To wonder why anyone uses "spreads" instead of butter?

[AjasLipstick]

They're awful! So fake and plastic-ish. Hasn't it been proved that butter's better for you?

Do you use spread? Why?

Re. the comment about spreads being 'one step away from plastic', most spreads are made from a mixture of oils. Plastic is generally made from crude oil (or its components), which is also, guess what, a mixture of oils. That's why they're similar at a molecular level - it's nothing sinister

And actually there's not really much difference between fats and oils - oils are just what we call those fats that are liquid at room temperature. So from a chemical standpoint butter is also quite similar to plastic, as are cream, olive oil, bacon fat, fish oil etc etc. Obviously it doesn't mean that eating those things is in any way like eating plastic! Any book making claims like that is preying on people's misunderstanding of biochemistry to further the author's agenda.

In fact you can make a type of plastic by mixing vinegar with milk curds, shaping the glob that forms and then leaving it to dry on wax paper - they used to make ornaments that way in Victorian times

" But £1 vs £2 isn’t a particular strain for most "

most what? people that you know?

I leave butter out except during a heatwave, it doesn't go rancid. As for cost, I'd do without rather than use spread

c75kp0r as you say, its gloop (boak). Butter at £1.40 is more expensive than grease spread but then that will last us a week so in the scheme of things, compared to what most people spend on cakes and crisps, it's nothing!

Errrrrrr £2 is double £1!

That matters to many people

We use olive spread instead which I think is better for you than butter

Mash requires Flora Buttery (or olive oil spread if that's all I've got in)

Otherwise butter, a small amount kept in a little dish in the cupboard (to keep dairy-obsessed cat out of it) with a short blast in the microwave to soften it for spreading

We have had butter for several years now. Much better taste. As a pp said unless there's a heatwave it lives on the side in a butter dish and we have never had any go rancid. It has really gone up in price though.

I've just switched to spread because of the price difference lately. I still have butter in a block for dotting onto steamed veg, but spread for sandwiches now. I went for an olive one, it's actually ok.

YANBU

spread is disgusting. I’d rather do without butter than eat that

1. it spreads, can't stand trying to spread butter.
2. cost, butter is pricey

I’m guessing the posters who say butter is expensive (which it is) aren’t the same ones who post on MN falling over themselves at every given opportunity to boast about how much they earn

I really miss butter in cooking etc but since finding out I'm dairy intolerant, spread is the only substitute in most recipes (apart from coconut butter which is waaay too coconutty for most things!)

I don't like eating processed food, but when i want mash potatoes or some other 'creamy' food then I make an exception!

OP is in Aus and it is summer time there so nice soft melty butter.

In or out of the fridge it is rock solid and unspreadable here when it's barely above freezing.

That's why I use spreadable butter in winter.

I dont know why anyone cares enough about anothers food choice.

No Beans, we're definitely not...

A few reasons for us:

1. Cost, as many people have said - if we bought butter once then sure it wouldn't be so much more expensive. But to do that every time we shop, it would add up, especially as we're not brand loyal and basically buy whatever is the cheapest spread at the time, excluding only Stork as that tastes really different given it's meant for cooking (learnt that through experience...). I think people saying it's not much of a price difference are overlooking the fact that people like me do not just pick marge over butter for the price difference, we make choices like that throughout the whole of our shopping iyswim. There are lots of similar products we pick the cheaper version of etc. Oil is probably another good example. It all adds up at the end of the day. If I just bought whatever products I thought looked nicest I'm sure I could easily double our food bills!
2. Butter is hard to spread if kept in the fridge, and we have mostly lived in open-plan living/dining/kitchen flats so keeping it out on the side would be grim as we keep our living area quite warm so it would go nasty. Marge is quick and easy to spread and put away again and keeps well for ages in the fridge - we don't use tons.
3. Both DH and I grew up in families that exclusively used marge. My upbringing was fairly middle-class but my parents went through periods where they didn't have much disposable income and both of them came from working class backgrounds, and DH grew up in poverty. So I'm sure one element of it is that it's just what we are both used to so shelling out the extra money for the butter isn't a priority for us. The only time we have butter is when we're out. It always feels like a novelty to me to have those little butter packets in hotels .

I use butter cause I (think, can't afford to be too health food crazed) it's more natural. Just take it out fridge ten mins before use, easy. Costs £1.60 and lasts around 2-3 weeks , the date on it is a month. It has a funny smell to it when gone rancid so you know. Don't leave out too long or its unrecoverable, Kids always do this.

My mum never used butter though. Think it was that 80s low fat thing. My grandmother on other side she puts butter on toast BEFORE the marmalade or jam. Wtf is up with that?!

Sometimes use flora for baking though, like my mum did. It's quite expensive though, so probably cheaper buying a pre made cake.

Half of the family have cows milk protein allergy.

My grandmother on other side she puts butter on toast BEFORE the marmalade or jam. Wtf is up with that?!

So she butters her toast and then puts the jam on. Isn't that what everyone does??

my dad often uses stork now.its way cheaper and he says it actullay has a much better nice flavour whereas spreads to him have lost their flavour and cost double.

If you don't like keeping your butter out but hate having to wait for it to soften, then do the following:

Make butter curls or cut the block into 1/8ths, or individual portions and keep them in the freezer. Take out a few at a time for the fridge and just take a few out of the fridge daily or as needed. They will soften much more quickly because they are much smaller.

'Spreads' are utterly grim. The fact that they are even called 'spread' shows that they are not even real food and don't have a proper name.

I like Lurpack Spreadable but that is actual butter blended with oil, it's not some Frankenstein margarine abomination.

I know the price has gone up lately but butter is something I would never, ever compromise on. If I was struggling financially I'd give up buying meat before I ditched the butter in favour of 'spread' (AKA margarine.)

Butter all the way for me.
Tried the spreadable butter on toast and it made it extra soggy like I'd dipped it in water!!!!!!

NewYearNiki
Melty soft butter?
You mean within 2 hours it's liquified, yes? That's what happens in my kitchen anyway but I accept as someone in one of the hottest parts of Aus someone in a cooler part (ie Tasmania or parts of Victoria) will not have that issue.... in winter (18-24 degrees) the butter can be left out. Any other season no.