating bacon and butter (no, I don't put butter on bacon )
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,756 posts)Store brand here (northern Virginia) is now $2.99 per pound, give or take. This is the "walk in and buy it, not subject to any gimmicks" price. The Aldi, which can put butter on sale for $2.49 per pound, keeps local prices in check.
TexasProgresive
(12,165 posts)I am an hibernophile so Irish soda bread with Kerry Gold would be close to heaven.
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,756 posts)What the hell - everybody needs one indulgence. Maybe a few.
When I hitchhiked through Ireland, I downed a lot of bread and butter. Mmmmmm.
TexasProgresive
(12,165 posts)called "the hitcher." I wish I took a picture but was more concerned about driving.
hermetic
(8,338 posts)I buy butter when it's on sale and freeze it. Win/win.
ollie10
(2,091 posts)I use a butter blended with oil. You can buy in a stick or a plastic container. Pretty much can't tell the difference, but it is less saturated fat than butter.
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)ollie10
(2,091 posts)Low fat diet is best. Count your fat grams. If you are getting more than 50 per day, change your eating habits.
There are a lot of very tasty foods that require little or no butter/margarine at all. And for the ones that call for them, you can often substitute oil....or cut down on amounts.
For example you can air pop popcorn and use olive oil spray instead of butter and season at will with other seasonings. OK, not as tasty but still decent.
Going to the movies is so fun with popcorn....but a gall bladder or pancreatitis attack is no fun,
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)Read up on it.
More and more data is pointing to a deficiency of healthy poly and monounsaturated fats as correlated with increased risk for alzheimers and related dementias.
ollie10
(2,091 posts)High fat intake is associated with pancreatitis, gall bladder attacks, cancer, high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes.....the list is long.
50 grams or lower should be our goal. And, of course, among those fat grams, it is better to avoid the saturated stuff.
You can get omega 3s from seafood, chia seeds, walnuts and other things in the diet. Or you can take fish oil capsules for omega 3s. Just buying a brand of butter substitute won't cut it
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)ollie10
(2,091 posts)Sorry, but my wife just got home from the hospital with a bout from pancretitis. The recommended low fat diet from the docs is 40-50 grams tops. I have had cardio issues in the past, and guess what, they advocate low fat for that too. And a friend of mine came home from prostate cancer surgery and they recommend low fat to better your odds at preventing cancer as well. No, 50 grams is not exceedingly low....it is a very attainable goal. You eat lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low fat cuts of meat or vegetarian dishes.....and cut out the fried stuff. Who needs it? Certainly not your gall bladder.
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)Extreme low fat is usually defined as less than 33 g for a 2000 calorie diet.
ollie10
(2,091 posts)What matters is not what brand of butter or margarine you use. What matters is how much fruits/vegetables/whole grains/low fat meat and dairy, etc you get. If you eat enough of the healthy stuff you won't have room for the bad stuff!!! Fried foods should be avoided, no matter what they are fried in. And if you slather your toast a quarter cup of "healthy" margarine or butter....it ain't healthy anymore.
You could have, for example a breakfast with cereal and skim milk, some fruit/juice and do that in less than 2 fat grams.
You could have a decent lunch with vegetables and fruit and some low fat soup of a sandwich.....and not get many more fat grams.
Now you go into supper and maybe you are hungry for spaghetti....you fix a big bowl of whole grain spagetti, and pour on all the Bertolli tomato sauce you want.....and we are talking almost no fat here. Add a salad with low fat dressing. And more fruit or steamed vegetables.....and we are still talking very low fat.
And what if, instead of that spahetti, you pig out and split a frozen pizzz with your spouse? Well, you are still way below the 50 grams for the day. Maybe have some frozen yogurt for a snack and you STILL are under 50 grams!!!! Or maybe even some real butter on your popcorn! In moderation, of course.
Point is, you can eat a bunch of fun food, and eat abundantly, and still have less than 50 grams.
Just get a fat gram chart and see how it adds up.
