Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Two-Minute Tuesday #8: Butter vs. Margarine

Welcome to Two-Minute Tuesday, where I share quick tips, tidbits, and ideas.
This is also the 4th installment in my on-going series on Cooking 101.
Today, I want to talk to you a little about baking with butter versus margarine.

Cooking 101: Butter vs. Margarine | Apples to Applique #baking #cooking #kitchentips


Many people are intimidated by baking, complaining that it doesn't turn out well, even when they follow the recipe. Even seemingly simple things like cookies give people difficulty.
For a long time, I didn't understand this, because I've been baking since I was a kid.
Finally it dawned on me that most of these difficulties likely stem from a misunderstanding of butter, margarine, and vegetable oil spread, which is what I want to briefly explain to you today.

Butter
I am one of those bakers who only believes in using butter. It doesn't have all the fake ingredients that margarine does, it tastes better, and it typically bakes better.

Cooking 101: Butter vs. Margarine | Apples to Applique #baking #cooking #kitchentips

Butter melts at a higher temperature than margarine, which means that cookies baked with butter won't spread as much as cookies baked with margarine. It also assists in making things like crumbly streusel toppings. If you make a streusel topping with margarine, you'll end up with a doughy mess that won't crumble, and if you blob it on your recipe anyway, it will never get crisp in the oven, because the margarine melts too quickly. (Ask me how I know! Lol. This was one of those things that led me to being a butter-only baker.)

Margarine and Vegetable Oil Spread
Although I personally only use butter in baking, most recipes say you can use butter or margarine. If you want to use margarine, make sure you are using margarine that is at least 80% vegetable oil.

Usually the kind of margarine you will need for baking comes in sticks like butter, not in a tub. In fact, although we usually call it margarine when we're spreading it on dinner rolls, in the baking world, this stuff is not considered margarine at all:

Cooking 101: Butter vs. Margarine | Apples to Applique #baking #cooking #kitchentips

The stuff that comes in tubs is typically vegetable oil spread, and the percentage of vegetable oil is in the 40-50% range. If you're using this in your baking and it's not turning out well, this is your problem! 50-60% of the "margarine" you've been using is actually water, so it's no wonder your baked goods are spreading or burning! Save this stuff for making grilled cheese, but absolutely do not use it in your baking.

That's today's little tidbit; stay tuned for upcoming posts in my Cooking 101 series, in which I'll give more tips on cooking with butter.

If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my email list and follow me on social media; the buttons are at the top-right corner of my blog. Thank you!

20 comments:

  1. Great tips! There are definitely things I only use butter for (like crisps and pie crusts!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, indeed! When I was in high school I tried making a pie crust with margarine and it didn't work out so well. I also tried making a streusal topping with margarine, which was a disaster! Since then, I've stuck to butter.

      Delete
  2. I'm trying to use butter as little as possible. But I will NOT use margarine for anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, as tasty as butter and the things it makes may be, I think it's best to consume it in very limited quantities.

      Delete
  3. I never use margarine but I still didn't know some of this. Thanks for sharing!
    -Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found it pretty interesting as I was researching it. :)

      Delete
  4. I don't use margarine. I saw somewhere that it's practically plastic (whether it's true or not, I don't know) but I won't use it anymore:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ick, that sounds gross! I don't know, either, but I know the ingredient list on butter is MUCH shorter, and I can pronounce all the words. ;)

      Delete
  5. I agree that butter tastes better and generally recipes turn out better when you use it. Funny how not too long ago everyone was pushing us all to use margarine. Seems they are always changing their mind about what is healthy. I'm glad they are saying butter is better for now :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think some margarine was lower in fat so people thought it was better. It is funny how what is considered healthy changes over time.

      Delete
  6. I'm a butter only baker too! Actually I'm pretty much a butter only on everything! No extra chemicals for me lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree! I do keep a tub for making grilled cheese just for the convenience, but that's all I use it for.

      Delete
  7. We are a butter only household. I didn't realize that the sticks were different from the tubs. Thanks for the info. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think a lot of people don't realize that, which can lead to baking disasters! We're a butter only household, too, with the exception of the tub I keep around to make grilled cheese.

      Delete
  8. Thank you so much for the information. I love to use butter for certain things.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I (obviously) love to use butter, too.

      Delete
  9. I don't think I've ever used margerine in cooking. Everyone gives butter a bad rap!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, they do, but I think people are starting to come around!

      Delete
  10. I have always used real butter when baking. The difference is sooo much better! Great post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree; it tastes better and the finished product just turns out better.

      Delete