Margarine?

[BetsyS]

Does anyone have a favorite margarine brand?  I have recently gone dairy free (because of a breastfeeding baby that gets excema with dairy), and I've only tried Earth Balance.  It has a sort of fishy after taste/smell that I'm not sure I can get past. 

I grew up with Blue Bonnet or Land of Lakes, and I do like that flavor.  But, we switched to butter about 4 years ago, and that's all I ever used.  Now, back to margarine, but I'm looking for the healthiest, but still tasty brand. 

Any recommendations? 

[cristeen]

Honestly, id skip it entirely and use CO or lard where you need the solid fat. Or Duck fat makes an awesome tasty sub for spreading on things.

[BetsyS]

I don't like bacon fat on toast, though.  :)  The two things I have used it for when I noticed the taste was toast and some baking I did.  I'm not sure what to substitute for baking.  I suppose I don't need sweets anyway, but I do miss them this time of year. 

[cristeen]

I didnt suggest bacon fat...

For baking, CO works beautifully. For spreading on toast, i'd go with either CO if you like the flavor or duck fat, which is great. The thing is, going dairy free, you need to stop looking for/expecting the butter flavor. Nothing else tastes like it, and that includes margarine. Find other tastes that you like, and go from there.

Although, one of my favorite "flavors" on toast is the yolk from an egg (fried or poached).

[BetsyS]

I have no idea what CO is (corn oil?).  I was just thinking bacon fat/duck fat have to be similar.  Maybe? 

[BetsyS]

Thanks for your patience.  This is the first time I've ever changed my diet for any reason, so it's all new to me.  We've always just eaten whatever we wanted pretty much.  No restrictions of any kind.  Pretty much if we liked it, that's what we had.

This dairy free thing is throwing me for a loop.

[Alyantavid]

CO is coconut oil.  Its great in things, but I never could get used to it on toast.  It works really well for baking, .  For other things, I mostly use bacon fat.  There is a brand called Nucoa that comes in sticks that I've used before but its a little funky tasting. 

Cristeen is right, most dairy subs leave a bit to be desired.  Nothing tastes quite the same as real dairy so you have to adjust your expectations.  I'm totally with her on the fried egg on toast too, it's amazing.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by BetsyS 

I have no idea what CO is (corn oil?).  I was just thinking bacon fat/duck fat have to be similar.  Maybe? 

Duck fat is very different from anything but goose. It's semi solid out of the fridge, has an unctuousness that is beautiful. It is amazing in just about any savory application. Makes a great mayo, roasting veg, pan frying potatoes, etc. Spread it on toast and it has a mouthfeel similar to butter, but a flavor all its own.

You can roast a whole duck and pour off the fat for 1-2 cups or you can huy the fat on its own. I get mine unrendered from the grower, because its way cheaper that way. 1.5 lbs of duck fat is approx a quart.

[CherryBomb]

Duck fat is pretty amazing, I agree!  For toast, I'd probably just slather an egg yolk on.  Margarine freaks me out (did you know it's actually gray? They have to bleach it and add coloring to make it look like butter).  It's ultra processed and just generally not healthy.

That said, you can probably eat butter.  It has very little lactose (which is what most people and babies are reacting to).

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by CherryBomb 

Duck fat is pretty amazing, I agree!  For toast, I'd probably just slather an egg yolk on.  Margarine freaks me out (did you know it's actually gray? They have to bleach it and add coloring to make it look like butter).  It's ultra processed and just generally not healthy.

That said, you can probably eat butter.  It has very little lactose (which is what most people and babies are reacting to).

I personally wouldn't try that until you know if its lactose or not.  My dairy allergic kid reacts to casein (which is pretty common) and had ezcema.  You can try changing your diet to see what he'll react to, but I wouldn't suggest doing it until you've gone dairy free long enough to get it out of both of your systems.

[Smokering]

Duck fat IS gorgeous, but expensive (where I live, anyway). Chicken fat - sometimes called schmaltz - is cheaper, and pretty good too. It's not the same as duck fat, but it's really yummy! I must admit I've never tried either on toast, though.

I won't touch margarine with a bargepole. We do use butter, but I've occasionally subbed other kind of fats for spreading on toast - avocado, peanut butter, hummus, semi-liquid egg yolk, cream cheese (sorry, not helpful to you!), or basil or sundried tomato pesto (which is great, but make sure you get a brand without Parmesan cheese if that's a problem). For certain types of bread, dipping it in olive oil is great too. Or if I have a sandwich with jam or Vegemite or something - which is pretty rare for me - I just leave out the butter.

Also, I've never liked the taste of coconut oil. Some people love it, but mine always tastes... dusty? I mostly save it to use for deodorant now. :p Worth a shot for you, though - refined is a bit less healthy than unrefined, but it tastes less coconutty, if that bothers you.

[mtm]

Two of mine had casein allergies, now luckily down to intolerances. I like coconut oil for baking, bacon grease for the fry pan but like you have times when I use margarine. I've used Earth's Best and Fleischman's lactose free and a PC vegan margarine. I'd try the Fleischman's if you don't like the Earth's Best, the PC one I think is only in Canada.

[Cygnia]

Personally, I use a new butter substitute that just came out - called "Melt" - which is organic, high in Omega 3s, rich in medium chain fatty acids (the good fats) - and has the creamiest, richest flavor of all the spreads out there (its definitely better than Earth Balance, Smart Balance or I Can't Believe Its Not Butter). It bakes up quite well – I have made thin, flaky pie crust using Melt instead of butter with great success. It makes a softer dough (so chill in the freezer before rolling), but otherwise bakes up nicely.