# Do use margarine for anything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2018, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216 "2018-05-31T19:41:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/21 "2018-06-01T06:21:25Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I always have a tub of Country Crock.You know the one. My kids grew up on it and that’s all they will eat. I like butter myself. For eating and cooking. Doesn’t that brand have a very high water content, so that it makes your toast noticeably damp and so on? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/22 "2018-06-01T07:10:59Z")
I grew up on Fleishman’s margarine in sticks. A few years ago it vanished. I tried other brands and none are good, so we use light butter in tubs and regular stick butter (reasonably priced if you are careful) for cooking. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/23 "2018-06-01T11:33:58Z")
I used to have a tub of margarine in the fridge to give my dog his daily meds. Hide pill in blob of marg, dog ingests pill with no fuss. When I stopped having to do that every day, the tub sat there for so long it ended up growing mold. I didn’t know margarine did that. It also made me realize I don’t ever use margarine if butter is available. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/24 "2018-06-01T11:43:01Z")
My parents keep kosher, so I use non-dairy margarine when I’m cooking a meal that has meat. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/25 "2018-06-01T12:48:41Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > …the tub sat there for so long it ended up growing mold. I didn’t know margarine did that. It also made me realize I don’t ever use margarine if butter is available. I’m not following this. Butter certainly can go bad or grow mold if stored for an excessively long time or in an improper manner. There are valid reasons not to use margarine (to say nothing about simple personal preference) but shelf life doesn’t seem to be significant deciding factor IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/26 "2018-06-01T13:40:27Z")
As a kid, margarine was all we ever had in the house “for health reasons”. I do not believe I’ve ever purchased it as an adult, though. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/27 "2018-06-01T15:35:51Z")
I find margarine disgusting. Won’t go out for breakfast to a restaurant that doesn’t have butter. ETA - I actually do use margarine. I put it in my gas tank - Biofuel has 5% fatty acid methyl (or ethyl) esters (FAMEs). ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/28 "2018-06-01T15:49:38Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I’m not following this. Butter certainly can go bad or grow mold if stored for an excessively long time or in an improper manner. There are valid reasons not to use margarine (to say nothing about simple personal preference) but shelf life doesn’t seem to be significant deciding factor IMHO. IAN **brainstall** and cannot speak for etc. etc., but I interpreted that sentence as meaning that seeing the mold on the long-unused margarine caused **brainstall** to realize that s/he had just defaulted to using butter all the time and ignoring the margarine. Not that **brainstall** decided that butter was preferable to margarine for any reasons involving relative shelf life. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/29 "2018-06-01T17:22:03Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > I used to have a tub of margarine in the fridge to give my dog his daily meds. Hide pill in blob of marg, dog ingests pill with no fuss. Someone, perhaps a chef, once said margarine was only good for giving dogs pills and as a lube when inserting suppositories. I grew up on margarine, but when I married, we switched to butter. Occasionally we have used things like ‘I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter’ and that isn’t too bad!..But I much much prefer real butter (though I saute things in olive oil if I have it). I can most certainly tell the difference in baked goods, I would have to be desperate to use margarine! Cookies made with butter are softer, for one thing, not so crisp. Mr. Salinqmind is one of those brand name freaks and demands Land O’ Lakes butter, swears he can tell the difference between LoL ($5 a pound) and store brand (half that price). ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/30 "2018-06-01T17:36:28Z")
No. It’s poison. Use butter or olive oil or a neutral oil. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/31 "2018-06-01T17:42:27Z")
I’ve always heard that shortening makes flakier pie crusts and thicker cookies than butter. I use margarine for cake baking which happens very seldom. For vegetables, toast, and as a spread, I use Brummel and Brown. I don’t eat that many foods that require a spread or butter so take that as you will. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/32 "2018-06-01T18:19:00Z")
I grew up in a margarine or oleo household in the 60’s and 70’s. At some point after that, margarine changed. If used on toast it made the toast wet and mucky. I’ve been using real butter since sometime in the '90’s. I don’t think the old style margarine can be found anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/33 "2018-06-01T18:32:33Z")
I only use margarine. I do not like dairy products. Cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, none of that stuff. To me, butter tastes rancid. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/34 "2018-06-01T20:53:47Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > IAN **brainstall** and cannot speak for etc. etc., but I interpreted that sentence as meaning that seeing the mold on the long-unused margarine caused **brainstall** to realize that s/he had just defaulted to using butter all the time and ignoring the margarine. > > Not that **brainstall** decided that butter was preferable to margarine for any reasons involving relative shelf life. Many thanks for the insight. I completely missed that interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/35 "2018-06-01T22:01:02Z")
Growing up, we had both butter and margarine in the house. The margarine was for my dad, who was told by his doctor to avoid cholesterol after a heart attack (in 1971,if memory serves). I do seem to recall buying margarine one time in the last 25 years; we had a recipe for something (I believe it was some sort of dessert) that specified that it had to be made with margarine, not butter, so we bought some. But that would have been 10 or 15 years ago at least. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/36 "2018-06-02T00:53:16Z")
I haven’t knowingly eaten margarine in a decade. I probably have had it cooked in something but I have not bought it in that time. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/37 "2018-06-02T01:25:32Z")
I use it for some cooking, like with a skillet. A few years ago I would have said I only used butter for Christmas cookies but these days I don’t use much so I go with butter, especially after discovering the joys of browned butter. I also prefer a crazy mix of margarine, shortening and a bit of bacon grease for biscuits. Everyone loves my biscuits so I don’t even try to change the recipe. I use half butter/half margarine for an old fashioned cocoa fudge recipe too. If I only use butter it’s too hard; only margarine means it’ll never set. There are other cookies I prefer with margarine. Peanut butter cookies have a better texture with margarine. Some sauces seem to stick to the meat better with it too. I like Imperial. I buy a box of four sticks at Aldi for 69 cents and it lasts for months. Apparently it contains trans fats though so I guess I should look around for something better, but really when it comes to biscuits and fudge I’m not really going to worry too much about nutritional value. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/38 "2018-06-02T01:26:38Z")
We have a tub of **I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter**. We like the taste and it spreads really thin for grilled cheese sandwiches. > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > \ Our grandparents called it oleo. \ Slight hijack: Many years ago, in a different State, I used to drive by a small Mom & Pop farm; they had a shingle out front and called themselves **Oleo Acres–One of the Cheaper Spreads**. ::chuckle:: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/39 "2018-06-02T01:42:46Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The taste of margarine isn’t as obviously different from butter as it used to be. When I was a kid you definitely could believe it was not butter. Some of the newer blends have to be sold as ‘spreads’ and not margarine because of their contents. It is used for some dishes traditionally for it’s different flavor, and in baking the different amount of fat and lack of water in margarine make a difference in the outcome so substituting butter and margarine won’t be a one for one exchange. The smoke point of margarine is higher than butter, but clarified butter is quite high also because the milk solids are removed. It tastes totally different to me. I love butter, can’t stand margarine. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2018, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216/40 "2018-06-02T01:44:01Z")
I have to question the statement that butter isn’t significantly more expensive than margarine. Butter goes for $2.88 for 8 ounces where I shop. A 45 ounce tub of spread goes for 2.68 or less. Big difference in price as far as I’m concerned. I’ll stick with the 45 ounces of spread. It’s good enough for me, for just spreading on toast and bagels. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-use-margarine-for-anything/815216.md?page=3)