Butter v Margarine/Spreads etc.

[EastEnder]

butter dosen't need added dyes to be yellow.

ahem - I didn't say it had dyes added to it.

I said, if you removed the yellow, it would end up grey.

 

[brahaminda]

What's wrong with Flora?

It tastes shit.

 

[gloryhornetgirl]

Flora is not too bad, it's never going to taste as good as butter, obviously, but it's a lot nicer than some margarines, especially those completely tastleless vegan ones made out of soya.

 

[brahaminda]

Flora is not too bad, it's never going to taste as good as butter, obviously, but it's a lot nicer than some margarines, especially those completely tastleless vegan ones made out of soya.

If i'm out of butter, I'd rather have dry toast, or drizzle a bit of olive oil over it

 

[Wookey]

Butter for butties and toast, margeriine can go hang, it's rank American faux-food, give it a rest.

Olive oil for dressings, marinades and roasting certain dishes. Really vegetable oil is a cheaper way, and you don't get that rather annoying tang of olives in everything, which you get if you go all Marks and Sparks and use olive oil on everything.

 

[s.norbury]

Olive oil for dressings, marinades and roasting certain dishes. Really vegetable oil is a cheaper way, and you don't get that rather annoying tang of olives in everything, .

yes

 

[crustychick]

Definitely butter, every time. The only trouble I have with butter is that its so delicious I put far too much on!!!!

And for general cooking, I use groundnut oil, sometimes olive oil.

*runs of to spread thick butter on crusty white bread*

 

[Col_Buendia]

Sorry, did you say "white" bread?

 

[EastEnder]

She is shockingly common.

 

[crustychick]

There is just something so satisying about thick butter on crusty white bread



it is lush

*cries*

 

[brahaminda]

I use groundnut oil

Best for frying
Higher spec temp than veg/sunflower/olive oil

 

[pembrokestephen]

There is just something so satisying about thick butter on crusty white bread



it is lush

*cries*

Don't let the bread nazis get to you, crustychick

Just make sure you eat a bowlful of lentils and brown rice as a penance, though *big grin*

 

[pk]

Clover is what we get. Or Anchor butter.

 

[Gavin Bl]

but how do they make butter spreadable - what do they do to it?

They can't just put it out on the radiator for a while, before rushing it to the supermarket, shurely?

 

[Yu_Gi_Oh]

but how do they make butter spreadable - what do they do to it?

They can't just put it out on the radiator for a while, before rushing it to the supermarket, shurely?

lol

i have no idea.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

but how do they make butter spreadable - what do they do to it?

They can't just put it out on the radiator for a while, before rushing it to the supermarket, shurely?

I don't know myself. And don't call me Shurely

 

[Orang Utan]

Second worst is saturated fat (butter, meat fat, lard, dairy)

That's the best! It actually tastes of something

 

[Col_Buendia]

Don't let the bread nazis get to you, crustychick

Just make sure you eat a bowlful of lentils and brown rice as a penance, though *big grin*

Penance? Penance?? <splutters> Far too pleasurable, lentils and brown rice. At least three bowls of mung beans to make up for the heinous crime of crusty, fresh, spongy white bread... gently oozing with freshly spread butter...

<matron! The mung beans, now>

 

[RubberBuccaneer]

Margarine's an imperialist invention

Viva la butter!

 

[christonabike]

margerine is actually grey and they make it yellow to look more like butter

This is true

 

[hammerntongues]

No, for a living I'm a student!!

But my dad was an organic chemist, and I was always interested in it at school, so I guess this sort of stuff comes easily to me...and, as a student, I'm a bit more in the researching-things groove...

your dad is a bit behind the times though stephen , hydrogenation has been almost removed as a method of hardening fats after years of bad publicity . The latest method is " esterification " which hardens oils by a restructuring of the carbon chain molecules . I think you`ll find that margerines like Flora no longer contain anything more than traces of hydrogenated oils and haven`t done for several years , same applies for most bread/biscuit/chocolate fats.

they have other things to scare you with now like trans fatty acids

 

[Gavin Bl]

* tries to picture wife's face when he tells her margarine is grey really *

 

[pembrokestephen]

but how do they make butter spreadable - what do they do to it?

