I've been following the discussion on the "BlueBand" thread and although I don't want to get embroiled in that particular argument, I would like to know if I was replacing margarine with butter in a recipe for a cake for example, would I use exactly the same quantity of butter as I would do margarine?
Cheers,
Yes, you use the same amount. The issue with replacement is to make sure you use margarine and not "spread." The margarine should say "100 cal. per serving" or if your products aren't marked the same as in the US, it should have the same calorie count per unit as butter. Some stick "margarine" products are labeled "spread" in tiny print is many instances. These products can range between 90 and 55 calories per serving. The rest of the volume is made up of air, water, starches, gelatin, and oil depending on the particular product. The "tub" margarines like "I can't believe it's not butter" are not good for baking nor are the reduced calorie stick products.
As for the "argument" in the Blue Band thread, there really isn't one. Butter is the standard for baking in both performance and taste. It is also healthier for you than margarine. That said, it is no crime to use margarine. I don't see why the folk who want to use margarine are upset to the point of name calling over this reality.
Indeed ..but as an addition just to what Vox stated( they are used in similar proportion...).but further there is another difference. Butter fat is composed of fat of different crystalline morphology than the common margarine.( taking into consideration the traditional margarine and not the special or diet margarines which contains more water). .Margarine exists more of the beta prime type and less of the beta crystals; while the butter is the opposite.. Hence margarine creams better with sugar than butter. But butter produces better pie crust than margarine. This can be discerned by measuring the specific gravity of the creamed mixture before you add the flour. The cream made with margarine is lighter than the ones made with butter which results in better cake volume and texture with the margarine than with the butter.( although some authors dispute this). Meanwhile butter compensates its poor creaming performance by its superior flavor.
Margarine and Butter contains at least 80% fat and the remainder is composed of water milk sollds and salt. but when used ocmparatively in cake making such as making a butter cake, the margarine creams better than butter and therefore is superior in cake performance. Another thing also margarine usually contains slightly more salt than butter. and you can even use unsalted butter( or sweet butter) but unsalted margarine is not common
Now its up to you to take your pick...butter or margarine?
In message , chembake writes
Well that that was certainly enlightening. Many thanks for the explanation, I found it most useful.
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