Stork

[TeaOneSugar]

My Mother (although not a regular baker) always used to use stork instead of butter in cakes, scones etc. and I was thinking this was probably because of (a) cost and (b) It keeps longer than butter and won't get used up on toast (DH I'm looking at you).

Does it make much difference to the taste do you think?

Also, would it work for butter cream icing/filing?

I bought some today and the date lasts until May so i'd be able to do a fair bit of store cupboard/impromptu baking in that time, rather than having to plan it in advance and buy in (and hide) butter.

I like the idea of knocking up a quick cake when someone phones to say they're popping over.

I'm guessing opinions might be divided.

I'm about to go out shortly but will be back later.

I know, me too. It's the white lardy fattiness of it, even though it's vegetable fat. It reminds me too much of those Gillian McKeith programmes where they slap a metric tonne of waxy white gunk on a table to illustrate how much disgusting flab you've put on over Christmas, think of your arteries, etc.

Mind you, American seem to love it, going by the slavering reviews of 'bakery style frosting' recipes on allrecipes.com and the like. And who knows what goes into supermarket cakes here.

Just a quick question as you seem a knowledgeable bunch; can you use salted butter in baking? I usually use Stork for my vic sponge, and unsalted butter for the buttercream. I sometimes struggle to find unsalted butter though; would normal stuff be horrible? (have checked packs and they seem to contain less than 2% salt)

Thanks

I use salted for buttercream, and most supermarkets have unsalted butter next to the salted - but I can't honestly say I can taste the difference, unless it's really aggressively salty butter. I had some Welsh butter from Lidl the other day that was so salty I couldn't use it for anything other than savoury dishes.

But did you know that lard and Trex are actually lower in saturated fat than butter??!

Are they .

Yup I always make my scones with lard for health reasons

I use stork or tesco 'best for baking'.
I also have a copy of the 1960s stork cookery book -complete with my childish crayoning - sorry mum!

I think I knew that (about the saturated fat!) rationally - but many years of conscientious brainwashing advertising by Lurpak, Anchor, et al have left me happier to consume artery-clogging amounts of delicious grass-enriched, happy-cow butter than something that looks like the stuff you'd plaster on a Channel swimmer before shoving them into the icy water. Actually (light bulb moment) isn't that exactly what Stork would look like if it didn't have 'butter yellow' colouring in it?!

I do use Trex happily in pastry, dumplings and some biscuits. I think vegetable fat needs a better ad agency...

Thanks wildfig. I do buy unsalted where it is available, but some smaller supermarkets just don't seem to have it.

Not keen personally. I hate the slight vegetable fatty taste which it gives

butter all the time, gives a better taste imo