Which is the healthiest ingredient to use in baking/cooking: butter, margarine, shortening, or coconut oil?

Question

How come?

Answer 1

Healthiest----Coconut oil.
Best Tasting-----BUTTER!!!
There's no substitute for butter!

Answer 2

I use margarine for baking. Too much fat in butter, and I just don't like the idea of baking with shortening or coconut oil.

For cooking, I use canola oil or extra virgin olive oil, depending on what I'm cooking.

Answer 3

butter, its natural and tastes best. Its also the most expensive :(
Margarine is artificial and sometimes doesn't work for recipes. Use only real butter for frosting(icing). There are some good cakes you can make with vegetable oil (like carrot, spice, and some choc, cakes). Don't use oil in a cake that calls for butter or shortening. Don't ever use olive oil in recipes--its flavor is too strong. Good luck!

Answer 4

Margarine that is made from corn or canloa oil is the best. Any other margarines are very comparable to butter and you could litterally use either and their wouldn't be too much of a difference health-wise. Hydrongenated shortening, like Crisco, and coconut oil are the worst of the lot. Although, coconut oil has gotten some good publicity lately...Wikipedia lists that it has been found to be good...although, I would have to check with places like USDA or other good resources. It use to have a terrible rap.

Answer 5

Use olive oil for frying instead of corn, canola and vegetable oil.
Better yet, just steam whatever your cooking with water and use seasonings to add flavor. Don't use a lot of water, not even 1/4 of an inch of water. If you use this with meats you can watch the pan closely and when the water is almost evaporated, brown it in the skillet for a minute.

Answer 6

I can tell you the unhealthiest: coconut oil- tropical oils are high in saturated fat :P

The question of which is better: butter or margarine is difficult to answer. I can argue either way.

Margarine can be better if you cannot have dairy products because it is made from vegetable oil. However it is high in trans fats. Butter is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Hmmm... it's a tradeoff.

My recommendation: Use these products in moderation. A little bit here in there shouldn't hurt you.

Just don't go eating that butter with a spoon :)

Answer 7

Here is what you need to do, if you are serious about losing weight and keeping it off. Eat 6 small meals a day about every 4 hours. Here what that will do for you, your metabolism will increase (i.e. Loose weight) and you will have more engry. If you go on a diet and eat less, your metabolism will slow down and store to fat. That is why diets dont work. Only the size of your fist, carbs (examples:baked potato, pasta, oatmeal, beans, corn, melon, apples, fat free yogurt, whole wheat breads)in one and protien (examples:chicken breast, swordfish, shrimp, turkey breast) in the other. You can also eat vegetables and salads with any meal, they dont have none or little fat). 30min cardo exercise every day. Any of these(examples: walking, jogging, swimming,running, biking, ect), Monday cardo, tues upper body (arms: curls, tricep extensions,pull ups, front press)(abdominals: leg pull crunch, leg raises), (chest: bench press, butterfly, pullover)(shoulders: front press, arm pullover, cross county skier machine)(back:seated row, lat pull downs, back extension)(YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IN ONE DAY, mix it up) wed cardo, thurs lower body (legs: leg pull,leg press, squats, lounges) fri cardo, sat upper. Sunday eat anything you want and dont exercising, you do this on sunday so your body doesnt go into starvation mode. YOU NEED TO TAKE SUNDAY OFF. If you stilck with this you will have a great body. also drink aleast 8oz of water daily! Stay away from Mcdonals, Wendys, ect because there is nothing good for you on the menu's even the salads are bad (beaon bits, cheeze, dressing, ect) Good Luck :)

Answer 8

avoid shortening and margarine, they contain transfats.
butter is best for flavor, and canola oil is healthiest.

Answer 9

all depends on what you are looking for

butter: lots of fat lots of flavor all natrual
margerine: less fat a little less flavor but is supposed to be bad for your colon
shortning: is nothing more than vegtible oil thats all solid n stuff
cocount oil: has th least flavor and the fat im not exactly sure on but it should be less chemicly also

Answer 10

Both are good for you, each fruit/vegetable has different vitamins. And so as more variety, as better. Vegetables have generally less sugar than fruits.