| Author | |
Syncletica
Forum Pro
Joined: June 11 2007
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 450
|
| Posted: Nov 29 2009 at 11:27pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
Does anyone here not use margarine? What do you use in place of it? Butter? A certain oil? Is there an economical alternative?
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
stefoodie
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 17 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 8457
|
| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 5:32am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I use butter, or butter-olive oil combo (great for spreading on bread), or Spectrum shortening, or butter-coconut oil combo, depending on application.
Or if possible I substitute a fruit puree or combo butter-fruit-puree.
ETA: I forgot to add -- I do use butter/lard combo also, esp. for pie crusts! (lard from local farmer who raises pastured pigs)
__________________
stef
mom to five
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 6:41am | IP Logged
|
|
|
we don't use any lard, shortening or other hydrogenated fat (margarine). We ONLY use butter, canola oil or Olive oil .... some of our recipes need to be adjusted, but usually it all works out fine (even a pie crust!)
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
BlessedBGod
Forum Rookie
Joined: March 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 54
|
| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 8:03am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi Moms, My teens guys are really into losing weight and getting fit. So, they started substituting applesauce for all the baking. Now, we make all of our cakes, muffins, pancakes, pie crusts, brownies and biscuits with applesauce. Maybe it's not cheaper but it's better for us. Everything else gets spray or pump butter. We don't add oil to anything. Only when we are baking for other people do we use butter. I just thought I'd throw that idea out there. -BlessedBGod JMJ
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
juststartn
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 17 2007
Location: Oklahoma
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1321
|
| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 9:34am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Butter. Wouldn't use margarine if my life depended on it. As far as cooking oils, mostly, olive. But for baking I use just regular vegetable. Cheaper, and far more readily available around these parts.
I wouldn't use the lard from the store (cause it is hydrogenated, in large part), but the stuff we raised here at home? Yep. Got it in Mason jars in my spare fridge. I'm actually on my last jar of it, since we've had two get dropped/broken, and two didn't work out right.
I need more piggies. SIGH 
Rachel
__________________
Married DH 4/1/95
Lily 3/11/00
Helena(Layna) 5/23/02
Sophia 4/19/04
John 5/7/07
David 5/7/07
Ava Maria, in the arms of Jesus, 9/5/08
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SusanJ
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 25 2007
Location: New Jersey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1347
|
| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 2:27pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We never use margarine. We even bring our own butter to my mom's when we stay. We use lot of butter and olive oil. I use coconut oil when I can get a good price on it. We use lard when we can get the fat from a farmer we trust and make it ourselves (VERY easy, by the way).
__________________
Mom to Joseph-8, Margaret-6, William-4, Gregory-2, and new little one due 11/1
Life Together
[URL=http://thejohnstonkids.blogspot.com]The Kids' Blog[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Kathryn
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 24 2009
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1520
|
| Posted: Nov 30 2009 at 6:29pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Good ole butter...quit using margarine years ago. Applesauce in recipes is good too. And olive oil for sauteeing (not cheaper than vegetable oil but I believe healthier).
__________________
Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Syncletica
Forum Pro
Joined: June 11 2007
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 450
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 9:32am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Susan - how do you make lard?
How do you make icing for cakes without shortening? Do have a favourite recipe to share?
I know this will sound weird to many milk lovers, but, I hate milk, hate the taste of it, and cream is worse. I never did like butter. Now I learn it's one molecule short of plastic. So, I guess I should get rid of it. (Alright, I guess I KNOW I should, lol.) Can someone explain to me why adding hydrogen to it makes it so bad? What are your reasons for avoiding it like the plague? Do you also make a point of not buying anything hydrogenized? If you can think of other products that contain it, can you list them? I know lots of peanut butter contains it.
Thanks!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 11:01am | IP Logged
|
|
|
icing for cakes may be made with butter easy enough.. and you can get palm shortening.. it's naturally solid at room temp without hydrogenizing.
Lard doesn't taste like pork any more than shortening tastes like vegetables  so you could use that too.
I believe you just melt down the pig fat and strain out the impuririties for lard but I may be wrong. 
And as for milk, have you tried organic? and unhomogenized milk? I find a huge taste difference.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CatholicMommy
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2007
Location: Indiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1254
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 1:17pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We use applesause for all oils/lards in cooking (sometimes I'll use olive oil)
Olive oil for cooking
Butter sparingly, but we use straight, real butter (and homemade when possible - usually when visiting particular family)
I use sugar sparingly as well, but when it comes to frosting cakes, I have a few ideas I rotate:
1) cream cheese, touch of milk, and powdered sugar to taste/texture
2) cream cheese, fruit juice concentrate (depending on who the cake is for - apple is very mild and goes well with almost everything, orange is citrusy and delicious with certain cakes)
3) a version with gelatin that just hasn't worked out yet, so I won't share it here yet
__________________
Garden of Francis
HS Elementary Montessori Training
Montessori Nuggets
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CatholicMommy
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2007
Location: Indiana
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1254
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 1:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Syncletica wrote:
| I never did like butter. Now I learn it's one molecule short of plastic. So, I guess I should get rid of it. (Alright, I guess I KNOW I should, lol.) |
|
|
I'd never heard this about butter - did you mean margarine? Butter is just what's left over when beating up whipping cream.
