Some people prefer butter to margarine because they feel butter is more "natural". If you don't know much about how margarine is made, it's easy to wonder what goes into it.
But margarine isn't that mysterious – you could even make it yourself. We've put together a simple recipe that you can try at home.
Homemade margarine
- Melt 30g of palm fat in a bowl (e.g. Palmaline – you can buy it from organic food shops), using a microwave or a bain marie.
- Add 2 tablespoons (20g) of vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower oil) and put the bowl in ice water to cool it.
- Use a hand mixer at its lowest speed to blend the contents of the bowl – or you can whisk it by hand.
- Take the bowl from the ice water and add 2 teaspoons (10g) of milk and 2 teaspoons of egg yolk*. Mix until you have a smooth, soft spread.
- Add salt, lemon juice, pepper or herbs to suit your own taste.
* Instead of raw egg yolk you can use pasteurized egg yolk powder.
