Butter or Margerine?

[Anonymous]

I have had so many varying opinions on this. Can you tell me the pros and cons? I always assumed I should be eating margerine because of lower fat.

[Anonymous]

You'll find some good information here: http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/askdietician/margarine.aspx

(Personally, though, I still prefer butter.)

[Anonymous]

Cultured "european-style" butter tastes the best.

Eat a tiny amount, and you won't need to care about the rest!

Butter contains cholesterol and a tiny amount of trans fats.
Margarine contains no cholesterol but used to contain a lot of trans fats.
If you choose trans fat-free margarine, the problem is you'll end up with calories but no flavor.

So I say go ahead with the best butter you can lay your hands on. In moderation, I believe one can drink and eat anything.

[Anonymous]

Smart Balance

[Anonymous]

Butter from grass-fed cows.

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/519-why-butter-is-better.html

[Anonymous]

I like butter with canola oil

[Anonymous]

FYI, the Weston A. Price Foundation supports a number of controversial/wacky views.

[Anonymous]

Land O' Lakes unsalted. Love that stuff in moderation of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Butter from grass-fed cows.

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/519-why-butter-is-better.html

Yup!

[Anonymous]

Have you seen the ingredients list on a tub of margarine? That stuff is not really food. It's primarily water and hydrogenated oils and it tastes awful.

[Anonymous]

I take dieticians' advice with a grain of salt. Margarine is not real food. A little butter, or generous amounts of olive oil with a sprinkle of sea salt seem to be much better for you than a spoonful of artificial goop whose consequences we might not understand until the next decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cultured "european-style" butter tastes the best.

Eat a tiny amount, and you won't need to care about the rest!

Butter contains cholesterol and a tiny amount of trans fats.
Margarine contains no cholesterol but used to contain a lot of trans fats.
If you choose trans fat-free margarine, the problem is you'll end up with calories but no flavor.

So I say go ahead with the best butter you can lay your hands on. In moderation, I believe one can drink and eat anything.

I'm going to make you jealous here. I live overseas and I get the European-style butter for DIRT CHEAP! A big fat hunk-o-butter for about $2.50. Presidente, Lurpak, Elle & Vire... LOLOLOLOLOLOL!

[Anonymous]

05:49 we are coming to take your butter. You cannot fight us all . . . .

[Anonymous]

Butter and copious amounts of red wine (purely for artery cleansing)

[Anonymous]

I'm in definite agreement with the PPs that butter is best for straight-up flavor -- wouldn't put anything else on my toast, for example.

My question is re: baking. All of my family recipes call for margarine or "oleo." Is that just a midwestern thing, and I can sub in butter as per my preference? Or does margarine bake differently (in such way that I might want to actually follow the recipes on this point)?