Margarine vs. Butter: What’s the Difference—and Which Is Healthier?

[Michie]

Regardless of whether you can believe it's not butter, you may wonder what margarine is exactly. It's creamy, yellow, and spreadable just like real butter, but there are major differences between the two products—the biggest being their ingredients.

Butter is a byproduct of milk, typically from cows. Churning the cream skimmed from milk creates a rich, semi-solid emulsion that can be used as a fat in baking and cooking or as a condiment. Though embraced by cuisines around the world, butter has become a topic of health debates. While it is a good source of calcium and vitamins, butter is also high in saturated fat, which has been shown to raise cholesterol.

Continued below.
Margarine vs. Butter: What’s the Difference—and Which Is Healthier?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Butter!

I remember when 'oleo' first came out. It came in a plastic bag with a yellow dye capsule inside. You let it get to room temperature then mixed the yellow dye by kneading the bag, then squeezing it out onto a plate. We tried it for awhile to save money but soon went back to butter.

 

[Joyous Song]

Regardless of whether you can believe it's not butter, you may wonder what margarine is exactly. It's creamy, yellow, and spreadable just like real butter, but there are major differences between the two products—the biggest being their ingredients.

Butter is a byproduct of milk, typically from cows. Churning the cream skimmed from milk creates a rich, semi-solid emulsion that can be used as a fat in baking and cooking or as a condiment. Though embraced by cuisines around the world, butter has become a topic of health debates. While it is a good source of calcium and vitamins, butter is also high in saturated fat, which has been shown to raise cholesterol.

Continued below.
Margarine vs. Butter: What’s the Difference—and Which Is Healthier?

JS: We use both, but our butter substitute spread has no tras-fats and is made of healthier fats. Still if melted butter is called for and no meat involved we mix our butter with olive oil to lower the saturated fat and only use the butter substitute with meat.

 

[Shane R]

My daughter's class made butter at school as a project. Then the cafeteria people gave her class rolls to put their fresh churned butter on.

I keep two different kinds around the house. I buy American butter for my unsalted uses and European butter or its equivalent (Amish roll butter is pretty close) for sauteeing/flavoring. My kids were at my grandmother's house and she made them grilled cheese sandwiches. They told me they tasted different and it occurred to me that Granny always uses margarine because she's too thrifty to pay for butter.

Of course, I've started doing grilled cheese with mayonnaise instead of butter. My friend's wife converted me to the method after we had some grilled cheeses at their house.

 

[Michie]

My daughter's class made butter at school as a project. Then the cafeteria people gave her class rolls to put their fresh churned butter on.

I keep two different kinds around the house. I buy American butter for my unsalted uses and European butter or its equivalent (Amish roll butter is pretty close) for sauteeing/flavoring. My kids were at my grandmother's house and she made them grilled cheese sandwiches. They told me they tasted different and it occurred to me that Granny always uses margarine because she's too thrifty to pay for butter.

Of course, I've started doing grilled cheese with mayonnaise instead of butter. My friend's wife converted me to the method after we had some grilled cheeses at their house.

Yeah I had never used the mayo method. I did not know about it until recently.

 

[Joyous Song]

Yeah I had never used the mayo method. I did not know about it until recently.

I ran across it somewhere in a magazine and have been using it ever since. Homemade mayo does work as well though.

 

[Red Gold]

Good question for a poll!

 

[Hazelelponi]

Regardless of whether you can believe it's not butter, you may wonder what margarine is exactly. It's creamy, yellow, and spreadable just like real butter, but there are major differences between the two products—the biggest being their ingredients.

Butter is a byproduct of milk, typically from cows. Churning the cream skimmed from milk creates a rich, semi-solid emulsion that can be used as a fat in baking and cooking or as a condiment. Though embraced by cuisines around the world, butter has become a topic of health debates. While it is a good source of calcium and vitamins, butter is also high in saturated fat, which has been shown to raise cholesterol.

Continued below.
Margarine vs. Butter: What’s the Difference—and Which Is Healthier?

All baking requires real butter, the higher fat content the better for most baking applications. It's properties can't often be replicated - and when it is it's with things like lard etc.

However, general cooking is usually just after a touch of flavor, which can be replaced by the healthier option of olive oil and so forth. Regular olive oil (not extra virgin) has a "buttery" taste to it naturally, although you can sometimes mix EVOO with a little margarine to get some butter flavor.

 

[Michie]

All baking requires real butter, the higher fat content the better for most baking applications. It's properties can't often be replicated - and when it is it's with things like lard etc.

However, general cooking is usually just after a touch of flavor, which can be replaced by the healthier option of olive oil and so forth. Regular olive oil (not extra virgin) has a "buttery" taste to it naturally, although you can sometimes mix EVOO with a little margarine to get some butter flavor.

I never use margarine. It’’s very watery and I believe natural is best. I use butter or olive oil. Although canola is the healthier option, I always lean towards the olive oil.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I never use margarine. It’’s very watery and I believe natural is best. I use butter or olive oil. Although canola is the healthier option, I always lean towards the olive oil.

I'm weird on oils... I use canola, peanut, olive, sesame... lol. Depends on what I'm cooking (Chinese food requires the sesame flavor, peanut oil has a higher smoke point etc) , but I reach for olive the most...

 

[Michie]

I'm weird on oils... I use canola, peanut, olive, sesame... lol. Depends on what I'm cooking (Chinese food requires the sesame flavor, peanut oil has a higher smoke point etc) , but I reach for olive the most...

I swear, I have an oil collection. I think we are on the same page here. Sesame oil absolutely needs to be used in stir fry, etc.