Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: JenniCB on December 08, 2010, 02:11:31 pm
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Another question from me again LOL!
Can anyone explain to me the benefits of making your own butter? I get the no additives and preservatives bit but is butter healthier for you than margarine? I know it is definitely better to bake with. Would making your own have less fat then buying? Am trying to work out which is the healthiest and best option weight wise to see if it's worth the work of making it myself. Thanks.
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I think you will get lots of different replies to this but I am absolutely against any low fat products and completely for butter as its a natural product. Sure its high fat but a little bit of what you fancy does you good and I really believe that a high fat natural product is much better for you than a low fat manufactured one with lots of additives.
Nik
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I have never used margarine and never will. The chemicals that are used to manufacture it really concern me and I remember the days when margarine was not colored like butter and was purchased in a plastic sack with a coloring "bead" that one had to break and then massage the bag to spread the color throughout the white margarine. I was suspicious of it then and have never lost that and there have been warning about the colorants used.
I do use vegetable shortening for some cooking but in recent years have limited it to coconut oil, except for specific recipes where Crisco is expressly specified.
I use ghee, which in an unopened jar or can will keep practically forever. I buy premium butter when I don't make my own - especially if I am going to be doing a lot of baking.
I also use lard in certain recipes - as long as I am not preparing food for those whose religion forbids it. In my opinion, there is no better short pastry, for pies, etc., than that made with lard. Tender and flaky..
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Butter is a much better option as margarine is actually black after processing then they have to bLeach it in order to make it look like butter......SCARY!!!
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I find the margerine/butter debate very interesting. My friend is a Dietician and in a recent playgroup newsletter she published a childrens recipe containing low fat dairy products and margerine. I was more than a little stunned. I believe the Heart Foundation are still recommending margerine over butter and low fat dairy for children though and I guess they take their directives from those large associations.
This is an extract from Sally Fallons book "Nourishing Traditions":
"Hydrogenation: This is the process that turns polyunsaturates, normally liquid at room temperature, into fats that are solid at room temperature - margerine and shortening. To produce them, manufacturers begin with the cheapest oils, already rancid from the extraction process - and mix them with tiny metal particles - usually nickel oxide. The oil with its nickel catalyst is then subjected to hydrogen gas in a high-pressure, high temperature reactor. Next soap-like emulsifiers and starch are squeezed into the mixture to give it a better consistency; the oil is yet again subjected to high temperatures when it is steam-cleaned. This removes its unpleasant odour. Margerine's natural colour, an unappetizing grey, is removed by bleach. Dyes and strong flavours must then be added to make it resemble butter. Finally, the mixture is compressed and packaged in blocks or tubs and sold as health food."
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I have had many discussions with MDs who specialize in nutrition. One, now retired, was an instructor at UCLA Medical school for 27 years and participated in significant research.
The endocrinologist who has treated me for several years has long been vocal about the mistakes that were made decades ago in "research" that supposedly showed animal fats were responsible for many medical conditions.
Numerous studies have discounted more than 90% of those studies - some of which were financed by agro-business companies who had a vested interest in scaring folks away from butter, lard and etc.
This Link has some good information. (http://www.bodyecology.com/07/07/05/benefits_of_real_butter.php)
I've never cut back on my consumption of high cholesterol foods and my cholesterol is normal, my HDL levels are high and I have no signs of atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis. I have met a lot of people who adhere to a low cholesterol diet, would never touch butter and take one or more medications to lower their cholesterol and still it is high.
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Thanks for all your replies so far. I did a quick bit of research online and it seems that you can find information to support both sides of the argument. So hard to know what to do sometimes with nutrition ???
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I know from reading the labels that the cream I am planning to use has less calories, fat and sat fat compared to the butter I have bought. But they both still have more than my (heart foundation approved) margarine. I definitely prefer anything that is "real" compared to manufactured and then dyed to look real. But I am also trying so hard to get my weight down a bit and keep it down :( But I don't want to "go on a diet" as such this time.....rather come up with a good pattern of eating that I can maintain from now on.
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JenniCB, I think this is something that only you can decide. I've put a lot of thought into it and have made my decision and it is really to use what I feel is right for me and my family.
Good luck with your decision.
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Very true Cookie. You have to do your research and then go with what you think is best for you and your family. We use butter but I try not to go overboard with it.
One thing to note with choosing items that won't contribute to weight though - you need to research how much fat your body absorbs from the item and not just how much fat is contained within the item. For example, people can absorb less fat from unhomogenised whole milk (cream on the top) than homogenised low fat skinny milk. The skinny milk contains less fat, but the fat it does contain has been broken up in such a way that it is more readily absorbed by the body. Hope this makes sense. ;) :)
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There is an article (link below) at the Weston A Price Foundation that talks about why butter is better for you. Its worth a read if you are not sure.
