There are so many margarines available, which
should I choose?
Here is a brief description of the different types of margarine available:
- Stick margarine: Regular margarine must contain a minimum of 80% fat. It is made from various vegetable oils such as soybean and corn.
- Soft Margarine: formulated to be easy to spread.
- Whipped Margarine: beaten vigorously to add air to the mixture, which makes it very speadable.
- Liquid Margarine: packaged in a squeezable bottle, making it easy to add to foods such as corn on the cob or for use as a basting medium
- Reduced Fat Margarine: has as much as 65% less fat than regular margarine. It may not be as suitable for some baked goods as regular margarine or butter and because of a higher water content, it isn't as useful for sautéing or frying.
- Fat-free Margarine: a much healthier
spread than regular margarine, but it should not be used in baking. It
also has a much higher water content than regular margarine so it should
not be used for sautéing or frying.
These margarine descriptions were obtained from Hormel Foods.
According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition "it is better to eat softer or liquid margarines that contain a lower combined amount of saturated fat and trans fat and a lower amount of cholesterol. For a healthful alternative, nonstick cooking spray can be substituted for other fats when "greasing" the pan".