For peanut butters, we get all-natural (needs to be stirred or stored in the fridge) or one with palm oil in it (doesn't need to be stirred).
__________________
Garden of Francis
HS Elementary Montessori Training
Montessori Nuggets
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 1:28pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
oh one other thing.. I've read that olive oil shouldn't be used for high heat cooking.. that it breaks down with high heat. So while it's great for using in baked goods and for lower heat cooking.. if I want the heat over about medium I use peanut oil because it's a very good high heat oil.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Syncletica
Forum Pro
Joined: June 11 2007
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 450
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 5:25pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
CatholicMommy - whoops. Yes, I meant margarine. Sorry for the mix-up.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SusanJ
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 25 2007
Location: New Jersey
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1347
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 8:13pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Jodie is basically right on the lard process: melt the fat over low heat until the solids are all brown, then strain. The lard is then well-served by being "washed". Just half-fill a container with the lard and pour cold water over it to fill. Leave it overnight and in the morning all the clean lard has solidified on top. Poke a hole and drain out the water.
We got instructions online and found it to be easier than most online posters would lead you to believe. I think we could get fatback from our farmer for .99/lb last year so lard was a pretty economical fat for us. Haven't found a good source in our new city, yet.
__________________
Mom to Joseph-8, Margaret-6, William-4, Gregory-2, and new little one due 11/1
Life Together
[URL=http://thejohnstonkids.blogspot.com]The Kids' Blog[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Taffy
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 05 2005
Location: Canada
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1567
|
| Posted: Dec 01 2009 at 8:35pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
I could echo most of the replies here. I don't use any margarine and avoid shortening like the plague. I'm trying really hard to eliminate all hydrogenated fats but it's been difficult - that stuff is in a LOT of foods!
To answer your question, Syncletica, the problem with adding the hydrogens to the oils is the change in molecular structure of the oil itself. The body doesn't know what to do with it. Digestive enzymes and metabolic processes are very specific and strange things happen when the body doesn't have the required enzymes or mechanisms to properly digest a substance. (Think of lactose intolerance - lacking the enzyme needed to digest lactose causes the body to react in a bad way.) Wikipedia explains the process well; here's a link to the health problems associated with trans fats. I've also run into several sources that speculate trans fats interference with brain metabolism as they interfere with the necessary metabolism of essential fatty acids.
I've heard that coconut oil is a great substitute for butter but don't have personal experience with it yet.
Trans fats are in a lot of processed foods. Crackers, store-bought cookies, french fries are just a few that I can think of right away but, once you start reading labels, you'll find yourself surprised. Good luck, this is a very good health change to make. 
__________________
Susan
Mom to 5 on earth and 1 in heaven
Susan's Soliloquy
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: Dec 02 2009 at 7:06am | IP Logged
|
|
|
We use butter and olive oil, too. I don't have access right now to the good kind of lard and don't want the grocery store variety.
My ds insists on shortening when he makes biscuits, and we do have a traditional Christmas cookie recipe that calls for shortening. I don't think butter would work for the cookie. Can anyone make an alternative suggestion or tell me more about palm shortening?
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 02 2009 at 11:06am | IP Logged
|
|
|
What else do you want to know about it Books? It's not hydogenized because it's naturally solid at room temps.
You might try the cookie with butter.. just refrigerate the cookies before you bake them so that the butter is as cold as possible going into the oven.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Bookswithtea
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 07 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2621
|
| Posted: Dec 02 2009 at 4:19pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
JodieLyn wrote:
What else do you want to know about it Books? It's not hydogenized because it's naturally solid at room temps.
You might try the cookie with butter.. just refrigerate the cookies before you bake them so that the butter is as cold as possible going into the oven. |
|
|
I'm not sure that butter would work in this particular cookie recipe. Is the palm shortening completely interchangeable or does it need alteration? Does it have a flavor? And is it still bad for you, other than being a fat, or is it like coconut oil thats also solid but actually good for you?
__________________
Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Dec 02 2009 at 4:30pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
The only bad thing i've heard about it is it's a fat.. not sure that it's good for you.. probably call it a neutral and I think you use it the same as shortening no conversions. It's been a while since I had it.. I can't get it in town which made it hard to use.. and I was using butter in most things. No flavor.
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
|
| Posted: Dec 02 2009 at 4:52pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
stefoodie wrote:
| I use butter, or butter-olive oil combo (great for spreading on bread), or Spectrum shortening, or butter-coconut oil combo, depending on application |
|
|
I do the exact same thing.
I use butter from pasture fed cows for almost everything. I like olive oil in breads and roasted veggies. I use Spectrum Brand Sunflower oil for some high heat applications, esp. as a non-stick spray for baking. I use their palm oil shortening and it works well for me. I don't do anything differently than I would with other shortening. Coconut oil is also good in a lot of baking.
I've found the entire Spectrum site to be very helpful - they offer a 1-2-3 cooking guide that is handy to use as a reference for determining which oil is appropriate for which heat. HTH!
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: healthy alternatives to margarine
