Butter vs marge?

rascal

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This was discussed earlier but I thought it should have it own thread. Me, I'm butter only, never used marge. Butter is pure as far as I know and marge has additives, I don't like using additives so that's why butter floats my boat. Wife uses a olive oil marge, I don't know if that's better than plain marge though?? Being a dairy country butter has never been scarce here. We normally have about 15 pound of butter in our fridge , but as my pics of our fridge shows we are at very low levels. We will stock up very soon. My grandkids love butter as well, and thick, my d.i.l has given up trying to stop them having butter. She uses marge.
Thoughts ????? Your choice??

Russ
 
I've not eaten margarine in at least 20 years, probably longer.

Butter - for two people, we probably go through more than our fair share. I don't know exactly how much we use, though - I just buy a pound a week and I know there's always butter on hand.

Anything I'm pan-frying, I do so in a mix of olive oil and butter, or olive oil and bacon fat.
 
I've not eaten margarine in at least 20 years, probably longer.

Butter - for two people, we probably go through more than our fair share. I don't know exactly how much we use, though - I just buy a pound a week and I know there's always butter on hand.

Anything I'm pan-frying, I do so in a mix of olive oil and butter, or olive oil and bacon fat.
Ditto on the oil and butter together, I don't know who told me to do that, but I always have. Steaks as well. I think it's because high heat levels??

Russ
 
Ditto on the oil and butter together, I don't know who told me to do that, but I always have. Steaks as well. I think it's because high heat levels??

Russ
I love taking a good tablespoon or three of butter and slapping it on a steak while it rests. Good eating!
 
Always butter, never marg. However, at this time of year butter becomes too hard to spread on fresh bread, so for sandwiches we use a spreadable butter which has rapeseed oil mixed in to make it soft at room temperature. No other additives though.
 
My mom only uses margarine. I only use butter. If I cook at her house, I have to smuggle some butter in. Like others, I also mix some butter into OO to sauté. The butter for flavor, with OO used to raise the smoke point a bit.

CD
 
When I could have dairy, we always used goats butter (which we preferred). Hubby now uses marg on his sandwiches, but the one he has chosen (that is dairy free), I actually don't like. So usually I don't use either but opt for something else or if having toast and jam, have just that.

But marg also has big problems (for me) because it usually has dairy in it - don't believe me? Go and read the ingredients.

Flora Original (my bold)
INGREDIENTS: Sunflower seed oil (34%), water, vegetable oils, salt, milk solids, emulsifiers (471, soy lecithin), preservative (202), food acid (lactic acid), natural colours (annatto, curcumin), vitamins (A, D), natural flavours.
Flora Pro ActiV (my bold)
Ingredients: Vegetable Oils, Water, Phytosterol Esters (8% Plant Sterols), Salt, Milk Solids, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, 471), Preservative (202), Food Acid (Lactic Acid), Natural Flavours, Vitamins (A, D), Natural Colour (ß-Carotene)
Bertolli Olive Oil Original (my bold)
Ingredients: Vegetable Oil 65% (containing 19% Olive Oil), Water, Salt, Milk Solids, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, 471), Preservative (202), Food Acid (Lactic Acid), Vitamins (A, D), Natural Flavours, Natural Colour (ß-Carotene).
Waitrose Essential Olive Oil Spread (their bold)
Water, olive oil (21%), rapeseed oil, palm oil, salt (1.1%), milk whey powder, emulsifier mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids and sunflower lecithin, stabiliser sodium alginate, preservative potassium sorbate, acidity regulator lactic acid, Vitamin B6, flavouring, colour carotenes, folic acid, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12
Benecol Olive Oil Spread (their bold)
Water, Rapeseed Oil, Olive Oil (11%), Plant Stanol Ester (Plant Stanols 6.6g/100g), Palm Oil, Buttermilk Powder, Salt (0.8%), Emulsifiers (Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Sunflower Lecithin), Natural Flavouring, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Colour (Carotenes), Vitamin A, Vitamin D3

So I have had to search out specific dairy free brands (Pure is one that immediately comes to mind from the UK, Nuttlex in Australia but I don't like the taste of it). So I have started to make my own. In fact it is one of the recipes (sorry 2 of them) that I need to write up from the weekend. But having looked into this as a result of this thread, I can feel an experiment coming on by myself or morning glory because on the PETA pages I found out that it is now possible to make a vegan butter using aquafaba which I know morning glory is quite fond of. I have found 3 recipes online that look interesting.

