Butter or Margarine Substitute
by Erica Cruz
(Manila,Philippines)
Question:
Can I substitute vegetable oil for butter or margarine?
Answer:Hi Erica,
It depends on the recipe.
For cakes and cookies using oil as a butter or margarine substitute works without too much difference, although you may notice a slight difference in texture or taste.
Butter obviously has more flavor than oil, and the oil can make your cookies spread thinner than butter would.
In candy making, I would try to stick with butter (or whatever the recipe calls for) because there are more things that can "go wrong" when making certain candies.
If you have a specific recipe in mind, you can mention it and one of us may be able to tell you more specifically if a butter or margarine substitute would work.
Of course, you could always just experiment yourself and discover the answer. You take a chance on wasting your ingredients, but most things would still be edible, just not as attractive.
If you are just wondering if you can grease your pan, etc., with oil instead of butter or margarine, then the answer is almost always yes.
So, what are you making? :)
Angie