They can't just put it out on the radiator for a while, before rushing it to the supermarket, shurely?

It can be done by blending in some lighter (normally unsaturated) oils, which are less "hard", and allow the butter to spread at cooler temperatures. They can also - apparently - feed cows different stuff, which causes them to produce more of the unsaturated fats in their milk (this would worry me!):

"The CSIRO’s solution is to feed dairy cows a diet containing softer unsaturated fats, and make sure these fats reach the milk that is then used to make butter.

"A dairy cow’s diet is typically quite high in unsaturated fats.

"However, these fats never usually reach the milk because they are broken down by microbes in the cow’s first stomach.

"To combat this problem CSIRO scientists created a canola and soybean meal coated in a special protein.

"This protein prevents the unsaturated fats in the meal from being destroyed by microbes in the cow’s first stomach.

"As a result, the unsaturated fats are carried through to the cows’ small intestines, to the meat, and eventually to the milk.

This milk can then be used to make butter that’s twice as spreadable as normal butter when cold!" source

 

[pembrokestephen]

your dad is a bit behind the times though stephen ,
hydrogenation has been almost removed as a method of hardening fats after years of bad publicity . The latest method is " esterification " which hardens oils by a restructuring of the carbon chain molecules . I think you`ll find that margerines like Flora no longer contain anything more than traces of hydrogenated oils and haven`t done for several years , same applies for most bread/biscuit/chocolate fats.

they have other things to scare you with now like trans fatty acids

Yep, he would be behind the times - he retired in 1983

I discovered, about half way through this thread that Flora have stopped using hydrogenated stuff, but I did notice, only a couple of years ago (seems only like yesterday!) that, as one example, Carr's Water Biscuits were still using hydrogenated fats. But I agree with you, the days of the hydrogenated fats do seem to be numbered...

 

[hammerntongues]

a lot of the ` low fat` spreads are low fat because they are mixed with a higher volume of water using an emulsifier , thats why when you put them on toast they just split and water content just gives you soggy toast.

 

[Gavin Bl]

Also I think Palm Oil is being used alot more, which is pretty solid - and not very good for you, by all accounts.

(It is very nice when used to make jollof rice, I should add however )

 

[Orang Utan]

Also I think Palm Oil is being used alot more, which is pretty solid - and not very good for you, by all accounts.

Palm Oil production in Indonesia/Malaysia destroys Orang Utans' habitat, so do not buy unless it's from a sustainable plantation - there's no official way of proving this, so I would avoid it altogether.

 

[hammerntongues]

Yep, he would be behind the times - he retired in 1983

I discovered, about half way through this thread that Flora have stopped using hydrogenated stuff, but I did notice, only a couple of years ago (seems only like yesterday!) that, as one example, Carr's Water Biscuits were still using hydrogenated fats. But I agree with you, the days of the hydrogenated fats do seem to be numbered...

the percentage of fat in a carrs is going to be practically nil and if it didnt have any fat it just wouldnt bind , you have to mix flour with more than water to have any palatable texture , even bread only contains less than 3 pct fat .

crisps used to be about 35 percent t fat , which is basically just the amount of water in a potato which that is replaced by frying, they also are down to less than 10 pct nowadays.problem is they doubled the size of the bags to make up for it !

the housewife really does change things if there is enough publicity to help.

 

[hammerntongues]

Palm Oil production in Indonesia/Malaysia destroys Orang Utans' habitat, so do not buy unless it's from a sustainable plantation - there's no official way of proving this, so I would avoid it altogether.

every time you eat a biscuit , a chocolate , a slice of bread , wash yourself with liquid soap or shampoo , or use plastics amongst many other things you are using palm oil from Indonesia/Malaysia , if you think you can avoid those then good luck , its everywhere.

 

[Orang Utan]

every time you eat a biscuit , a chocolate , a slice of bread , wash yourself with liquid soap or shampoo , or use plastics amongst many other things you are using palm oil from Indonesia/Malaysia , if you think you can avoid those then good luck , its everywhere.

well, quite - pressure on the manufacturers is what's needed, rather than boycotting individual products