margarine vs. butter
 

ive been using margarine that has no trans fats, and all that bad stuff, but ive heard that if you heat it to a certian temperature, it creates them. does anyone know what this temperature is? can trans fats be created when i cook eggs in this margarine?
i really dont want to switch to butter because 1- i really love the taste of this margarine, especially ... butter just tastes bad to me and 2- even though im on atkins, and i eat most kinds of meat, im still leaning towards fewer animal products in the long run, and this is just a step along the way and 3- i keep kosher (somewhat) so it makes it easier for me to use magarine in combination with certian other foods.
but id rather give up all those things than get cancer so if anyone is sure about the temperature it takes to turn non trans fats into trans fats, id really appreciate it. or if anyone can supply an article on this topic in particular (not just about margarine in general) id be really greatful. thanks.

I'm not sure I'm answering your question, but I found this link on the Atkins site:

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-513651.html

If you go to the Atkins site and at the top in the search box, type in Trans it comes up with just pages and pages of information which might answer your question too.

And I found these quotes in DANDR.

"Do not cook polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, soybean and sunflower oil, at high temperatures or allow to brown or smoke"

"Margarine should be avoided, not because of its carbohydrate content, but because it is usually made of trans fats (hydrogenated oils) which are a serious health hazard. (Some non-hydrogenated margarines are available in health food stores)."

Julie

Probably the greatest thing you could ever do is not eat margarine! Seriously stick to butter!

I look at it this way. Butter is a natural product. Magarine isn't. I don't know whether butter is ok as far as kosher is concerned.

I used to eat margarine thinking it was better for me (I was eating low fat everything) than butter but once I started this WOE I realised that my mom was right and butter is better.

well, thanks for all your input guys... although no one really answered my question.
i guess maybe i shouldnt heat it high enough so that it would smoke? that is probably at a very high temperature though.

Hi New_here,

Non trans fats can't be turned into trans fats by cooking - it's a chemical process, also known as hydrogenation. :)

As for cooking with your margarine, why not switch to oil? I usually use "light" olive oil for cooking things like eggs, as it does not impart any olive oil flavour - all you taste is the eggs.

Cheers.

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

thanks, rosebud. well, why do that if the margarine im using isnt bad in the first place? thered be no benefit in switching to something else, right?

I'm not convinced that any margarine can be good for you.

There was a study showing that "no trans fat" margarine can damage cell membranes. It's mentioned here: http://www.mercola.com/1998/archive/margarines.htm

Just my 2 cents worth...

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

To clarify why new_here mentioned keeping kosher (for those who don't know--if you do, just skip this): there are many instances when margarine (a vegetable based product) can be used in a meal where butter cannot be. As an example: you want to have mock mashed potatoes with your steak. If you keep kosher, you cannot use butter, cream, cream cheese, cheese or sour cream in those mock mashed potatoes. You COULD use IMO (instead of sour cream) and margarine. Otherwise you are "seething the kid in the mother's milk"--which is forbidden. Or, with that steak you want some onions (or mushrooms). Again, you could not use butter to cook them in, though in this case you could use oil.

In addition, a completely kosher kitchen will have at least 2 complete sets of cookware (or use glass cookware) and at least 2 sets of everyday dishes. One set of each is reserved for meat dishes; the other, for dairy dishes.

Jude

that article is really poorly written, he doesnt have any evidence to back up what hes saying (not to say hes wrong... the article is just lacking) do you know where he got his information? i guess i could try cooking things in a little bit of oil and forget about margarine/butter altogether..

New, Mercola is just quoting from the article, which is a 9 page article (768-777) from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. ;)

I don't know where you'd find the actual article, but yes, I think it would be a whole lot safer to stick to oil, especially for cooking. Mind you, I would think occasional use, for example in something like the mock mashed potatoes Mossling mentioned, would not do you too much harm.

:rose:Rosebud:rose:

Here's an idea
 

My brother uses his blender and mixes butter with oil - he used to use 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil, but now I think he uses 40% butter and 60% oil. I think he uses canola, but perhaps light olive oil or peanut oil would work. It ends up seeming just like using butter, really. He lets the butter soften a little, whirrs it in the blender with the oil, and pours it into plastic tubs that he reuses. Put into the fridge, it gets solid again.

When I saute something on the stove I often use a little oil and a pat of butter because I like the taste of butter but the oil helps it take the heat better. So if I try this like my brother, it'll already be that way.

Edited to add, I emailed my brother, so here's the recipe:

I checked several websites for info. about cooking with non-hydrogenated margarine. The Earth Balance and Smart Balance blends are acceptable to use for cooking ... at lower temperatures, shorter cooking time. So gentle sautéeing on medium-low for scrambled eggs is fine. Used in a recipe for something baked quickly such as muffins would be fine.

Long-cooking and higher temps will alter the fatty acid bonds, changing their structure from a "good" fat to that of a "bad" fat.

The best fats suited to higher cooking temperatures are naturally saturated fats, since the fatty acid bonds are more stable. Butter, rendered natural fat from unprocessed meats (poultry fat such as chicken or goose is divine, like silk :yum: ), unrefined coconut or palm oil .. are all good to use for frying. Protein Power Lifeplan has a list of which fats are best suited to different cooking applications (p. 320)


hth,

Doreen

i guess i can use what im using for the most part and then use olive oil when i cook chicken/fish/whatever. thank you!

keep kosher. . .when you cook beef just use peanut oil. a lot of people use canola oil. . .I taste the 'omega 3' it tastes like fish to me. blech! :P but I adore peanut oil or even sunflower oil. Use butter for everything else. redawn:)