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Baffled by Butter? By Carol Fenster

by info@gfreecuisine.com 16. September 2009 10:03
For many of us, gluten isn't the only culprit out there. Many of us also can't or don't want to consumer butter....either we're allergic to the casein or whey in it or we can't tolerate the milk sugar called lactose. So here's what to do when you want to use margarine or oil instead.

For margarine lovers, use the same amount of margarine. However, diet or whipped margarine will not work in baking because it has too much water. The margarines that I use successfully in baking are Earth Balance and Spectrum, but again, make sure they're not whipped. Actually they are called buttery spreads rather than margarine. Both are dairy-free, non-hydrogenated and have no transfats, so they're healthier, too. They're usually made from combinations of and can be used for cooking, baking, frying, and spreading. There is also a new form of Earth Balance that doesn’t contain soy, but I haven’t seen it in store shelves yet. Learn more about it at www.earthbalancenatural.com

If you prefer to use oil in place of butter or margarine/buttery spread, remember that you'll probably lose a little flavor and some salt, so you may need to use more salt and flavorings. But the flavor loss is offset by the healthier oil, such as canola or olive oil. And, I actually prefer gluten-free cakes made with oil because they are more moist. Typically, when using oil in place of butter or margarine, we use a little less oil as you can see from the following table. Keep in mind that some recipes may behave differently with oil rather than butter, so some occasional experimentation on your part might be required.


        Butter or Buttery Spread                  Oil

        1 teaspoon                                     3/4 teaspoon

        1 tablespoon                                   2 1/4 teaspoon

        2 tablespoons                                 1 1/2 tablespoons

        1/4 cup                                          3 tablespoons

        1/3 cup                                          1/4 cup

        1/2 cup                                          1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons

        2/3 cup                                          1/2 cup

        3/4 cup                                          1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

        1 cup                                             3/4 cup

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About the Authors

Ann Bender & Karen Hutcherson
Marketers by profession, both Ann and Karen have a fondness for good food and healthy cooking. They understand the importance of the nightly family dinner and developed Relish! a premier menu-planning service (relishrelish.com). Relish! received hundreds of requests to offer the same type of service but to make it gluten-free. Because of the complexity of the product, they solicited the help of gluten-free cooking expert, Carol Fenster, to provide all of the recipes and many of her famous bread and dessert recipes!