Build a better mousetrap? No one has succeeded yet, but the human species keeps getting closer.
Which brings us to Betterine. It is not a mousetrap but a butter substitute. You’re probably saying, “But butter substitutes already exist. They are called margarine.” You’d be right, except that margarine is made by hydrogenating vegetable oil, which produces trans fats. Betterine contains no trans fats. It contains no dairy products either, meaning it’s vegan-friendly and kosher, should either or both of those considerations hold any weight for you.
It’s slightly lower in calories and fat than butter, which are definitely pluses. 1 tablespoon of Betterine provides 82 calories as opposed to butter’s 100, and 9 grams of fat as opposed to butter’s 11 grams.
We tested Betterine baking and cooking sticks in a side-to-side comparison with butter. We made four recipes: shortbread, a basic pie crust (pate brisee), a standard white sauce (bechamel), and sautéed boneless chicken breasts, where the product was used in conjunction with equal amounts of olive oil.
Betterine came though with flying colors in both baking tasks. The shortbread wasn’t quite as tender as it was with butter, but our panel of ten tasters found the two versions quite comparable. The pasty crust using Betterine was perfectly flaky.
When it came to cooking, Betterine made a perfectly respectable white sauce, but it came up short on the chicken sauté. The cutlets produced less browning than the butter did.
Betterine may be purchased at a number of locations throughout the New York metopolitan area. There are approximately a half dozen stores in the borough of Brooklyn, and one in Queens. Visit Betterine’s web page and click on “Location” for a full listing.
