Hydrogenated fats and home baking

patchwork_cat

Has anyone researched what is the best fat to use in home baking to avoid hydrogenated fat. I always assumed that Flora for example was best for this as it is a polyunsaturated marg, but noticed that it has mono-diglycerides of fatty acids. Are we back to butter, not because that is saturated. Has anyone succesfully navigated this minefield!?

I am seriously confused too as I note Bertolli states virtually no trans fatty acids and yet no 8 out of 15 ingredients is mono-diglycerides etc. This isn't a hobby horse, but I was just looking at the best fat to buy in Tesco and am now confused.

I personally like good old fashioned butter, but felt that I wasn't doing teh best by my family.

Bitsy_Beans

I admit I don't like hydrogenated fats and have butter for sandwiches etc BUT for how much baking I cook unsalted butter is expensive so I do rely on the usual marg which in all likelihood contains hydrogenated fats.
Being a bit thick but exactly is a mono-diglycerides? Is this classed as a trans fat? How can Bertolli state they have virtually no trans fats if that mono-thingy-me-bob is one and they list 8 ingredients as being one.

Stick to butter. As long as the eating of your baking is in moderation I guess that's the lesser of two evils.

patchwork_cat

I was under the impression that mono and diglycerides of fatty acids were trans fats, however open to education as I may well be wrong. If so that would explain how Bertolli can state virtually trans fat free and yet contain mono and di glycerides of fatty acids.

patchwork_cat

TBH I think I may be wrong about the glycerides.

thriftlady_2

Butter is your answer. It is simply churned cream. Eat traditional foods not manufactured rubbish.

Transfats are much more harmful than saturated fats.

If you want a fat with less saturated fat in it than butter try lard, yes really. Butter is 51% sat fat and lard is 48% at most.

Read this article for more info on sat fat and health.

I suggest that for your family's health it would be better to bake less sweet things such as cakes and biscuits. I'm trying to do this concentrating more on breads and wholegrains;)

Penelope_Penguin

patchwork_cat wrote: »

TBH I think I may be wrong about the glycerides.

You are Mono- and di-glycerides aren't trans fats.

Penny. x

zippychick

I must admit to be confused and uneducated in this area. I know there are good fats and bad fats - beyond that I have no clue.

I have clicked the links but my brain won't process it today, I just see big words .

So my flora light is full of rubbish? I so love the taste of real butter, but everyone says it's so evil and bad for you.

Always learning me.

Penelope_Penguin

zippychick wrote: »

So my flora light is full of rubbish? I so love the taste of real butter, but everyone says it's so evil and bad for you.

Always learning me.

thriftlady and I agree that it's best to eat food, not too much, mostly plants :T a quote from Michael Pollen

We'd agree that it's best to restrict processed food (especially industrially processed) in our diets.

I'd say that Flora, for a processed food, isn't so bad It's made from vegetable oil, and they are nearly all (apart from palm oil, whose use has major environmental issues) liquids. To make spreadable vegetable fat needs some process of hydrogenation, but it's a misconception that this process necessarily produces trans fats - depending on the chemistry and physics of the process, this isn't necessarily true.

Penny. x

patchwork_cat

OK spoken to my brother a Chemistry teacher and I can tell you a bit about the molecular shape of mono and di glycerides, now!

I have done some searching

http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/Mono-Di-Glyderides.html

Various other replies in a similar vein which is what my brother told me. Incidentally - I don't bake very often as I am on a diet and as a result no baking, too tempting! It is more for the future, but I also have concerns about too much bread eating and yeast - another tale!

This thread came at the bottom of my google search!

VfM4meplse

Ageed, if you really are worried abot the transfats in your diet, leave anything with a long shelf life alone as they are bound to contain trans fats to improve the mouth-feel and longevity of the product. That means all packaged cakes and biscuits!

If you want to bake at home sunflower oil can give excellent results as long as you get the dry quantities right.

angelavdavis

I am with thriftlady on this one - I would recommend using butter any day and avoid manufactured spreads like the plague. If fundamentally, it hasn't been born or grown, I don't want me or my family to eat it! (bit simplified way of thinking, I know, but it works for me)