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40 tonnes of butter recalled for absurd reason

Costco has recalled nearly 40 tonnes of butter for an absurd reason. America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent out an initial recall for 36,000kg of Kirkland Signature butter in October because the label failed to mention that the kitchen staple contains milk. Packages for both the salted and unsalted version of the butter listed cream as an ingredient, but did not include an allergy warning for milk. The bizarre recall left many internet users scratching their heads, with many slamming the wasteful move stating the obvious: "It's butter". “Costco butter was just recalled, because the label doesn’t say that it contains milk. It’s butter. News articles are telling people how they can return, or safely dispose of, the butter. It’s butter,” one person deadpanned. “Can y’all please safely dispose of it at my house? I have a lot of holiday baking to do," another joked. “If you need to government to tell you that butter is a dairy product then … well, I can’t help you God I loathe the state," a third added. “To be called ‘Butter’ it must contain milk or milk derivatives. Talk about useless government,” another social media user wrote. “Rather than waste (40,000kg) of butter why don’t they print stickers that say “Contains Milk” and save perfectly good food? So wasteful,” a fifth wrote. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention mentioned in the recall that milk is one of the main foods that “account for most serious allergic reactions in the United States”. The FDA did not say if there has been any illnesses or adverse reactions from the product. Image: The Image Party / Shutterstock.com

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Run out of butter or eggs? Here’s the science behind substitute ingredients

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paulomi-polly-burey-404695">Paulomi (Polly) Burey</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> It’s an all too common situation – you’re busy cooking or baking to a recipe when you open the cupboard and suddenly realise you are missing an ingredient. Unless you can immediately run to the shops, this can leave you scrambling for a substitute that can perform a similar function. Thankfully, such substitutes can be more successful than you’d expect. There are a few reasons why certain ingredient substitutions work so well. This is usually to do with the chemistry and the physical features having enough similarity to the original ingredient to still do the job appropriately. Let’s delve into some common ingredient substitutions and why they work – or need to be tweaked. <iframe id="IitfH" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/IitfH/1/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> <h2>Oils versus butter</h2> Both butter and oils belong to a chemical class called <a href="https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_Chemistry/Map%3A_Fundamentals_of_General_Organic_and_Biological_Chemistry_(McMurry_et_al.)/23%3A_Lipids/23.01%3A_Structure_and_Classification_of_Lipids">lipids</a>. It encompasses solid, semi-solid and liquid fats. In a baked product the “job” of these ingredients is to provide flavour and influence the structure and texture of the finished item. In cake batters, lipids contribute to creating an emulsion structure – this means combining two liquids that wouldn’t usually mix. In the baking process, this helps to create a light, fluffy crumb. One of the primary differences between butter and oil is that butter is only about 80% lipid (the rest being water), while <a href="https://www.nutritionadvance.com/types-of-cooking-fats-and-oils/">oil is almost 100% lipid</a>. Oil creates a softer crumb but is still a great fat to bake with. You can use a wide range of oils from different sources, such as olive oil, rice bran, avocado, peanut, coconut, macadamia and many more. Each of these may impart different flavours. Other “butters”, such as peanut and cashew butter, aren’t strictly butters but pastes. They impart different