[elmh23]

I love butter, but it doesn't love me. I've recently started having GI reactions to all dairy. What alternatives can I use? We're soy, peanut and tree nut free in addition to dairy (due to my son's allergies.)

I'm fine not having the butter taste, but need something to replace it in cooking. A good deal of my recipes call for butter!

 

[snowbunny]

You could use ghee. I know many people who cannot otherwise tolerate dairy can tolerate ghee because the milk solids have been removed through clarification.

 

[vegmom]

Are you taking a good probiotic? My dd1 would get an allergic skin reaction to milk products if she was not taking probiotic and cultured foods.

Also if there is any way that you could get raw milk and make your own raw butter that is a good alternative. People who are sensitive to pastuerized milk can sometimes tolerate raw milk. A good way to get probiotics is to make clobbered milk by letting raw milk sit in a warm spot for a couple of day until the whey separates and curds form. Then you just shake the milk until it combines again. It is good to drink. The unfinished milk can go back into the fridge.

Its yummy and full of probiotics. I like to get my probiotics from food instead of powders/pills. That way I know that I am ingesting "live" food.

Butter is one of the healthiest fats. If I could not have it I would use other saturated fats such as lard.

 

[AutumnMama]

What about coconut oil?

 

[MRJmama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AutumnMama What about coconut oil?

I use coconut oil in place of butter quite a bit.

 

[textbookcase]

I use a lot of coconut oil and olive oil

 

[Minerva]

Lard would be a good swap-in.

 

[Theia]

Another vote for ghee. It is more than a butter replacement, it surpasses butter imho.

:

 

[CookieMonsterMommy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minerva Lard would be a good swap-in.

Define "good".

I like coconut oil, or sesame oil, depending on the recipe--for example, coconut oil for sweets, sesame oil for veggies, stir fry, etc.

 

[elmh23]

Coconut oil is out due to the allergies (we're avoiding tree nuts and they are on the list to avoid.)

Ghee, can I buy this or do I have to make it myself? Is it a solid or liquid? I've never seen it.

Raw milk won't happen.

If I use lard, can I just use the exact amount the recipe calls for? Like if it calls for one cup, then use one cup?

 

[snowbunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elmh23 Ghee, can I buy this or do I have to make it myself? Is it a solid or liquid? I've never seen it.

You can make it yourself, but I'd recommend buying it. I love the stuff and have replaced butter in all my cooked recipes with ghee though we still use butter for spreading on bread, buttering veggies etc. I use this stuff.

 

[cristeen]

How about cultured butter? I have a problem with regular butter but not with cultured.

Since you can't have CO, beyond that, I'd probably go with lard also. For most things it will work just fine as a straight substitution. I would recommend rendering it yourself though, or buying it from a place that does it themselves. The stuff in the stores is often hydrogenated and tends to be a bit rancid. Since shortening originally was a "healthier" replacement for lard, lard works in just about any recipe that calls for shortening, margarine or butter.

 

[elmh23]

Thanks. I have lard in my pantry right now (I use it to make tortillas), so I'll just use that for now. I might try ghee at a later time if I can find it locally.

 

[Ruthla]

Bear in mind that ghee may not be OK- many people with dairy intolerances can tolerate ghee, but not all. It's still a dairy product.

Basically, any oil can be replaced for butter in equal amounts in any recipe, cooking or baking. Just bear in mind that, in some recipes, you'll need a solid, rather than liquid, oil for the proper consistency. In other recipes (anything with a liquid batter) it doesn't really matter.

 

[elmh23]

Okay in the recipe below what would you use to substitue the butter? I melt the butter instead of just softening it that way everything blends better.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chewy-G...rs/Detail.aspx

 

[Ruthla]

I'd try it with a mild-flavored vegetable oil. I don't think a "sweet" recipe like that would really work with a more "savory" animal fat.

Keep in mind here, I've never actually tasted lard- is it salty and flavorful like chicken fat, or is it more mild-tasting like butter? I know lard is often used in pie crusts though, so maybe it's not so strong tasting?

 

[elmh23]

To me lard has zero flavor. Maybe it's just really mild. I don't go around tasting it, ya know?

Next time I make the granola bars, I'll try canola oil instead of butter.

 

[Ruthla]

Ok, then, lard might work in those granola bars too.