Very Silly question...It's About Butter. :)

I use regular salted butter. I haven't noticed a difference between brands and typically end up using the generic, most of the time Walmart because it's the cheapest. However, there is a big difference in flavor between salted butter and unsalted butter.

Imperial is margarine.

Real butter says real butter.

Always use the real butter. It has fat, but good fats..

I use the store brand salted sweet cream butter...when I'm feeling 'rich' (lol) or it's on sale, I buy Land O Lakes :)

Yes - real butter. We made the switch a couple of years ago. You can safely keep it at room temp also. We eat toast and bagels almost everyday with breakfast. I keep a small glass bowl container in my bread cupboard with about 1/2 stick for the week's use. The rest, I keep in the fridge. This is the way my mom, Granny and Great Granny have all done it. Just make sure it has a lid on it, and only keep out what you think you will use in a week's time. This way you don't have to mess around with buying separate "spreadable" kinds. Enjoy!

Butter is actually the best thing. All that other junk is just junk.

Real butter. It's the best for flavor, and usually texture. However, if you're making something flaky, like pie crust, usually half and half of butter and vegetable shortening (or an oil that's solid at room temperature, like coconut or palm oil) makes the best flaky texture and flavor combination.

I just buy real butter.

Real organic Butter is the best tasting and the healthiest for us. Margarine, Like Imperial and other brands are made with Non Natural Ingredients and they lack one ingredient of being plastic yes plastic. You can set out side whatever brand you are using and the flies won't even land on it! That is just not right. Butter has a rich taste and a lot more flavor then all of the non butter sprays and spreads so you can use less, save calories and still have the taste. Wy not just use Butter? You are right Imperial just isn't good for us. PS the only silly question is the one you don't ask. Hope this helps.

Just use real butter. It's a real food, it contains vitamins and other nutrients and is not manufactured from vegetable oil that's been highly processed. I use Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter with Canola Oil for things like toast and bagels because it's easy to spread straight from the fridge. For cooking and baking, I use unsalted sticks of butter, whatever is cheapest - usually the store brand but sometimes I'll get LOL or Cabot if it's on sale and I have a coupon.

You will notice a difference in your baking, particularly with cookies. They will have a different texture, and it's actually the texture they're supposed to have if the recipe calls for butter. If you make butter-based frosting, it will taste even better now! For cakes and muffins and other things, you probably won't notice a difference. I made a recipe recently that specifically called for margarine so I used it an it tasted so gross (like chemicals) that I will never make it again. Real butter has a different flavor than "buttery flavored spread" but once you get used to it, you'll never go back.

Imperial is margarine not butter. I use butter. If you want something buttery butter is the way to go not margarine. Lately I've been using the spreadable butter with either canola or olive oil in it to make it spreadable. I believe that the manmade stuff is more dangerous than the natural. Butter is simple and basic and I believe our bodies metabolize it fine, but with all things MODERATION is key.

Why not just use butter? Real butter?

I just use Great Value Butter from walmart, it's awesome :)

Use real butter. The only ingredients are cream and (sometimes) salt. MUCH better for you than something with 20 ingredients that you can't even pronounce!

I agree, just use butter. I can't stand margarine, and won't buy it ever. Butter is real food, and you will notice a difference in your cooking and baking. I would get rid of your spray "butter" as well, since that is margarine also.

I love using real butter.
I'm addicted to it on popcorn but I try not to indulge myself too often.

I LOVE Land O Lakes butter....salted or unsalted!! prefer that over margarine ANY DAY!!!

Land O Lakes has a spreadable butter as well.

I just use real butter. I am wary of anything "fake".

Use unsalted butter - the real stuff. You need unsalted if you will be using it in baking. In baking you have to be exact, if you use salted butter that can effect the outcome of the recipe. Plus, who needs the extra salt?

On a side note: Even in nature, they only like the real stuff. If you put out margarine and butter on the sidewalk. The ants won't touch the margarine, but they will be all over the butter.

Yes I vote for real butter!! I do use margarine ocassionally for grilled cheese sandwiches and greasing pans b/c it is so easy to spread, but for all other cooking and baking I use the real stuff. I'd rather have a little bit of the good tasting stuff than more of the yucky stuff. Organic butter does taste better for sure, but it is so expensive! I was buying it at Costco and it was cheaper but I tried to reevaluate my budget, and sadly I let it go, for now anyway! I still buy non organic butter at Costco and it's a lot less expensive!

I've been making 'Better Butter' for years....everyone loves it, people ask for the recipe, I serve it to company and use it for baking.....

Blend equal parts softened real butter with your favorite healthy oil, personal choice. I typically use Grapeseed Oil, or Olive Oil, or expeller pressed Canola Oil. I often mix 2 or 3 and I will add a big dollop of Coconut Oil in some batches when I'm using mainly for toast and baking. The coconut oil is not great in eggs or some savory dishes.

