Butter Consumption Hits 40-Year High
And people complain that news reports never have anything positive to say. Long time Joe Pastry readers know that I’ve been on the saturated fat bandwagon for years. My feeling is that consumers aren’t “looking the other way” as the article claims, but rather emerging from a long, long dietary expert-induced stupor. What rational person, left to their own devices, could ever conclude that something as delicious and wholesome as butter could ever be unhealthy? Now all we have to is rehabilitate lard and we’ll be living in paradise.
And if you use butter from grass-fed cows, with it’s allegedly higher levels of the elusive vitamin K2, you can scarf down the butter while pretending it’s a health food.
That’s what I do.
Whatever works OOTT. Nicely imagined!
– Joe
Butter is nature’s perfect food. My child actually has a “butter problem”. I’ve caught her eating plain out of the cupboard (cold cupboard, no rancidity!). Needless to say we discourage treating butter like cheese, but I can see where’s she’s coming from.
My youngest (6-year-old) is like that. She’ll eat pats of butter if they’re left laying around, especially if they’re cold. A true butter lover. Thanks, K!
– Joe
It’s not just butter. Last weekend I went to Sam’s Club and they had HUGE stocks of coconut oil and people were buying lots of it. I remember years ago when the Center for Science in the Public Interest (whom I hate), jumped all over movie theaters for popping their popcorn in coconut oil. Ever since then, movie popcorn hasn’t been the same. Now, coconut oil is good for you. My dear German grandmother swore by lard for almost all her cooking.
I love to hate those guys too. Mostly for these reasons: http://joepastry.com/2012/will-we-ever-go-back-to-fat/
However yes, now that saturated fats are good for you (or at least no worse than any other fat) coconut oil is big-time popular. People are putting it in everything!
Thanks for the comment!
– Joe
Hi Joe
Here in Nashville – the current foodie center of the South, so I’ve read in our local press – we have an artisanal, nose to tail butcher shop which recently opened a store near my end of town. I have been regularly buying fresh leaf lard and using it in everything! It is so much better than grocery store lard. I used it this morning in your English muffin recipe and they turned out perfectly.
Hey Linda!
Nice to hear from you! I may need to go down there for some leaf lard. My usual purveyor doesn’t have it consistently and I’m out!
And I’m going to try that: lard in English muffins instead of shortening. Great idea!
– Joe
I’ll be glad to send some your way until the weather clears up, but you should definitely visit and there are many interesting restaurants I’d love to show you.
That’d be fun! I’ve only ever been through Nashville. I need a culinary tour!
– Joe
I am with Linda on this one. I buy lard period for baking. It makes everything baked much flakier and lighter. Especially if you try it in puff pastry! Much better layers. The butter tends to weigh down some baked goods. A friend of mine wanted to challenge me with Cheese Straws, oops..she threw hers in the trash and left with mine to go buy lard! Just an FYI, I love to read your blog!!!!
That’s very true, Bea! Lard does create higher layers since it’s all fat with no water in it. I find I like the flavor of butter too much to completely replace it with lard, but I have no trouble mixing them!
Thanks Bea!
– Joe