What is the difference between butter and margarine in a baking recipe?

Answer 1

Butter has a richer flavor and milk solids, it is also much harder at room temperature than margarine. Though you can find hard margarine almost as firm in texture as butter, it will contain unhealthy hydrogenated oils. While soft margarine is usually the healthiest option, it is much softer and lacks the flavor of butter.

The taste of butter is distinct and necessary to some specialty bakes goods such as shortbread, brioche and Croissants, and pastries that use 'Pate Brisee' as a base. The substitution of margarine in these be noticeable and the result unsatisfactory.

For your average batch of cupcakes, bread, cookies, muffins substituting margarine will not be a noticeable, as many other flavors are present. Note that a soft margarine replacing butter can thin cookies, icing, cake much more than butter, this will effect the appearance of your baking.

Answer 2

Yes, I don't know what you are baking but I am 40 years old and my Grandmother at about age 90 taught me how to improve cookies. It is a little different maybe but my cookies would always be kind of flat, not like my grandmothers that puffed up nice and continued to look nice after they cooled. She told me the secret was for instance if your recipe calls for two cups margarine use 1 cup margarine and one cup shortening (like crisco). That did the trick and everyone always wants to know how I get those cookies to turn out so good.

Answer 3

Margarine the same as butter when it comes to baking as long as it is not "lite" or "low-fat" margarine. However margarine is not the same as butter nutritionally because it contains unhealthy partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

Answer 4

Butter is a dairy product made by churning milk so that the cream separates and fat molecules come together into a solid mass.

Margarine is a manufactured product made from vegetable oils, milk solids (often), flavorings and colorings that looks and tastes quite similar to butter. It is significantly less expensive than real butter, and some brands claim to be healthier because they do not contain saturated animal fat. Butter, on the other hand, does not have the unhealthful partially hydrogenated oils that nearly all margarines contain.

Margarine is made of hydrogenated oils, butter is made of milk, the melting point of them are different. Butter has a high cholesterol level while light margarine has a low level. Margarine has a yellowish color, while butter has a deep yellow color. Margarine is much more recent than butter.

Butter is made from cream which comes from a cow. Margarine is made primarily from oil.