[Kitchen Witch]

Let’s take a step back in time.

Butter is an edible emulsion of butterfat, water, air, and sometimes salt - made from the churning of cream; used as a spread as well as in baking and cooking. Basically made from dairy and salt.

Margarine was the inexpensive alternative to butter - made from oil or a combination of oils through a process called hydrogenation which helps the animal/vegetable oils emulsify - animal or vegetable oils (corn oils, sunflower oils, soybean oils, etc.) Years ago - it was primarily beef fat (oleo - during WWII butter was scarce as well as expensive and oleo was the best substitute.)

Margarine is to be at least 80% fat, derived from animal or vegetable oils, or the blend of the two. Approximately 17% is liquid - either pasteurized skim milk, water of soybean protein fluid. The remaining percentage is salt which is added for flavor.

In the 1960’s tub margarine and vegetable oil spreads were starting to hit the markets - and it’s been down hill since. The animal fats have been eliminated in most cases and now margarine is no longer the margarine we know from years ago. The processes they have come up with for making margarine have changed dramatically - it’s more of a chemical process than a food process - number one reason we stick to butter.