Baking - Butter v Margarine

[JimM169]

I've recently started baking and noticed that whilst some recipes have butter in the list of ingredients others specifically list margarine. Are the two interchangeable or do they have different properties that make one more suitable than the other in certain situations.

[Hugo a Gogo]

for sponge cakes I find cheapo plain marge often works better

[Red Firecracker]

I use Stork as the missus has a severe dairy intolerance. There is a difference in some things, but not massive and I sometimes find I need to adjust the amount of some items in recipes, such as the Stork to icing sugar ratio in buttercream.

[AndyHCZ]

Butter all the way.

You won't find any proper pastry chef using margarine.

[BigJonMcQuimm]

AndyHCZ said:

Butter all the way.

You won't find any proper pastry chef using margarine.

Totally ... I use salted butter for baking - saves adding any.

[jas xjr]

Butter tastes lovely.

[rehab71]

Butter every time!

[vournikas]

BigJonMcQuimm said:

Totally ... I use salted butter for baking - saves adding any.

[Flibble]

I use unsalted butter, you can always add salt to a recipe, can't take it out of salted butter though.

[JimM169]

Thanks guys, I've been using butter up to now so will carry on

Cheers

[rich83]

For cakes I would always go with stork.

[RizzoTheRat]

jas xjr said:

Butter tastes lovely.

My father's been on a low cholesterol diet since having a bypass when I was a kid, so we never used to eat butter or cream, and even 20+ years later I'm not actually that much of a fan. I usually use butter in pastry but the Mrs tends to use Stork in cakes

[Hugo a Gogo]

current thinking is that butter is actually better for cholesterol than marge

[jas xjr]

i put butter on my butter !

when it is on special offer , i buy 20 packets at a time

[Flibble]

I use butter and lard for pastry. The lard gives it a better texture than just butter alone.

[ali_kat]

rich83 said:

For cakes I would always go with stork.

Aye, Sork for cakes, lard or lard & butter for pastry.

[pad58]

Wot Ali said.

[Frybywire]

Always butter. Why would anyone put hydrogenated fats in their body?

[evoivboy]

butter fot baking as it gives a better flavour