There are a lot of foods that simply are unsafe to eat at any speed,
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)moose65
(3,169 posts)In general I find margarine to be nasty and weird. I spring for a few extra dollars and get the butter, but I don't use a whole lot of it.
Land O Lakes has some spreadable butter which is butter with a touch of oil. It tastes pretty good!
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)Those were the source of transfats in the original plant-based margarines of old.
Newer healthy (expelled) forms of margarines do not containe these hydrogenated fats and thus no transfats
TexasProgresive
(12,165 posts)Most plant oils are liquids that might thicken a bit in the fridge but are nothing that could be formed into a stick.
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)read up here:
https://earthbalancenatural.com/philosophy/
TexasProgresive
(12,165 posts)Palm oil, made from the fruit of the oil palm tree (Elaeis guineensis), is one of the most widely produced edible fats in the world. The oil palm yields two types of oil: One is extracted from the flesh of the fruit (palm oil), and the other from the seed, or kernel (palm kernel oil). Palm oil is consumed in many countries in vegetable oil, shortening, and margarine. In the United States, it accounts for a very small percentage of overall fat consumption.
Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil the so-called tropical oils got a bad reputation in this country some years ago because they're high in saturated fat, which has long been linked to heart disease. Saturated fat boosts "bad" LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, both of which are risk factors for heart disease. Palm oil, which is 50% saturated, has a more favorable fatty acid composition than palm kernel oil and coconut oil, which are more than 85% saturated. In general, the higher the saturated fat content, the more solid a fat is at room temperature. Palm oil is semisolid at room temperature but can be processed into a liquid cooking oil.
In recent years, we've learned a lot more about the health effects of various fats. The honor of unhealthiest fat now goes to trans fat, which not only increases LDL and triglyceride levels, but also reduces "good" HDL cholesterol. Most trans fat is artificially created through hydrogenation. Partially hydrogenated oil, used in many processed baked goods and snacks and for frying foods, is a major source of trans fat.
In 2006 the FDA started requiring that trans fat be listed on nutrition labels. Because of that requirement and bans on trans fat like those in New York City and elsewhere many food manufacturers and restaurants have stopped using trans fat and are looking for alternatives. One of them is palm oil. It's less saturated than butter and contains no trans fat. But just because it's not as bad as trans fat doesn't make it a health food. According to Harvard nutrition experts, palm oil is better than hightrans fat shortenings and probably a better choice than butter but vegetable oils that are naturally liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil and canola oil, should still be your first choice.
Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D.Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/By_the_way_doctor_Is_palm_oil_good_for_you
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)Moderation of saturated fat is important, but unless you are strict vegan (no dairy, no meat at all) then you are getting some saturated fats.
procon
(15,805 posts)The label says, "Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil", but that very misleading. The ingredients are:
Vegetable Oil Blend (Canola, Palm, Extra Virgin Olive, and Flaxseed Oils).
hlthe2b
(102,562 posts)butter is the only thing that tastes like butter. it is worth the price. margarine is nutritional poison and tastes nasty.
procon
(15,805 posts)I was thinking about maybe whipping up my own house blend, a mix of butter and margarine, or maybe butter and olive oil, or all three. I have no idea what ratio would taste best, but my goal is to find something that tastes good and buttery, but it should be more economical for daily use.
ginnyinWI
(17,276 posts)I have not tried it yet.
I compared Earth Balance to Smart Balance directly in a taste test, and Smart Balance won. Nutrition is very similar.
Over Christmas I needed some unsalted butter substitute and bought unsalted Country Crock sticks. But that wasn't as good tasting. Still, easier when making cookies to use a stick rather than scooping it out of a tub.
My main deal is to reduce saturated fat. By switching to these spreads from butter I saw my LDL go down with no other changes.
Kali
(55,032 posts)lard for pie crusts
procon
(15,805 posts)Sounds interesting. Is it spreadable right out of the fridge? Does is separate? Would it freeze well?
