So now I’ve tried substituting margarine for butter in oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and shortbread cookies. Time for the ultimate test: butter vs. margarine straight up (i.e. spread on bread). There will be no other strong flavours and ingredients to compete with the flavour and texture – just each one on its own.
For this taste test I took each type of fat and spread them on a piece of bread. These are the fats that were tested:
Becel Original
Butter (salted)
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
My theory:
I think that it will be hard to mistaken the taste of real butter. I think that most people will prefer this one.
I think that I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter will have a “trying too hard to be butter” taste and that might turn a lot of people off. However, I think that personal preference will be a strong determining factor as to whether people prefer this one or not. I think that Becel will be ranked second next to butter.
Taste testers:
Please submit your comments on the following: What do you think of the flavour/texture of each sample? Which one do you like the most? Which one do you think is butter, Becel and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter? Please list each sample in the order of the one your liked the most to the least.
The reveal:
Thank you everyone for you comments. Here are the results:
Batch A: Butter (4 people’s favourite)
Batch B: Becel (3 people’s favourite)
Batch C: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter (1 person’s favourite)
It was hard to come to a consensus with this one because most of the taste testers agreed that they all tasted really similar. Most people were not able to correctly identify which one was butter. In fact, some people mistakened I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter for real butter! The spread that people preferred most was pretty much a tie between butter and Becel. I guess when it comes down to this taste test, it’s pretty difficult to tell the differences between butter versus margarine.
My thoughts:
They all tasted very similar and people wouldn’t really be able to tell the difference unless they were paying really, really close attention. If you want a healthier option, go for margarine.
B: Becel
C: Butter
A: I can’t believe it’s not butter
This is not in order because they all taste very similar to me! I think I can’t believe it’s not butter has a bit of a weird taste?? Looking forward to seeing the answers!
My guesses
A: Can’t believe it’s not butter (drier than the others, not quite as creamy)
B: Becel (had less of a “pure” taste)
C: Butter (melted in my mouth)
I enjoyed both B and C equally. A came last.
Butter: A (nothing beats bread and butter – distinct buttery scent and flavour, and more richer)
Becel: B (saltiest, but I like margarine too and use it as a spread, so this is my 2nd favourite)
ICBINB: C (liked the least, it’s texture also looks very artificial and unappealing)
Interesting how A and B look identical.
I like them all, can’t tell the difference. Maybe I was too hungry.
I like sweet butter rather than salty.
green is butter
Yellow Becel
Pink I can’t believe
Ranking: G>P>Y
I felt like the three samples were pretty similar in texture and colour.
My guesses:
A – butter
B – Margarine
C – Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter
B butter, prefer unsalted butter
A I can’t believe it’s butter
C Becel – found very salty
To be honest I can’t really tell the difference! They all taste good. I think A is butter, B is Becel and C is I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.
I like A the most
B and C taste saltier
B tasted creamier and the saltiest to me, so I think it is butter.
C texture was more greasy than creamy, taste was similiar to what I believed to be butter.
A texture was again greasy vs creamy. A tasted unsalted to me.
I enjoyed B, then C and then A.
Thanks for the taste test experience.
All of the fats looked the same to me.
I noticed that B and C were saltier than A.
B also seemed more oily.
C had a buttery essence and was also salty.
A didn’t taste as salty as the other two. The saltiness seemed to be muted by the texture which I found to be a bit more involved. I liked this one the most (I think this one is butter) followed by C and then B (too salty).
Here are my preferences in order
A – Becel
B – Butter (seemed saltier to me)
C – Can’t Believe… (tasted like Popcorn topping).