# Butter vs. Light Butter



## ali (Oct 26, 2002)

In baking, when a recipe calls for butter can you substitue light butter for it's full fat counterpart(in equal portions)?


----------



## georgeair (Jun 11, 2001)

I recommend going with smaller portions of the finished product made with the real thing!


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

Please read this


----------



## spratts (Jan 21, 2002)

The Butterfat is what makes things taste and look so nice. Professionals like to use European style butter for that reason...its got a higher butterfat percentage. You could use light butter, but the finished product will show it.


----------



## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

I must admit ignorance: WHAT IS LIGHT BUTTER? 

Is it like whipped butter, regular butter with air whipped into it? Or does it have water added? Or,  other stuff like agar or fillers?

Spratts is right: the finished product will be very different if you throw off the balances as intended. To use an extreme case: if you don't use real butter in a croissant recipe, but something with less fat and more water, you will not get the taste and texture of a croissant; maybe of a refrigerated-dough crescent roll, but not a _CROISSANT_. Is that what you want?


----------



## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Kimmie:

After reading the review at the url you furnished, this is what I must say: 

compared to the American lifestyle, Europe is primarily pedestrian. They walk more: to the bus stop, to the metro... Consider how many times you go in and out of your abode. Now, considering that many European apartment buildings have no elevator, it's that many more flights of stairs to climb - at least in Europe. How much more energy is burned in climbing those stairs many times daily. Stairclimbing aids in correct posture, too.

So it's not just diet, it's overall activity levels that keeps them trimmer imho.

Just my .02.


----------



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Butter that floats?

Kuan


----------



## georgeair (Jun 11, 2001)

Or perhaps a typo, meant to be what some drink at my BBQs in the south - Lite burr.


----------



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Would that be Lite Beurre in French?

Kuan


----------



## daveb (May 1, 2001)

I sent my daughter, age 17, shopping over the weekend for, among other things, butter. She came home with Land-o-Lakes "Light BUtter". 

Since it was all I had, I proceeded to use it in a veggy sauté. First thing I noticed was that it melted down into something that looked like a very thin roux. Next thing a noticed was that said "roux" had stuck itself to my non-stick pan. I scraped the crud out and did the sauté with olive oil.

I'm not sure what they put into "light butter", but it's certainly NASTY!!!


----------



## pongi (Jan 11, 2002)

kokopuffs,
what you say about Europeans is basically right, even if stairs aren't probably the main reason why we walk more than you. The American Progress reached our Old Europe a long time ago, and most houses have now excellent elevators  . The fact is that in most european cities the services you need are often at walking distance and you "live" the town much more than in US. (In example, I go shopping everyday by feet, that means I walk with a couple of heavy bags, or pushing my daughter's scroller, about 1 hour a day...a good fitness exercise)
Another point is that usually Europeans (at least, the mediterraneans) are less addicted to junk food than Americans, and generally have more "dietetic" habits rather than a true dietary attitude.
A couple of examples?
The first time I've been in US I was shocked when found out that in most eating places you NEVER get the following items:

1) Plain mineral water;
2) Oil and vinegar to season salads;
3) Plain bread on your table;
4) Fresh fruit.

I'm sure you understand what I mean...

Pongi


----------



## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Why drink mineral water when coke and potato chips are available?!?!?!?


----------



## spratts (Jan 21, 2002)

I believe light butter just has a lower butterfat percentage. European butter is something like 85% butterfat. Lite butter is probably somewhere just above the butterfat % of heavy cream with added stabilizers. 
When you think about it, you're probably eating more "bad" stuff in the lite version because of the stuff that has to go into it to keep it looking and feeling like butter.


----------



## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

You can consume one of two things: calories or carcinogens. To blazes with "lite" food.


----------



## pongi (Jan 11, 2002)

:lol:  

Apart from that, my opinion is that eating "lite" food you consume BOTH calories and carcinogens! It's something like lite cigarettes...since they're supposed to be less harmful, you feel free to have many more of them than the "normal" ones, but the fact is that the difference isn't so great.
I mean, lite butter or mayo contain about 25% less fats and calories than the normal ones, but you can easily allow yourself to have a double amount or more since they're "healthier!" So, you end up eating much more calories...and the taste is worse!

As for plain mineral water...do you know it's by far the favourite and most consumed drink in Italy? We have hundreds of different brands...

Pongi


----------



## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

I think that most members of this forum are well aware of the wide variety of mineral waters that are available.