characteristics and can’t easily replace dairy butter, unless you also add extra oil. <h2>Aquafaba or flaxseed versus eggs</h2> Aquafaba is the liquid you drain from a can of legumes – such as chickpeas or lentils. It contains proteins, kind of how egg white also contains proteins. The proteins in egg white include albumins, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5912395/">aquafaba also contains albumins</a>. This is why it is possible to make meringue from egg whites, or from aquafaba if you’re after a vegan version. The proteins act as a foam stabiliser – they hold the light, airy texture in the product. The concentration of protein in egg white is a bit higher, so it doesn’t take long to create a stable foam. Aquafaba requires more whipping to create a meringue-like foam, but it will bake in a similar way. Another albumin-containing alternative for eggs is <a href="https://foodstruct.com/compare/seeds-flaxseed-vs-egg">flaxseed</a>. These seeds form a thick gel texture when mixed with a little water. The texture is similar to raw egg and can provide structure and emulsification in baked recipes that call for a small amount of egg white. <h2>Lemon plus dairy versus buttermilk</h2> Buttermilk is the liquid left over after churning butter – it can be made from sweet cream, cultured/sour cream or whey-based cream. Buttermilk mostly <a href="https://www.journalofdairyscience.org/article/S0022-0302(06)72115-4/fulltext">contains proteins and fats</a>. Cultured buttermilk has a somewhat tangy flavour. Slightly soured milk can be a good substitute as it contains similar components and isn’t too different from “real” buttermilk, chemically speaking. One way to achieve slightly soured milk is by adding some lemon juice or cream of tartar to milk. Buttermilk is used in pancakes and baked goods to give extra height or volume. This is because the acidic (sour) components of buttermilk interact with baking soda, producing a light and airy texture. Buttermilk can also influence flavour, imparting a slightly tangy taste to pancakes and baked goods. It can also be used in sauces and dressings if you’re looking for a lightly acidic touch. <h2>Honey versus sugar</h2> Honey is a <a href="https://resources.perkinelmer.com/lab-solutions/resources/docs/APP_Analysis-of-Sugars-in-Honey-012101_01.pdf">complex sugar-based syrup</a> that includes floral or botanical flavours and aromas. Honey can be used in cooking and baking, adding both flavour and texture (viscosity, softness) to a wide range of products. If you add honey instead of regular sugar in baked goods, keep in mind that honey imparts a softer, moister texture. This is because it contains more moisture and is a humectant (that is, it likes to hold on to water). It is also less crystalline than sugar, unless you leave it to crystallise. The intensity of sweetness can also be different – some people find honey is sweeter than its granular counterpart, so you will want to adjust your recipes accordingly. <h2>Gluten-free versus regular flour</h2> Sometimes you need to make substitutions to avoid allergens, such as gluten – the protein found in cereal grains such as wheat, rye, barley and others. Unfortunately, gluten is also the component that gives a nice, stretchy, squishy quality to bread. To build this characteristic in a gluten-free product, it’s necessary to have a mixture of ingredients that work together to mimic this texture. Common ingredients used are corn or rice flour, xanthan gum, which acts as a binder and moisture holder, and tapioca starch, which is a good water absorbent and can aid with binding the dough. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202036/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paulomi-polly-burey-404695">Paulomi (Polly) Burey</a>, Associate Professor (Food Science), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-southern-queensland-1069">University of Southern Queensland</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/run-out-of-butter-or-eggs-heres-the-science-behind-substitute-ingredients-202036">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

