Food Inc. induced questions

[joannqn]

Ok, now that ya'll made me watch Food Inc. on Netflix last night... :blink: :eek: :ack2:

 

What can I use as a substitute for butter, especially in baking, if I no longer want to use the chemical soup called "dairy free margarine"?

 

And what do you use instead of shortening in pie crusts? Is lard any better?

 

And how do I go about affording my new humane, free range, grass-fed, local, non-GMO, no growth hormone, organic diet? How do I find sources of eggs, meat, produce, etc, other than the local very high priced health food store? How do I find half a pig or half a cow that's been raised well to buy?

[LauraGB]

Well, for butter in baking, prune puree, apple sauce, coconut oil are all good options. They will give a different texture, though. I usually will either use equal parts coconut oil and applesauce in place of whatever fat a recipe calls for, or I just use butter (but I think you all have dairy allergies, right?).

 

LocalHarvest is a service where you can search your area for different kinds of local organic foods. You can check there. Sometimes the healthfood stores have free "healthy" magazines in which the local growers advertise.

 

No kidding - there should definitely be a warning on the movie: if you aren't prepared to double your grocery bill, do not watch!

[Moxie]

Ok, now that ya'll made me watch Food Inc. on Netflix last night... :blink: :eek: :ack2:

 

What can I use as a substitute for butter, especially in baking, if I no longer want to use the chemical soup called "dairy free margarine"?

 

And what do you use instead of shortening in pie crusts? Is lard any better?

 

And how do I go about affording my new humane, free range, grass-fed, local, non-GMO, no growth hormone, organic diet? How do I find sources of eggs, meat, produce, etc, other than the local very high priced health food store? How do I find half a pig or half a cow that's been raised well to buy?

 

Why can't you just use butter? I switched to butter about 5 years ago and it is the only thing I have in the house. I don't notice any difference in my baked goods. I switched when I realized that margarine doesn't have to be refrigerated; how creepy is that???

[SonshineLearner]

There's something from Spectrum that is like shortening... pretty much.... Coconut works if you want the flavor. Different "kinds" of coconut give varying levels of coconut taste. I actually like the really strong one for popcorn. Lighter ones for baking. You can order by the gallon. (Do you have nut allergies? ) The first one I ordered had that it was made in a factory with nuts...

 

:)

[The Governess]

Also Eat Wild.

 

Coconut oil is a good option. There is also Earth Balance which makes a good dairy-free spread from expeller-pressed oils.

[Mermaid Mama]

 

What can I use as a substitute for butter, especially in baking, if I no longer want to use the chemical soup called "dairy free margarine"?

 

And what do you use instead of shortening in pie crusts? Is lard any better?

 

 

 

Why not just use butter?

It's really not that bad for you - some would argue even that it's healthy - and I assume if you're baking....it's probably something sweet....so why not just go on ahead and make it with real butter and real sugar. Also - buy sweet cream butter (no salt added) it's the best of the butter - the left over stuff they salt.

[TracyP]

And how do I go about affording my new humane, free range, grass-fed, local, non-GMO, no growth hormone, organic diet? How do I find sources of eggs, meat, produce, etc, other than the local very high priced health food store? How do I find half a pig or half a cow that's been raised well to buy?

 

Try to find local farmers. Maybe google "community supported agriculture" your state. My dad and brother are beef farmers and they are struggling with how to find customers. My mom actually went up and knocked on the door of a dairy farm. They didn't sell milk but knew someone who did. These local farmers are out there and they are not too expensive.

 

Oh, another thought. Ask at your local health food store. They seem to have connections.;)

[joannqn]

Why can't you just use butter?

 

Because if I get any dairy in my diet, even trace amounts you get from cross contamination, my nursing infant starts puking at her next nursing and continues for a couple hours to a full day depending on how much dairy protein there was in that trace amount. Oh, and the crying. Not good.

 

I'm sure hoping she outgrows it because we really miss our favorite food group.

 

I remember trying coconut oil for a couple things when my oldest was allergic to dairy. I don't think I tried baking with it. I'll have to pick it up again.

 

Is Earth Balance better than margarine? It sure doesn't taste like it. It gives everything an off taste. :ack2: We threw away a whole cake made with it.

 

Thanks for the websites!

[joannqn]

Another thought. Can I made butter from goat's milk? It would be awfully expensive (Safeway had goat's milk for $4 a quart) but may be worth it for a few uses.

 

I tried a teaspoon of goat's milk and Madelynn didn't puke so there's hope that she can tolerate it. I just need to increase the amount in the trials to slowly to find out.

[The Governess]

Is Earth Balance better than margarine? It sure doesn't taste like it. It gives everything an off taste. :ack2: We threw away a whole cake made with it.

 

:lol: Oh no! I can't remember if I ever tried to bake anything with it, I mainly just used it as a spread. It's at least healthier for you than regular margarine. I saw on their website that they also make a vegan shortening substitute - I haven't tried it but it sounds interesting.

[amy g.]

Goat milk is very hard to make butter out of. The cream is naturally homogenized.