----------



## pongi (Jan 11, 2002)

Don't worry k, I have no doubt about that 
I just meant that Italy is the country with the highest consumption of mineral water in Europe (155 liters a year each person) and with the highest number of mineral water brands (230).
Of course can't say about US...

Pongi


----------



## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Oh we consume minerals, most of them are contained in soft drinks.


----------



## pongi (Jan 11, 2002)

This is just the main difference between the Italian and the American taste regarding mineral water, you love it flavoured with something else while we usually have it plain (of course we too consume soft drinks but they're not included in the statistics I mentioned)

Pongi


----------



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Criminy! I don't quite understand the preoccupation with bottled water, mineral or not. I guess I don't have the palate. I make ice cubes with Evian for my Scotch. That's it.

Kuan


----------



## pongi (Jan 11, 2002)

:lol: 

No preoccupation, kuan, I really LOVE mineral water above any other drink - more, PLAIN water, not sparkling (could you imagine something like that?)
To tell the truth, I never drink anything else during my everyday meals...wine (GOOD wine) is for the occasions, but I consider it much more a liquid food than a drink.
I can see your face   but remember that this way I can add more real butter to my food... 

Pongi


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

Here's the description of Land O Lakes "light butter"

Description

LAND O LAKES[emoji]174[/emoji] Light Butter is a 40% fat spread product made with Grade AA butter, water and pasteurized skim milk. It is called Light because it has 1/2 less fat, cholesterol-and calories than LAND O LAKES[emoji]174[/emoji] regular butter.

The ingredients:

Ingredients

LAND O LAKES[emoji]174[/emoji] Grade AA Butter 
Water 
Pasteurized Skim Milk 
Gelatin 
Salt 
Vegetable Mono- and Diglycerides 
Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate 
Lactic Acid 
Natural Flavor 
Vitamin A Palmitate 
Beta-Carotene (Pro Vitamin A)

Here's the definition of real butter:

Definition

Butter 
By a 1923 act of Congress, butter must be made from milk or cream or both, with or without salt. It must be at least 80% fat and contain no preservatives or additives except approved natural food coloring (annatto).

You be the judge


----------



## terisays (Dec 25, 2012)

I use light butter in my brownies, and they turnout tasting very buttery and rich.  I also use a little less than the recipe calls for.  It calls for two sticks and I use 1 and 1/2.


----------



## lagom (Sep 5, 2012)

I'll have to pass on the lite butter thank you. I can get wonderful butter here in Sweden locally and I know an importer of all nice fatty things French like Normandy butter. However I was always able to get excellent fresh butter from Amish dairy farmers in the states, as well as other nice things. Also imho, one of the reasons we walk so much here in Sweden, and other parts of Europe is that gas is so damn expensive, $9 ish a gallon right now.


----------



## michaelga (Jan 30, 2012)

Maybe that is what we need... more expensive gas~!


----------



## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

One would have to alter a  formula for baking with light butter. I wwould venture to say that based on the ingredients listed on the package, that it is about 40% water. If you were to use it to saute, you are not sauting you are almost steaming. If you want you can make it home by whipping 1/2 pound real butter with 1/4 cup icewater. Same thing can be done with cream cheese if you like.(for the cream cheese you can also use 1 or 2 % milk.. Keep in mind that under the guise of health and diet the manufacturers are getting away with charging you for water and air. My opinion biggest ripper of all is Kraft.and their cream cheeses, water and stabilizers galore and keep getting more watery.


----------



## old bob (Aug 1, 2013)

I tried to go completely off butter at home for health reasons.  Really missed it and started using the "Light Butter".   Going from no butter to light butter was better when using it for buttering corn or bread, etc.   For cooking it is a disaster!  Just like the first post said, it balls up and even sticks to a new non-stick pan.

  Got into an argument with a sister-in-law who was visiting, who insisted on using it to cook scrambled eggs, even after I told her not to use it for that.  Made her clean up the pan afterwards, which had a quarter inch of egg mixed with sticky goop.

I'm just saying...,

 B


----------



## pollyanna (Jul 7, 2014)

c
Can I use light butter in a cake recipe?


----------



## chicagoterry (Apr 3, 2012)

Not if it's written for real butter. Two entirely different animals. I'm not even sure what it is that comprises the bulk of light butter but I'm assuming it's not fat and you need the fat in the butter for the cake to come together properly.


----------