Why you should grate your butter

Making your own food can take quite a bit of time, so a time-saving trick is always welcome. Dealing with cold, hard butter out of the refrigerator can be a hassle – it is not easily spreadable, and often needs to be brought to room temperature for most recipes. You can’t exactly leave it out for too long, either – food authorities such as the <a href="http://foodsafety.asn.au/butter/">Food Safety Information Council</a> generally recommend storing butter in the fridge to prevent it from becoming rancid. Luckily, there’s a trick to make your butter soft in little to no time. And it only requires a grater. Meghan Moravcik Walbert from <a href="https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/03/grate-your-butter-to-soften-it-quickly/">Lifehacker</a> said grating your butter is an easy way to transform it from brick-hard to soft, fluffy and ready for use. Once grated, the softened butter can be spread over toast, mixed up with dry ingredients in baking or utilised in any way your recipe requires. “I peel the wrapper back as I work to keep my hands clean,” wrote Walbert. “It takes less than 30 seconds to grate around 100g.” Don’t have a grater? You can try other tricks to soften butter, such as cutting them up into small chunks or setting it over a warm water bath. Would you try this trick? Let us know in the comments. Image: Getty

Food & Wine

Queen Elizabeth II in mourning

Queen Elizabeth II is in mourning after her life-long friend passed away. Lady Myra Butter, a descendent of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and poet, novelist and playwright, Alexander Pushkin, died “peacefully” at the age of 97 in London. "Lady Butter was a daughter of Sir Harold and Lady Zia Wernher, and a granddaughter of Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess de Torby,” managing editor of Majesty Magazine Joe Little wrote. "Myra was a close friend of the Queen and Prince Philip since childhood and from time to time appeared in royal documentaries." Lady Butter created the Pushkin award, which helped celebrate literary work in honour of her ancestor. She was married to Sir David Butter to who she had five kids with - and the Queen was the godmother of their eldest child, Sandra Elizabeth Zia. Lady Butter grew up with the Queen and her sister Princess Margaret, and spent their holidays together. She was also a guest at the Queen’s wedding to Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. “The war had been so grey that the royal wedding seemed to signify the world coming to life again,” Lady Butter previously told The Daily Mail. "Everyone was determined to have a new dress for the day and I wore a blue ribbed silk dress by Dior. It was one of the first three-quarter length dresses, and I wore it with a feathered hat. I had new shoes and a bag, too – any excuse. "All the people from the Commonwealth made the ceremony very colourful and the choir superb. "The Princess looked truly glittering. Her dress was beautiful and she was obviously in love. Philip looked very dashing in his naval uniform – and it really did seem like a fairy tale wedding." Images: Getty/ITV

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Butter chicken and sweet potato

Looking for something wholesome and fulfilling for dinner? Try out this comforting butter chicken and sweet potato dish as a winter’s warmer. Serves 4 Prep time: 15 mins + 1-hour marinating (optional) Cooking time: 40 mins Ingredients: <ul> <li>2 tbs tandoori curry paste</li> <li>¼ cup Greek yoghurt</li> <li>700g small chicken thigh fillets, trimmed </li> <li>1 tbs ghee or vegetable oil</li> <li>1 brown onion, finely chopped</li> <li>1 long green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped</li> <li>800g sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthways, cut into 3cm pieces</li> <li>420g jar butter chicken sauce</li> <li>400g can finely chopped tomatoes </li> <li>150ml thickened cream</li> <li>Warm naan, to serve</li> <li>cucumber raita & coriander sprigs (optional), to serve</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Combine curry paste and yoghurt in a bowl. Cut chicken in half crossways (if chicken is large cut into thirds). Stir into tandoori mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour only if you have time.</li> <li>Preheat oven 230°C fan forced. Remove chicken from marinade. Place on a greased tray. Roast 10 minutes in hot oven.</li> <li>Meanwhile, heat ghee or oil in a deep-frying pan or wok. Add onion and chilli. Cook stirring 4 minutes until soft. Add sweet potato, cook 5 minutes. Add butter chicken sauce and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until sweet potato just tender. Stir in cream. Add the chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes until chicken cooked through.</li> <li>Serve with warm naan, raita and coriander.</li> </ol> Tip: Ghee is clarified butter, its available in the Indian section of the supermarket. Once opened, store in the fridge. It’s great for cooking curries, pancakes, pikelets and cooking over high heat as it won’t burn like regular butter.

Food & Wine

Chocolate pancakes with caramel and peanut butter sauce

These delicious pancakes come packed with flavours and no dairy – perfect for the whole family! Serves 2 Ingredients: Pancake <ul> <li>1 cup wholemeal spelt flour</li> <li>1 cup unsweetened almond milk</li> <li>3 medjool dates, pitted</li> <li>3 tbsp raw cacao powder</li> <li>1 very ripe banana</li> </ul> Sauce <ul> <li>1/3 cup coconut milk</li> <li>2 tbsp <a href="https://mayvers.com.au/product/mayvers-smooth-peanut-butter/">Mayver’s Peanut Butter</a> </li> <li>3 medjool dates</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Blend the dates and the almond milk until they are well combined and there are no chunks.</li> <li>In a mixing bowl, combine the flour with the cacao powder, date/almond milk from the blender and the banana. Mash the banana through the mixture with a fork.</li> <li>In a non-stick frypan over medium heat, cook the pancakes for approximately 2 minutes either side. </li> <li>Blend the sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy. Pour over pancakes when they’re ready.</li> <li>Enjoy! </li> </ol> Recipe by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/young_rebecca/">Rebecca Young</a>.

