A healthy (less unhealthy) fats challenge for you knowledgeable ladies

[cristeen]

Maybe its just that my brain is not awake yet, but i could use some help thinking through something... I'm getting involved w a local movie theatre that is planning to open next year. It has a full kitchen, and we're starting to discuss menu. The owner laid forth some great standards (no HFCS, no fully hydrogenated fats), but in discussing it w him, hes not sure it can be done w/o partially hydrogenated fats. I would love to come to him w options. So hit me w them. Palm oil is out because of the environmental damage. Peanut is out because of allergies. Animal based fats are out because there is a large veg population here (and a large Jewish community). Cost is definitely a concern.

So what could be used as an alternative to butter on popcorn?
For deep frying things like french fries?
In baked goods instead of butter or shortening?

Honestly, i keep coming back to CO for all of the above, but that may well be out of the budget, so what other options are there?

[JMJ]

Why not use butter on popcorn and in baking?  Look for sales on bulk CO for frying.

[cristeen]

Butter is an animal based fat, and as such is not acceptable to vegans. This area has a significant veg population we need to consider.

[ASusan]

There is a primarily (solely?) coconut oil STICK that is used in commercial/retail popcorn poppers.

Lou Ana is one brand, I think

[JMJ]

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Butter is an animal based fat, and as such is not acceptable to vegans. This area has a significant veg population we need to consider.

Sorry, I was thinking vegetarian, not vegan.  Yeah, CO would be your best bet if you can get it cheap.  Since you'd be a business, maybe you could get it wholesale, and compromising on quality of CO is still a whole lot better than most anything else.

[catnip]

As a vegan, I'm totally happy with unbuttered popcorn. Pop it in the coconut oil, keep the melted butter on the side. The Cinemark theater that we sometimes go to will sometimes pop a batch in the straight coconut oil without the butter flavor if I ask the right person nicely enough. If you want to really delight many vegans, offer salted nutritional yeast as a topping in lieu of butter.

[Koalamom]

What about something likespectrum palm shortening?  It is the only palm product I use since it is sustainably havested etc.

[Jayray]

Also, most peanut oil has the proteins denatured--so it's not allergenic anymore.  At least that's what I've heard--you might double check! :)

I also thought coconut oil was the traditional oil of choice for movie theater popcorn.

[Arduinna]

no fully hydrogenated fats? partially hydrogenated ones are the major problem.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Arduinna 

no fully hydrogenated fats? partially hydrogenated ones are the major problem.

That was the point i made to him.

Thank you ladies. I guess i was right regarding the CO. I'll email hm and see where it goes.

[Magelet]

I agree, coconut oil.  and that's super exciting. movie popcorn that I'm not scared of. yum!

[ocelotmom]

Flax oil is relatively healthy, has a buttery flavor, and works well on popcorn - but as a topping, not something you'd cook it in. It doesn't stand up to heat well. It's also pretty expensive.

Nutritional yeast is good vegan topping for popcorn.

Coconut oil can be used in place of butter/shortening in a lot of baking, since it's solid at room temp.