Kali
(55,032 posts)I suppose if you mixed it and refrigerated it would be spreadable, considering how olive oil solidifies in the fridge. Just plain high quality olive oil is delicious on good bread alone, but I suspect you are talking more money than regular bread and butter. heh
I am with whoever above suggested saving money elsewhere and sticking with real butter. if you watch for sales you can get it pretty reasonable, well under 3/lb and it freezes perfectly, for up to a year if you put it in good heavy zip locks or equivalent (it will absorb flavors if you have things like roasted green chiles in the freezer, trust me - sigh)
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)for bakers and chefs, please, "buttery taste", ugh.
procon
(15,805 posts)margarine for ordinary, day to day use at the table. Thanks anyway. We can't afford to be too snooty and buy butter only (wouldn't that be wonderfully yummy, though!), thus my question.
Runningdawg
(4,533 posts)you also use a little of a product called Butter Buds. Look it up on Amazon but please don't pay their asking price of $8. I can find it at almost any grocery store, with the spices, for less than $3.
procon
(15,805 posts)It's been a while, maybe they've improved the product since I last tried it. I know we sprinkled it on hot popcorn and my DH complained, same problem with baked potatoes, and that ended the trial. I don't think we used margarine AND Butter Buds, so maybe that's the secret?
brewens
(13,671 posts)Real butter, sour cream, ranch dressing and my favorite store even has real bacon bits in their deli.
Runningdawg
(4,533 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)With so many choices I can skip the butter (well, sometimes, anyway). Chili, crushed Fritos and cheese. Steamed green peas, crumbly sausage and country gravy. Guacamole, chopped tomatoes, Mexican cheese and salsa with sour cream.
Making myself hungry now, and it's pure torture because I'd need to go shopping before setting up that kind of a big spread.
Runningdawg
(4,533 posts)a little margarine, olive oil or the liquid in which you cooked vegetables.
procon
(15,805 posts)brewens
(13,671 posts)my money shopping store brands and other things where I know I'm getting something that tastes right.
SamKnause
(13,114 posts)I use it for cooking and baking.
I leave a stick out at room temperature for toast, baked potatoes, etc.
AJT
(5,240 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)that we got accustomed to in the past.
AJT
(5,240 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)SharonClark
(10,014 posts)For the difference in taste, butter is not expensive. Look for it on sale, it will only be about $1-$1.50 more than margarine.
Freddie
(9,282 posts)Make sure you get the original and not the "light". Maybe I've gotten used to it over the years but it tastes good to me.
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)I plan to but the combo 'butter and olive oil' next time I shop.
I only need it on my oatmeal and toast,
and have it recommended to me as easier to spread.
Bayard
(22,241 posts)Nothing else comes close. I just don't use a lot.
secondwind
(16,903 posts)Its none of my business, and with all due respect, margarine contains trans-fats, which are extremely harmful and have been gradually removed from virtually all prepared foods in Europe and the USA.
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,930 posts)use real butter.
It's as simple as that.
One thing I find incredibly weird about our culture is that we tend to demonize foods. And then a few years later discover the demonization was totally wrong.
As Michael Pollan says: eat real food, mostly vegetables, and not too much.
I also have a strong distrust of all dieticians and nutritionists. Anyone who claims you can substitute no-fat yogurt for sour cream and not tell the difference has no business recommending any food to anyone, since even though they can't tell the difference, a lot of us can.
Texasgal
(17,049 posts)If you use real butter you don't have to use as much so the cost kinda levels out.
Ofcourse, I LOVE Kerrygold butter and can only buy it for special occasions!
dem in texas
(2,674 posts)When I am baking cakes and cookies, I use butter. When I sauté, I will use a combo of butter and oil. Sometimes, as in baking, you want the butter taste and it cannot be faked. When sautéing or pan frying, you want that lovely browning and crust that can only happen when real butter is used.
You can cut corners on the butter intake in other ways, like not loading a baked potato with butter, skipping the butter on toast, bread and rolls, a squeeze of lemon juice on steamed veggies instead of dab of butter, many ways to do this.