Food & Wine

World’s first butter bar opens in the US

Butter is a staple of many kitchens and dining tables around the world – but it is mostly seen as a complementary item rather than the main highlight. Bella La Crema is looking to change that view. Located in the Colorado town of Lyons, it is the world’s first butter bar with a menu full of homemade churned-dairy delights. Diners can enjoy savoury options such as the herbs de Provence-infused French Countryside as well as sweet concoctions like the chocolate, coffee and cinnamon-laden Mayan Chocolate Muse. The flights of flavoured butters – which are served with warm baguettes – are made with grass-fed, organic and non-homogenised cream with in-house culturing and churning. The bar also marks each new season or holiday by launching a new butter. Owner and operator Shauna Lee Strecker said she wanted to “make butter beautiful again”. She told <a href="https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/butter-bar-bella-la-crema-colorado">Food&Wine</a>, “Butter had been ruined, in my opinion … People were just using it as a throw-aside condiment, much like ketchup or mustard. Most of the store-bought butter is ridiculous – it’s crap. That’s why I decided to make butter beautiful again.” Looking to eat something heavier? The bistro-bar also offers an assortment of dishes, from salads to burgers and bisques.

International Travel

Enjoy a savoury onion and goat cheese tart

This puff pastry tart is perfect for when you want a savoury treat. Read more: Serves: 4 Ingredients: <ul> <li>1 sheet of defrosted frozen puff pastry</li> <li>4 red onions sliced</li> <li>2 tsp fresh thyme leaves </li> <li>200g crumbly goats cheese </li> <li>1 egg </li> <li>50g butter </li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Add butter to a medium saucepan over low heat. Once melted add sliced onions and cook gently for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally until soft and caramelised and set aside to cool.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a flat baking tray with baking paper and lay puff pastry on top. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">With a knife score a line 2cm inside the edge to create a border around the pastry (do not cut through the pastry). With a fork prick the pastry all over inside the border. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Inside the border, spread caramelised onions and distribute half the goats cheese in chunks.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;">In a small bowl beat the egg and brush around the border of the pastry. Bake in the oven for 30 mins or until the pastry is golden brown.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"> Remove from the oven, top with remaining goats cheese and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.</li> </ol> Recipe courtesy of Australian Onions.

Food & Wine

Easy butter chicken with rice and naan

Craving a hearty meal for dinner but don’t know what to make? There’s nothing better than digging into a plate of butter chicken. The aromatic flavours and spices not only prove why this dish is a favourite, but it’s also simple to whip up. Serves 4 Prep 15 mins Cooking time 35 mins Ingredients <ul> <li>1⁄4 cup Greek yoghurt</li> <li>1⁄4 cup butter chicken paste or tandoori paste</li> <li>1 tsp ground cumin</li> <li>1⁄2 tsp ground ginger</li> <li>1kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut in half crossways</li> <li>1⁄4 cup Ghee or vegetable oil</li> <li>2 brown onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced</li> <li>2 cups tomato passata sauce</li> <li>300ml thickened cream</li> <li>1 tsp white sugar</li> <li>Steamed rice, toasted naan bread, coriander to serve</li> </ul> Method <ol> <li>Combine yoghurt, paste, cumin, and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken, stir until well coated.</li> <li>Heat half the ghee/ oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, turning occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until browned. Remove to a clean plate.</li> <li>Reduce heat to medium, add onions and remaining ghee / oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until onion is soft. Return chicken to pan with passata, cream and sugar. Bring to simmer. Simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, or until sauce is thickens and chicken is cooked through.</li> <li>Serve butter chicken with rice, naan bread and coriander.</li> </ol> Tip: If you can’t find butter chicken paste you can use tandoori paste, it’s a little spicier. Tip: Ghee is clarified butter; you will find it in jars in the international section of the supermarket. Once opened store in the fridge. Use it in place of butter when working with filo pastry or cooking pancakes. Tip: Toast naan bread in a large dry frying pan over a medium-high heat or wrapped in foil in a hot oven. Recipe and image courtesy of <a href="https://www.australianonions.com.au/australian-onion-recipes/butter-chicken-with-rice-and-naan/#t5k5EYIe2pqhvj1R.97">Australian Onions</a>.