So, marg or butter? Sorry neither. Can't have one, it will kill me and don't actually like the other. So I either make do without, find a suitable substitute (smashed avo works really well) or I make my own cultured vegan butter.
 
When I could have dairy, we always used goats butter (which we preferred). Hubby now uses marg on his sandwiches, but the one he has chosen (that is dairy free), I actually don't like. So usually I don't use either but opt for something else or if having toast and jam, have just that.

But marg also has big problems (for me) because it usually has dairy in it - don't believe me? Go and read the ingredients.

Flora Original (my bold)

Flora Pro ActiV (my bold)

Bertolli Olive Oil Original (my bold)

Waitrose Essential Olive Oil Spread (their bold)

Benecol Olive Oil Spread (their bold)


So I have had to search out specific dairy free brands (Pure is one that immediately comes to mind from the UK, Nuttlex in Australia but I don't like the taste of it). So I have started to make my own. In fact it is one of the recipes (sorry 2 of them) that I need to write up from the weekend. But having looked into this as a result of this thread, I can feel an experiment coming on by myself or morning glory because on the PETA pages I found out that it is now possible to make a vegan butter using aquafaba which I know morning glory is quite fond of. I have found 3 recipes online that look interesting.

So, marg or butter? Sorry neither. Can't have one, it will kill me and don't actually like the other. So I either make do without, find a suitable substitute (smashed avo works really well) or I make my own cultured vegan butter.

Goats butter, I must search my local super market. I havnt heard that one?? But I'm betting there will be one.

Russ
 
I've not eaten margarine in at least 20 years, probably longer.

Hey me too, I hated the flavor and smell of it since about 7 year old and I am 32 now.

Butter is great though, it makes (almost) everything taste better and it's really versatile. Also essential for baking. It might be a chef's weakness, but I can't imagine life or cooking without butter. It would not be the same.
 
Goats butter, I must search my local super market. I havnt heard that one?? But I'm betting there will be one.

Russ
yep - been around in the UK for 2 and a half decades roughly... in Ireland considerably longer.
I don't know about down here because I simply haven't looked for it not being able to eat it anymore.

I did at one time also source sheep's milk and sheep's butter as well but they were considerably hard to source, though my local 'farmers market' equivalent farm shop had a freezer section and for many years you could buy sheep's milk from the freezer, but I much preferred to purchase liquid milk and given that goats milk was readily available (and by then much milder than when I first had to start using it) I stayed with goats even though I preferd the taste of sheep's milk.

Sadly neither and none are an option for me anymore. Instant death (well after a few minutes of anaphylactic shock and not being able to reach my epipens...)
 
Ever tried making coconut based butter? I've been told by vegan friends that it makes a pretty good sub for real butter.
yep - been doing it for years. In fact I made up 2 batches at the weekend. A standard one and a cultured one. I prefer the cultured one, but there is an extra step in it. They are on my list of things to try to write up as recipes. I have a sub-standard photo... I really need to make up a 3rd batch tbh, this time with some beta-carotene in it (vegan gel based vit B capsules contain it) - its an oil based vitamin that is excellent for colouring vegan cheese orange or yellow so I think I could use part of a capsule and colour the butter more yellow than pure white!) But I have just come across a recipe for vegan butter that uses aquafaba as well as coconut oil which I want to try out. Luckily all of these butters can be stored in the freezer for future use!
They have recently re-launched Flora in the UK as plant based due to the growing tide of veganism!
I spotted that when we were in the UK last month. We decided to stay with Pure.
 
yep - been doing it for years. In fact I made up 2 batches at the weekend. A standard one and a cultured one. I prefer the cultured one, but there is an extra step in it. They are on my list of things to try to write up as recipes.

Would you think it is closer to real butter than marge? Something I can consider making in my professional life for vegans I encounter?
 
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