For me, I am watching my weight so while I use only butter and cold pressed oils, I do so very sparingly. I wouldn't touch margarine after seeing how its made. It is truly disgusting!
I have lost 7 kilos in the last few months by eating good fats but very small amounts of them. Hope this helps a little.
Here is that article (http://Here is that article): http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/519-why-butter-is-better.html
cottchick
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I know from reading the labels that the cream I am planning to use has less calories, fat and sat fat compared to the butter I have bought. .
Yes, but that is as a proportion/ per wt.
Once you have made butter and removed the buttermilk, the end product will have the same fat, calories etc in less mass, IYKWIM. I would Imagine that butter would have a pretty standard calorie/fat content however it was made. And my gut instinct has always preferred butter - as has my palate!!
Deb
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None of this debate matters. Don't care. Butter tastes good. Margarine is disgusting. I once had instant "coffee". Also disgusting. Never knowlingly since.
I prefer a good salami over a good sweet.
I am 67. Fat but healthy. Is that an oxymoran? My doctor is happy not that I care to make him happy.
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Life is short. Look after yourself . Look after your family. Do what is right for you.
Andiesenji. I remember that too. What was that all about?
Now what makes a really good wine?
Gretchen
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And today I ate 60 gms of Paleta Iberica de Bellota DO . Talk about butter melting in mouth. I which I were rich! Where is thermomixer?
Gretch
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Thanks again for your replies everyone.
cottchick - congrats on the weight loss!!! Woo hoo!!! I know it's not easy.
Gretchen - you made me laugh!!
Well.....I have made my decision. Betcha can't guess what I decided?? ;D
Am off to search the forums now for some tips before I try making my first batch.....fingers crossed.
Jen x
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Don't throw the buttermilk down the sink! Save it and freeze it. Good for baking, pancakes, curries any sauce needing milk. Add to a quiche. Use it for ice cream. Never waste it even if you have no use for it today. Butter is one of the easiest things to do in the TMX. Just follow the EDC book for the first time. You can refine it another time by extra washing or extra bits. I use rice bran oil or grapeseed oil.
Bought 250 gms on Butter in Coles for $1.44 today. That is up from $1.24 a few weeks ago and 80 cent increase in a kilo. I wish the dairy farmer was getting that money not Coles.
Good luck.
Gretchen
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Ok....I did it!!! it was actually much easier than I had anticipated and it was fun! From 600mls cream I got about 230mls buttermilk (now in freezer) and about 300g butter. However, I am now quite disappointed. I've read many a post where people have been raving over the taste and yet it didn't have a taste at all to me ??? Then I added some EVOO to make it spreadable and of course, now that's all I can taste :(
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Jen use something like grapeseed oil that is not as strong in flavour for your butter
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Just to add my two cents worth, I have always thought that what people put 'under' the butter is the problem with weight control, not the butter itself. eg bread!
Many people who follow paleo/primal lifestyles will attest to the fact that eating fat is a very important part of one's diet and that grains and sugars are the real cause of many weight and health problems.
Check out Marks Daily Apple/Primal Fitness website for loads of info! Most people would be astounded if they knew how much fat I currently eat (while losing weight)
On that note, is there anybody else out there following a primal/paleo lifestyle? It has been years now since I have eaten sugar or much grains but I have really fine tuned it lately - I used breastfeeding as an excuse for too long and the kg's were sneaking on.
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Ok....I did it!!! it was actually much easier than I had anticipated and it was fun! From 600mls cream I got about 230mls buttermilk (now in freezer) and about 300g butter. However, I am now quite disappointed. I've read many a post where people have been raving over the taste and yet it didn't have a taste at all to me ??? Then I added some EVOO to make it spreadable and of course, now that's all I can taste :(
Ho ho JenniCB. that is why I said grape seed oil or rice bran oil. Of course Olive oil has such a strong distinctive flavour that it takes over. Also did you use enough salt?
Use that for cooking and make some more. If you can get cream cheaply when it is nearly out of use by date then you will find that is the best. You can also use double cream if it is going cheap but not cream with any gelatin.
I think most of us have done the same thing. Doesn't matter a jot.
Gretch
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Unfortunatly they are both bad, margarine for all the reasons above and butter because it is made from a cow, cows milk is made for calfs not humans, we have nothing in common with cows, they have 3 stomachs, they are also lactating so full of hormones even if not fed hormones you need hormones to lactate and if your allergic to wheat well it's even more of a problem (they eat grassess). However butter tastes better! I am raising my kids to use neither, I figure if they dont get into the habit of it they won't miss it!