Food & Wine

Surprising things you can do with peanut butter

It’s delicious on toast, in a banana smoothie, or baked into a choc chip biscuit, but did you know that peanut butter has many uses outside of the kitchen? You might be surprised to learn just how versatile this spread really is. 1. Feed the birds Grab a pinecone and rub spoonfuls of peanut butter all over it to make a simple bird feeder. Attach some string and hang it up in your garden where you want the birds to visit. 2. Remove gum from shoes Apply peanut butter to the area and leave it for a minute or two, then wipe off with a clean cloth. 3. Catch a mouse No, not all mice love cheese as much as you’ve been led to believe. In fact what they really love is peanut butter, and the good thing about it is that it makes them sit for a while to lick the trap. This gives your mousetrap plenty of time to catch the little critter, rather than grabbing the cheese and scooting off. 4. Fix scratched DVD’s If you have old films or music lying around on CD or DVD, they can often become scratched and unusable. You can use peanut butter to ‘fill in’ the gaps caused by the scratches! Simply wet the silver side of the disk and then dry it with a lint-free cloth. Then use your finger to apply a small amount of peanut butter all over the silver side of the disk. Rinse off with warm water, dry again, and you should be able to watch your old films or listen to your favourite tunes again. 5. Swallow a pill If the grandkids (or even some adults!) hate swallowing tablets, try this. Place the pill onto a tablespoon of peanut butter, and cover it completely so that it can’t be seen. Encourage the patient to swallow the peanut butter without chewing it, so that the pill goes down without being tasted. 6. Fix a squeaky door If you haven’t got any WD40 you can use a smear of peanut butter on the hinges of a squeaky door instead. 7. Remove a sticker Don’t you hate when you buy something and can’t peel the price sticker off? Just rub a little peanut butter into the area and the oils will help remove it when you rub it with a cloth. Have we missed anything? Do you use peanut butter anywhere else around the home? We would love to hear your tips in the comments.

Home & Garden

Chocolate and peanut butter brownies

The combination of chocolate and peanut butter is a rich, salty-sweet delight you’ll love. Give these brownies a go for a delicious spin on the moist, chewy baked snack. Ingredients: <ul> <li>125g unsalted butter, diced</li> <li>120g dark chocolate, roughly chopped</li> <li>⅔ cup plain flour</li> <li>½ teaspoon baking powder</li> <li>¼ teaspoon salt</li> <li>¾ cup sugar</li> <li>3 large eggs</li> <li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li> <li>½ cup chocolate chips</li> </ul> Drizzle <ul> <li>35g unsalted butter, melted</li> <li>¼ cup icing sugar</li> <li>⅓ cup smooth peanut butter</li> <li>⅛ teaspoon salt</li> <li>½ teaspoon vanilla extract</li> </ul> Method: <ol start="1"> <li>Preheat your oven to 160˚C. Grease a 20cm square baking pan and line with baking paper.</li> <li>For the brownie batter, melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Allow this mixture to cool slightly.</li> <li>Whisk the sugar into chocolate mixture, and then add eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.</li> <li>Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and add to the chocolate. Stir everything until incorporated.</li> <li>For the drizzle, stir together the melted butter, icing sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla until smooth.</li> <li>Pour the chocolate batter into your prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Spoon the drizzle over the tip and swirl it through using a butter knife.</li> <li>Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted is not wet when it comes out. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then cool to room temperature before cutting into squares.</li> </ol> Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/06/gin-and-tonic-cupcakes/">Do gin and tonic cupcakes take your fancy?</a> <a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/06/chocolate-tart/">How about a chocolate tart?</a> <a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/06/strawberry-rhubarb-cobbler/">This strawberry and rhubarb cobbler hits the spot</a>

