Butter vs. Light Butter

[Ali]

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

[Georgeair]

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

[Kimmie]

Please read this

[Spratts]

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]

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]

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]

Originally posted by Suzanne
WHAT IS LIGHT BUTTER?

Butter that floats?

Kuan

[Georgeair]

Originally posted by Suzanne
WHAT IS LIGHT BUTTER?

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

[kuan]

Would that be Lite Beurre in French?

Kuan

[DaveB]

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]

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]

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

[Spratts]

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]

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

[Pongi]

Originally posted by kokopuffs
Why drink mineral water when coke and potato chips are available?!?!?!?

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