Butter v Margarine

jintyb

Have decided to dig out my baking tins and do a sticky gingerbread and a banana loaf to use up some stuff in the cupboards plus some overripe bananas. When is it ok to use marg instead of butter? I always use butter (block) but my Mum and Gran always used block marg and were great bakers.
Advice pls! Thanks in adv xx

Pennydropped

I generally use margarine if I don't have butter on hand. As long as it doesn't say "not for baking" on the container, I use it. I make banana bread on a regular basis, often using margarine, and have never noticed a difference.

PasturesNew

When I grew up we always had marg. Most specifically Stork block margarine.

Mum used Stork blocks for everything: spreading on sandwiches, deep frying chips, shallow frying eggs/fishcakes, roasting potatoes, pastry, buns, cakes..... we simply didn't have/use butter for anything.

I don't know if we always used marg, I don't remember any butter ever being around (but it might have been when I was younger), but in the 70s there was a butter shortage and prices shot up; certainly it was always Stork ever after .....

SailorSam

We always used Stork when i was growing up, not for frying though, that was Lard. I think we'd have Butter on a Sunday but i never liked it, i preferred Marg.

JIL

Can any stork users help please?
There's the 250g block at about 70p or the 500g tub at £1ish. Both say suitable for baking. Is there a difference? I buy the tub having never tried the block.
Thanks for any advice.

good_advice

Hiya, I use stork a lot. Butter is to costly for my money.
The stork block is more for pastry and the tub for cakes.

I always have the large stork tub in my fridge. I use it for cakes, cheese sauce. In mashed potato. Scrambled egg.
Anything that requires cooking.

I buy the other marg = Utterly buttery, I can't believe its not butter - whatever is on offer for sandwiches and toast.

Happy cooking

[Deleted User]

I too use both the block and the tub.The block stork mainly for pasty or though I also use it for victoria sponge cakes as well.Tub for easy convenience I suppose, and then only if on the offer.Block butter unsalted I only use for shortbread, There is little to choose between the tub or block apart for price as the block is usually cheaper Tastewise I can't tell much difference at all

peachyprice

JIL wrote: »

Can any stork users help please?
There's the 250g block at about 70p or the 500g tub at £1ish. Both say suitable for baking. Is there a difference? I buy the tub having never tried the block.
Thanks for any advice.

The block is better for pastry as you can rub in with it better, the tub is better for cakes as it's already softened.

jintyb

thanks so much, Stork it is then! My mum and gran used marg ( Echo, to be precise), on account of butter being too expensive. I use soft marg for sponges as I do the all-in-one thing from Delia.