Food & Wine

Oat biscuits with almond butter and marmalade

These comforting, crispy oat biscuits are brought to life with the combination of almond butter and slightly bitter marmalade. You could use any flavour or jam that you prefer though. I also adore these biscuits with cheese and fruit paste! Makes: 10 biscuits Ingredients: For the biscuits <ul> <li>60g plain flour</li> <li>½ tsp. baking soda</li> <li>Pinch sea salt</li> <li>100g rolled oats</li> <li>1 tbsp. butter, softened</li> <li>60ml boiling water</li> <li>40g sultanas</li> </ul> To assemble <ul> <li>3 tbsp. almond butter</li> <li>3 tbsp. marmalade</li> </ul> Method: <ol start="1"> <li>Preheat oven to 180°C fan bake. Line a baking tray with baking paper.</li> <li>Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and oats. Using your fingers, mix the butter into the dry mix as well as you can and then stir in just enough boiling water in order to form a dough which holds together but isn't too sticky. Finally, mix through the sultanas.</li> <li>Using your hands, form walnut-sized balls of the dough and place them onto the tray. Flatten each biscuit down with the palm of your hand.</li> <li>Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until golden and crisp.</li> <li>To assemble, spread about a teaspoon of almond butter onto each biscuit followed by dollop of marmalade. Serve immediately!</li> <li>Store any remainders in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.</li> </ol> Written by Jordan Rondel. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Image credit: Emma Boyd/Stuff.

Food & Wine

Peanut butter cookies

These peanut butter cookies get the mix of savoury and sweet just right. The mixture is also the perfect consistency of a soft yet chewy cookie, but can be baked for a couple of minutes extra to crisp them up. What are you waiting for? Get baking. Ingredients: <ul> <li>235g unsalted butter, softened</li> <li>¾ cup light brown sugar</li> <li>1 cup sugar</li> <li>2 large eggs</li> <li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract (the real kind is preferable to imitation)</li> <li>1 cup crunchy peanut butter</li> <li>3 cups + 2 tablespoons plain flour</li> <li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li> <li>1 teaspoon baking soda</li> <li>¾ teaspoon salt</li> </ul>

Food & Wine

Butter or margarine: which is worse for you?

What would life be like without butter or margarine? Would we all be doomed to eat straight vegemite toast forever? Imagine how different cakes would taste! Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that, but if we can’t live without it, we can at least try to make the healthiest choice, right? The only question is, what’s better for us? Well, according to Lauren McGuckin of the Dietitians Association of Australia, it’s not about which but rather how much. “I guess I view butter and margarine as a level playing field because they are both a fat, full stop,” she told <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/04/29/butter-or-margarine_n_9791932.html" target="_blank">HuffPost Australia</a>. “They’re all very energy dense.” Despite being higher in unhealthy saturated fat, McGuckin concedes that butter is much more natural, less processed and has way fewer ingredients than margarine. But it’s still something we should only eat in moderation. “Within the context of someone’s day, if they have quite a high overall saturated fat intake and use a scrape of butter with their toast, the butter is probably the last thing I would pick on – instead it would be the McDonald’s burgers they’re having or the three litres of full cream milk they’re consuming in their iced coffees each week.” As for margarine, given it is plant-based, it is much higher in mono- and polyunsaturated fats than butter, which are essential for maintaining healthy cholesterol levels. A big concern for many is the trans fat content (which can clog arteries) of margarine, but as McGuckin explains, modern plant-based spreads are much better than they used to be. “They do worry about the trans fat content being very high in margarine but, typically, most of them these days are made solid by a process called interesterification, which does reduce this trans fat component significantly.” "All nutritional panels for any food that may contain trans fat they should be listed. Most product companies these days are pretty savvy and doing their best to keep that out by changing the processing nature.” So which is better? At the end of the day, they’re both fats – and bad fats at that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a little bit here and there. “It comes down to how much the individual is using. If someone is having a tiny little spread of butter or margarine on toast with Vegemite, I have no problem with that.” If you’d like to reduce your saturated and trans fat intake however, opt for sources of healthy fats instead, like avocados (which McGuckin describes as “nature’s margarine”), nuts, fish, seeds and unprocessed nut butters. Tell us in the comments below, do you use butter or margarine?