As for the original question why should you make your own butter.......I bet it tastes amazing! (havn't made any myself, TMX should arrive next week ;D, but organic butter is yummo!
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HI Jennicb
I am an absolute fan of Cyndi O'Meara's "Changing Habits Changing Lives". I love her nutritional wisdom (she's a nutritionist) and use it everyday with my family. We eat full fat things (milk, yoghurt, cheese etc) and we maintain healthy weight. I love Cyndi's work so much that I am now a food coach and help people to work through either her Changing Habits or her 21 day program in my husbands Chiropractic clinic. I have many clients who have had great sucess in gaining health, energy and vitality (and have lost some weight too) using her principles. It's not for everyone and it may be interesting for you to have a look at her stuff.
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slightly off topic (as I'm not going to mention butter) but I really believe that low fat products make you fat! Who eats low fat? Fat people! Who could tell you the ins and outs of pretty much every single diet out there? A fat person!
And I speak as a fat person so I'm not standing on a soap box being naturally thin. I know exactly why I'm fat - its simply because I eat too much and drink too much wine! I promise you if I substituted all my normal fat products for low fat products I wouldn't lose an ounce!
The 'obesity epidemic' has coincided with the growth of the diet industry and the availability of low fat foods. The diet industry and its low fat products make BILLIONS every year.
My weight yo-yos according to how much moderation I can use and that's really the key, eat everything (natural) but in moderation.
Nik
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I know Gretchen I should have used grapeseed. Was in a rush to get it done before getting kids from school and just grabbed what I had. I'll blame it on the kids :)
Earth Mumma - I have that book! It was the first book I ever bought after getting my Thermie (it was recommended at the cooking class). I read it through once and then lent it to my sister in-law because I was quite impressed with it as an all round, cover everything, good nutrition book. I didn't know at that point that I would be making my own butter. Of course today I wanted to read the butter chapter and then realised I had lent it out :) Wow a food coach. That sounds interesting. Would love to hear more about what you do.
Nik - I totally agree with you. I think that low fat or diet foods are some of the worst foods on the market. I figure if you take something out (fat/sugar) you have to replace it with something else. Which unfortunately is often some sort of disgusting additive to make the product still look and taste palatable. I agree that they don't help you lose any weight at all either. Your philosophy is the same as Cindi's....eat real food, but in moderation.
Am going to make another batch when I next get some cream and will tweak the oil and salt factors. Thanks everyone. This forum is definitely a necessary complement to owning a THX. So good!!
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I run meetings for a large weight loss company, has two W's in its name and while they recommend low fat this and that, I am more for smaller amounts of full fat foods.
Butter, as a small part of a normal diet, should have no more affect than any other food. I will always choose butter over marg because I don't want the chemicals, but also because I only have bread maybe every second day and I'll be darned if I'm going to spread anything else on it!
Portions is the main concern for people. Regardless of what you make, you need to make sure it is a sensible portion. As long as you have a diet mostly with healthy foods, a little bit of butter on the odd occassion shouldn't make a difference.
I often feel like a bad leader because I don't do the whole low fat thing, but hey. I stick to the programme other than that!
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I run meetings for a large weight loss company, has two W's in its name and while they recommend low fat this and that, I am more for smaller amounts of full fat foods.
Oooh, I'm so glad you posted - I've often thought of becoming a leader for the "seeing" company :D and have had success with their program several times .....
Something I forgot to mention in my post was taste. Fat is often the "taste carrier" in foods so if you take out the fat you have to add something to enhance the flavour (and flavour enhances are YUK). They are rarely successful so that when you (ok I) eat something low fat, I don't get the satiety that I would have got from low fat. I REALLY want ice cream and low fat yoghurt really isn't going to do the trick! I really want a nice hot chocolate and an options sachet with hot water isn't going to work!
Interestingly I don't find the same with sugar and can more than happily go for low sugar options over proper sugar, particularly especially in drinks.
I still haven't worked out why you would make butter over buying it. In the UK, it would work out more expensive to make it so I've not bothered.
Nik
Nik
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Another question from me again LOL!
Can anyone explain to me the benefits of making your own butter? I get the no additives and preservatives bit but is butter healthier for you than margarine? I know it is definitely better to bake with. Would making your own have less fat then buying? Am trying to work out which is the healthiest and best option weight wise to see if it's worth the work of making it myself. Thanks.
I have heard that margarine is 1 ingredient away from being plastic...so I always use butter