[joannqn]

Goat milk is very hard to make butter out of. The cream is naturally homogenized.

 

Well that stinks.

[Moxie]

Because if I get any dairy in my diet, even trace amounts you get from cross contamination, my nursing infant starts puking at her next nursing and continues for a couple hours to a full day depending on how much dairy protein there was in that trace amount. Oh, and the crying. Not good.

 

I'm sure hoping she outgrows it because we really miss our favorite food group.

 

I remember trying coconut oil for a couple things when my oldest was allergic to dairy. I don't think I tried baking with it. I'll have to pick it up again.

 

Is Earth Balance better than margarine? It sure doesn't taste like it. It gives everything an off taste. :ack2: We threw away a whole cake made with it.

 

Thanks for the websites!

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

Wow, that's serious! My nurser gets a tummy ache when I eat too much chocolate and I thought I had it rough!

[KS_]

There's something from Spectrum that is like shortening... pretty much.... Coconut works if you want the flavor. Different "kinds" of coconut give varying levels of coconut taste. I actually like the really strong one for popcorn. Lighter ones for baking. You can order by the gallon. (Do you have nut allergies? ) The first one I ordered had that it was made in a factory with nuts...

 

:)

 

I get my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions:

http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/

 

If you sign up for their email, they send out specials and have free shipping offers a couple times a year. I use the virgin coconut oil in baking and stuff that I don't mind the coconut flavor. The expeller pressed one doesn't have a coconut flavor at all, and I use that for cooking where I don't want any coconut taste.

[cillakat]

Because if I get any dairy in my diet, even trace amounts you get from cross contamination, my nursing infant starts puking at her next nursing and continues for a couple hours to a full day depending on how much dairy protein there was in that trace amount. Oh, and the crying. Not good.

 

consider investigating your vitamin d intake and hers. one of my kids had severe food allergies - including as a nursing infant.....asthma, the whole thing.

 

over time, with sufficient vitamin d to maintain blood levels in the 55-80 mg/mL range, all of our food issues are pretty much gone. I've even become a huge slacker with gluten and at my last blood draw, I had no inappropriate levels of antibodies to anything.

 

 

Is Earth Balance better than margarine? It sure doesn't taste like it. It gives everything an off taste. :ack2: We threw away a whole cake made with it.

 

Yes, it is better......but the regular Earth balance spread is not good for baking. The 'shortening' sticks are but those are made from a combo of palm and some other oils. You may or may not want to read up on palm oil issues - it's not a health issue for me but what happens in that environment. ugh. it's awful.

 

anyhoo, coconut oil tends to be great - sometimes you just need a little less.

 

K

[cillakat]

Goat milk is very hard to make butter out of. The cream is naturally homogenized.

 

 

but it's possible....it's sold at a local specialty store - two kinds of it.

 

K

[FaithManor]

Ds now 11, was a serious puker when I was nursing him. It turned out to be lactose intolerance.

 

Spectrum makes a palm oil shortening, organic, and works just like shortening. I used that when I didn't want a sweet flavor.

 

Coconut oil works like shortening, sort of....its a solid below 74 degrees and an oil above. If you work it with your hands until it is soft like shortening but not melting, then it will work well for pie crusts. It gives a nice flavor for fruit pies and pecan pie.

 

You would probably have a hard time making goat's milk butter out of a quart of goat's milk because it has much less cream. Maybe you could find a source online.

 

I took acidophilus when I was nursing, large amounts, and that seemed to reduce his tummy troubles. When I had to give up nursing due to health problems, we gave him acidophilus directly. We did this until he was four and his issues with dairy cleared up. I don't know if it works that way for everyone, but it did for him.

 

Faith

[Parrothead]

Why can't you just use butter? I switched to butter about 5 years ago and it is the only thing I have in the house. I don't notice any difference in my baked goods. I switched when I realized that margarine doesn't have to be refrigerated; how creepy is that???

I don't refrigerate my butter. Well, at least the stick in the butter dish isn't refrigerated.

[Tap]

For things like muffins that are generally moist...I use applesauce. For drier items, I use coconut oil, but I decrease my other liquids a bit because other wise it seems to make things flat. Since dd3 is the only one who can't have milk, I will sometimes make her a mini version of our desert with additions to make it dairy free, but make everyone else's with dairy. She doesn't really care about the difference and it is nice that everyone else can still enjoy a traditional version.

 

I use coconut oil in things like making a rue for gravy or thickening things too. It is pretty interchangeable with butter, it just doesn't taste quite the same.

 

She loves coconut milk ice cream and coconut milk kefir (I get both at Whole Foods) so if you haven't found those for yourself yet, you may want to check them out.

[ElizabethB]

You can make a good butter from sheep milk...there is a sheep milk dairy that about 45 minutes from you, I looked into going there last time I visited my folks, I'll try to find its website later, it's on my other computer.

 

This is what I'm currently using when coconut oil doesn't fit the bill:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shortening-100-Vegetable-Organic-oz/dp/B000A40OVQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1269026150&sr=8-2

 

You should be able to get it at whole foods or some Fred Meyers.