Body

Double-layer peanut butter and jam cake

Here's a peanut butter and jam sandwich – in cake form. You can use smooth or crunchy peanut butter but for best results use a good-quality, natural one. Serves: 12 Ingredients: <ul> <li>50g good quality, natural, salted peanut butter </li> <li>100g butter, softened</li> <li>150g light muscovado sugar or coconut sugar (or regular soft brown sugar)</li> <li>1 tsp vanilla extract</li> <li>3 organic eggs</li> <li>100g ground almonds</li> <li>100g flour</li> <li>2 tsp baking powder</li> <li>½ cup whole milk</li> <li>1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries </li> </ul> For the icing: <ul> <li>½ cup cream cheese</li> <li>½ cup good-quality, natural, salted peanut butter</li> <li>½ tsp vanilla extract</li> <li>½ cup icing sugar </li> </ul> For the filling: <ul> <li>Good-quality, low-sugar raspberry jam (store bought)</li> </ul> For the decoration: <ul> <li>Whole freeze-dried raspberries</li> </ul> Method: 1. Preheat oven to 175C fan bake. Grease and line 2 x 22cm cake tins. 2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat peanut butter and butter until pale, light and fluffy. Keep beating while you add sugar. Add vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time until well combined. Fold through ground almonds. 3. Sift in flour and add baking powder and mix until just combined, and then add the milk. Do not over mix. 4. Evenly divide the batter between the two tins and dot with raspberries. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack. 5. Meanwhile, make peanut butter icing. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in remaining ingredients until smooth. 6. Once cakes are cool, spread a layer of raspberry jam onto one cake and place the other, flipped upside down, on top to form a sandwich. Ice cake and decorate with freeze-dried raspberries. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Written by Jordan Rondel. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz.</a> Image credit: Emma Boyd via Stuff.co.nz. Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 175 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk%20%20%20" target="_blank">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now.</a>

Food & Wine

Bread and butter pickles

These simple pickles are great for sandwiches, burgers and platters. Ingredients: <ul> <li>3 cups thinly sliced courgettes, gherkins or small cucumbers</li> <li>1 tablespoon salt</li> <li>Good handful of ice cubes</li> <li>1 cup each: cider vinegar, sugar</li> <li>1 teaspoon each: yellow mustard seeds, pickling spices, ground turmeric, celery seeds</li> <li>1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes</li> <li>1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced</li> <li>1 each red, yellow and orange capsicum, thinly sliced</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Place courgettes in a large sieve or colander over a plate and toss through salt and ice cubes. Leave for an hour then wash off salt with cold water and drain well. Into a large saucepan or preserving pan place vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, pickling spices, turmeric, celery seeds and chilli flakes.</li> <li>Bring to the boil then immediately add all the sliced vegetables.</li> <li>Cover, return to the boil then lower to a simmer and cook for four minutes, stirring once or twice. Take off heat, transfer to hot sterilised jars and seal.</li> <li>Leave for a week before consuming.</li> <li>Pickles will keep at least six months in a cool, dark cupboard.</li> <li>Store in fridge once opened. </li> </ol> Written by Bernadette Hogg. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Image credit: Stuff.co.nz / Manja Wachsmuth. Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 178 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now</a>.

Food & Wine

5 surprising uses for butter

We all know that butter has so many incredible uses in the kitchen but here are some uses of butter that you may not already know about. 1. Swallow pills Swallowing big pills can sometimes be a tricky feat. In order to make it easier for your pill to go down, coat the pill in a thin layer of butter. This will especially help the pills that don’t already have a coating. 2. Prevent cheese mould Very rarely will anyone go through an entire cheese in one sitting. To prevent your cheese from going hard or start moulding, put a thin coat of butter on the cheese after you cut it. This trick will have the best results on hard cheeses. 3. Preserve onions If you cut an onion in half and want to keep one half, coat butter on the exposed side of the onion. Once you do this, store the onion in the fridge and your onion will be kept fresh for longer. 4. De-stress cats This trick will come in handy when you are entertaining. If your cat is becoming stressed because people are over, take its mind off people by putting some butter on its paws. This will leave your cat distracted as it spends time cleaning itself. Cats can eat butter but don’t feed it to them too often! 5. Stop liquid from boiling over Stop your pot of liquid from boiling over by adding a bit of butter. Before you add any, make sure it will go with whatever you are cooking up. What are the tricks that you use butter for? Let us know in the comments below.

