Butter, Margarine or Else

There are some confusion about which is better: Butter or Margarine.

According to About.com health section, written by Shereen Jegtvig:

“Both margarine and butter have the same number of calories and fat grams. Butter is a good source of vitamin A and margarine is a good source of vitamin E. Margarine may add unhealthy trans-fats to the diet, while butter adds saturated fats, which have been associated with an increased heart disease risk. Some margarines have been created without trans-fats and may be healthier than regular margarine or butter.

The American Heart Association recommends using un-hydrogenated cooking oils like canola or olive oil. Olive oil has also been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association also recommends margarine over butter.

I suggest that it is OK to use margarine or butter sparingly, and just for flavor. Use un-hydrogenated oils like canala oil or olive oil for cooking.”

So actually it is better to just use canola oil or olive oil for cooking rather than both butter and margarine.

Don’t leave your food unattended

Last week, I did first experiment cooking shiitake mushroom. I didn’t know that shiitake mushroom took ages to get done. So as I waited, I became impatient and decided to go check my mail for a while. Well, a while meant i-forget-i-am-cooking. So when I remembered, my mushroom dish was all dried up and inedible. There goes my experiment!