It depends on what you are looking at. They each have different levels of cholesterol, unsaturated fats and trans fats. One may be higher in one but lower in another.
Best suggestion is use extra virgin olive oil or a spread product made from EVOO such as Olivio (a spread made from olive oil).
To try and give you a mental image: Think of the two in terms of tooth picks versus twigs... And your artery is a cup. You can fit more toothpicks in the cup since they are flat and straight vs twigs which have branches. Margarine and Butter have more branches in their physical structure and that's what clogs up your arteries... however products made from olive oil are straighter so your arteries won't clog up as fast. This is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats.
Trans fats are similar to this, it also refers to the physical structure. Trans fats have been linked to an increase in many health studies such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Diabetes etc...
Spreads such as Olivio which I use, have 0 trans-fats. Just read the labels before you buy anything.
Butter often provides more saturated fats than margarine, but margarine often provides more trans fat than butter. The best option is usually to select a margarine without trans fats. Some margarines also have added "healthy fats" such as mono and polyunsaturated fats. Take Control and SmartBalance are good options.
Margarine contains more "good" fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) than butter. It also contains no cholesterol because it is made from vegetable oil. However, solid margarines (sticks opposed to tubs) can contain trans fats, the worst fat of all. Butter contains more saturated fat than margarine. Be sure to check nutritional labels when deciding between butter and margarine. Both should be eaten sparingly for a healthy diet. You can also find healthier butters that have olive or canola oil.
If you look at equal volumes, clarified butter may have more calories than regular butter or margarine. Regular butter and margarine have some water in them. That water has been removed from clarified butter.
yes, but it has more oil and fat
no
Yes, but butter tastes better! -No, really! :) "Please pass the margarine." "Is margarine better for you than butter?" "I prefer the taste of margarine." "Would you like your margarine by the stick or in the tub?"
Margarine is thicker than butter because there is less saturated fat in margarine.
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.
The usual substitution is 1 stick of margarine in place of 1 stick of butter, as they have approximately the same volume. By weight, this would normally be 1/4 pound for butter, slightly less for margarine. By volume, a stick is about 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons, or about 118 ml.
To convert margarine to butter in a recipe, simply use the same amount of butter as the recipe calls for margarine. Butter has a higher fat content than margarine, so it may result in a slightly different texture or flavor in the final dish.
Mège-Mouriés invented margarine because the butter was healthy by the saturated fat, margarine was substance without any kind of fat. It was determined with often contains trans of fat, which was worse than saturated fat.
No, margarine isn't the same as shortening. Shortening is entirely oil based, whereas margarine contains other ingredients, including water. They should not be substituted for one another, or for butter, in baking, although some substitutions in regular cooking will work.