Home & Garden

How I lowered my blood pressure without giving up butter

Sue Van Gaal is 77 years old and lives in Koo Wee Rup, Victoria. As well as her golfing interest, Sue passionately supports her children, Louise and Phillip, in breeding magnificent Warmblood horses for Dressage and Showjumping. With a family background in nursing and medicine I understand all about healthy living. I have been an avid golfer for the past 18 years, an activity that has helped me cope with stressful jobs and family matters, and I have supported my body with natural supplements. However, I have one weakness… I’m a self-confessed butter-holic! I use animal (saturated) fats in most of my cooking, mainly because I don’t digest oil well, but also because I prefer the taste. Unfortunately, however, my preference likely contributed to my cholesterol and blood pressure levels creeping into the above normal range. At its highest, my total cholesterol reached 6.8mmol/L and by blood pressure reached 158/85mmHg, placing me at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease. I wasn’t keen on changing my dietary habits to improve these levels I have, however, always believed in taking natural supplements to support a healthy body, so my interest was piqued when, two-and-a-half years ago, my daughter suggested I participate in a clinical research trial for Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (KAGE) to improve cardiovascular health – something she heard about after a visit to our naturopath. The study was being run by Associate Professor Karin Ried at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Hawthorn, Victoria. My high cholesterol and blood pressure levels made me a perfect candidate to participate. The clinical trial lasted 12 weeks after which time I found out I was actually in the placebo treatment group. Despite this, my total cholesterol level dropped to 5.8mmol/L and my blood pressure to 138/80mmHg – a pretty impressive placebo effect! The result inspired me to try taking the KAGE daily at the recommended dose, and to my delight, 6 months after using KAGE, my cholesterol levels improved further, dropping to 5.2mmol/L along with my blood pressure, dropping to 130/75mmHg. That was without making any dietary changes. Since seeing these amazing results, taking KAGE has become part of my daily natural supplement intake. I was really pleased to find a natural medicine option, I am delighted I can still eat all my buttery treats too! The advice I would give others is to find out whether there are natural medicine options that can benefit your health as it has mine. This advice is not meant as a substitute for professional medical advice. Before you change your diet, speak to your doctor.

Body

How this man turned a family recipe into a fortune

To say Bruce Picot’s fortunes have turned around in recently years would be the understatement of the century. And it all started with a jar of peanut butter. Picot, who at that stage owned a laundromat in New Zealand, had purchased a jar of generic peanut butter from the supermarket, only to be shocked by the sugar content. Picot told News.com.au, “In New Zealand, we never used to have sugar in our peanut butter. But I had seen American peanut butter which loved putting sugar into their spreads, and I knew that would eventually come here. “About 12 years ago, I purchased a 1kg tub of regular peanut butter, and all I could taste was the sugar. It was really disappointing and disgusting.” Picot was so incensed he called customer support to complain, who informed him that the sugar content was to cater for modern tastes. But instead of accepting this, he opened the family vault and try his family’s recipe for peanut butter. Picot says, “My mum and aunt used to make peanut butter at home, by using an old Vitamix blender. They would roast some peanuts and squash them up at home in the kitchen. Then they’d add a little salt, and that was it. Peanuts and salt.” Picot made a couple of jars for his family. His son, who was 12 at the time, loved it so much that he shared it with his friends. And it was not too long until word spread. Picot says, “They gave me $5 for a jar of the peanut butter because they thought it was the best. That’s when I thought that maybe people would actually buy it if I made enough of it.” Here’s where Picot’s story takes a twist. As his laundromat business struggled, Picot was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration. No longer able to read or write, he eventually had to give up his business completely which was keeping him afloat. So, Picot decided to go for broke and take his peanut butter to a local market. It was not too long until word spread and soon Picot was selling jars faster than he could make them. “People from all over New Zealand started to come and see me in Nelson, and locals would come back every week to buy another jar,” he said. “It was really starting to work, and some people started to ask about ordering online, so that’s when I decided to start a mail order business.” Demand kept rising, forcing Picot to invest in a proper manufacturing facility. Today Pic’s Peanut Butter is found in supermarkets around the world with 15,000 jars of peanut butter made every day (working out to be 2.5 million jars a year). And Picot couldn’t be happier, “It’s wonderful to be able to say to people they can get the peanut butter in big supermarkets because everybody knows where they are.” What a lovely story! Do you have any family recipes? Who knows, you could be sitting on a goldmine. Image credit: Facebook / Pic’s Peanut Butter

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