Spreadable butter

[murraybiscuit]

Great earlier post on chemical composition and hydrogenation DJ. It rang a couple of bells. I just checked out my flora tub (UK made). 80% seed oils, then modified tapioca starch, then emulsifiers. I didn't know about esterification replacing hydrogenation. I knew they were doing partial hydrogenation a while back. Good to know that's not happening any more.

On a tinfoil note, I'm pretty sure that Unilever was a founder member of the heart foundation back in the day and is still a major donor.

I'm not sure if its been raised here, but the variation of spreadability in fat spreads is not only due to the levels of saturated vs unsaturated fat, but also its moisture content. So the difference between flora blue, green and yellow is largely the amount of water. (Pro-activ is different). Stork for baking has a high fat content, whereas country spread has more water.

Butter spreads like butro will usually have vegetable oil mixed in to make them spreadable. They cannot be called butter.

The nomenclature is important as these terms are legally regulated for consumer protection. Similar distinctions can be found with ice cream (animal fat), ice cream* (also containing vegetable fat, and frozen desert (no animal fat).

 

[Hosehead]

Health merits of real butter, psuedo butter and margerines aside, the central issue is spreadability straight out of the fridge. Lurpack tastes too close to margerine (i.e. tasteless). Kerrygold is too hard. Butro is softer but still too hard. Nothing beats 'I Can't Believe..' for taste and instant spreadability out of the fridge (on fresh bread).

KNEEL QUIXOTIC. I now Dub Thee Unilever's Lapdog. ARISE Unilever's lapdog.

 

[Quixotic]

KNEEL QUIXOTIC. I now Dub Thee Unilever's Lapdog. ARISE Unilever's lapdog.

. Well, how many people can profess to have actually tried 'I Can't Believe...' You will then know what I mean.

 

[bwana]

. Well, many people can profess to have actually tried 'I Can't Believe...' You will then know what I mean.

I have - should have called it Tastes like S*** but then that might have hurt sales.

 

[bromster]

I think the general consensus is to stick with the real thing, but I am somewhat of a butter layman. So, is there any butter which is slightly more easy to spread for things like toast? And is it worth buying Lurpak etc? Is there any inherent health benefit to buying better butter?

 

[Hosehead]

And is it worth buying Lurpak

Yes if you are seeking to make a high butterfat product. It's much cheaper in the EU but we're not in the EU we're in the No U so only if you have money to throw away is it worth buying. Lots of people buy it otherwise it wouldn't be on the shelves. It is a luxurious butter, lightly salted but very bland. Garth Strobels cooking school was sponsored in part by Lurpack so those trainee comis chefs used it all the time.

Is there any inherent health benefit to buying better butter?

I personally have always maintained that the best butter in the world is Normandy butter. The French have high fat diets with loads of rich butter dishes and cheeses yet they don't have the health problems the US or the UK or the Irish have. Must be the wine.

 

[ponder]

The French have high fat diets with loads of rich butter dishes and cheeses yet they don't have the health problems the US or the UK or the Irish have. Must be the wine.

Or genes. There are pockets of people (small villages) in Italy & France where hart attacks or cancer are virtually unknown but then again you get the odd villages where almost everyone is a haemophiliac.

Everything in moderation I reckon, eat/drink whatever you want and be happy. Red wine helps

 

[longboy]

I buy unsalted butter and clarify it by heating (ghee). Step up, all of you margarine and butter fanboys.

 

[DJ...]

I buy unsalted butter and clarify it by heating (ghee). Step up, all of you margarine and butter fanboys.

You're removing most of the dairy component which is where most of the butter flavour comes from. Great for cooking certain dishes at high temperature, but useless for all other traditional butter uses...

 

[Roelie]

Life's too short for bad coffee (and margarine). Nothing beats a decent cup of coffee with fresh warm bread layered thick with real butter. (You bastrds made me hungry now)

 

[ponder]

Life's too short for bad coffee (and margarine). Nothing beats a decent cup of coffee with fresh warm bread layered thick with real butter. (You bastrds made me hungry now)

Eish, that actually sounds pretty good right now.

 

[_kabal_]

The best butter, for bread, is peanut butter

Peanut butter toast and coffee, hmmmmmm


Use flora light on everything where it is acting as a lube, so peanut butter sandwiches, eggs on toast, eg most sandwiches. Use butter on things like banana bread, and of course in cooking and sauces