Better Butter Recipe:

1 C Butter, any kind, salted or unsalted
1 C Oil, any kind EVOO, Grapeseed, Canola,
2 Tblsp Powdered Milk
2 Tblsp Soy Lecithin
1/2 tsp Salt dissolved in 2 Tblsp hot water ( do in microwave)

Blend all together until smooth and pour into any butter container you have. I used a Braun handmixer, the hand held variety with the detachable blade that can be used to puree soups, or make my better butter.

I double this recipe all the time and put one in the freezer or back of the frig.

This is not a silly question at all due to the shear amount of margarine products consumed in this country and it is a known scientific health fact that margarine is not healthy as it is made with partially hydrogenated oils. I haven't bought margarine in years so I can't speak to Imperial. And our family cholesterol levels are below normal, and HDL/LDL are perfect.

I use Smart Balance original with Flax, it's the healthy alternative for margarine. The lite versions need a higher temp for melting, so I prefer the original even though it is a little higher in calorie, it's a great margarine, and it does bake well too, I will use it if I don't have regular unsalted butter (which is what I usually use for baking), usually Cabot, or Publix Green Wise (organic store brand), which ever is on sale or cheaper.

UPDATE: Ok, so after I wrote this, I looked up smart balance vs. butter, and it seems that butter is better, because even though smart balance is made of good oils, it is still processed (geez), Looks like I will be switching to butter! (grass fed butter). Check it, this helps in deciding what kind of butter too. I'm glad you asked this question!
http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/03/smart-balance-vers...

use real butter. Read the ingredients....salt, cream. That's it. Don't go for all the other "partially hydroginated stuff, that is what clogs our arteries and then we have problems in our elder years.
I use Olive Oil for cooking and frying as well.

I use Moove over butter.
It's VERY good really creamy, kinda sweet.
I find it at walmart

In my opinion, if you are going to use anything, I think you should use actual, real old fashioned butter. I don't like margarine. I don't like all the chemicals in it. Butter is natural, margarine is not. However, if you are concerned about saturated fat or cholesterol, margarine does not contain either of those. I guess it's just a trade off, which do you prefer? Natural, with no chemicals but bad for you, or unnatural, filled with chemicals, but no saturated fats or bad for your cholesterol?

Butter. You'll wonder why you haven't been using it all along.

I agree...real butter is best. Just use less of it. For baking, you can almost always substitute some or all the butter for plain unsweetened applesauce to cut the fat & calories. I use 1/2 butter, 1/2 applesauce .
I know people leave their butter out without getting sick, but that still grosses me out. I will leave it out several hours before dinner, but then it goes back in the fridge.

I cook with olive oil, we eat real butter. I avoid those products that don't necessarily occur readily naturally. I think your body is able to break down butter and olive oil (and use the calories) better than processed oils. Plus, the brain needs a little dairy fat for brain cells (especially small children).

I would just use real butter.
I have a friend who has cardiac and cholesterol issues and her cardiologist told her that butter was better for her than any of the other substitutes.
To me, there is nothing like the tase of real butter.

Imperial is margarine. Animals won't touch it and it doesn't even rot or go bad if you let it sit out for a year.

Buy butter.

I use real butter for everything. Usually Land o Lakes or the Kirlands from Costco. We use a lot of butter and it has to be the real thing for our family.

I do the same as Amanda, my Mom, my Grandma and probably most who came before her. If you keep a small amount in a dish in the bread cupboard you know how much your family is eating. We only eat stuff I can recognize the ingredients of. All those who came before me must have some wisdom and what they put in food these days is dangerous. I say a little good old fashioned fat in moderation is best!

It sounds like you are only using it on occassion so does it make sense to bother switching for those few times?

We use real butter. Can't stand any of the margarines/aternitives. We don't use a lot of it anyway.

Try Coconut Oil. It's firm at room temp so it is easy to spread on toast and put on foods. It can also be substituted for butter in baking recipes. It is so good for you and much better than butter. Google Benefits of Coconut Oil and see all the benefits it brings. I've been using it for quite some time and love the taste and benefits. I just saw that Dr. Oz even had a segment on his show where he discussed the amazing benefits of cocunut oil. You can watch the video on his website.
Coconut oil can also be used as a skin moisturizer and oil treatment for hair. When you are reading the articles, you will see other great benefits.
Let me know if you try it and what yout think. I buy it from amazon.com and have it on auto order to be delivered every 2 months. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic-Virgin-Coconut-15-Ou...

Enjoy!

real butter, and real olive oil, in reasonable quantities!
tastes great and good for you.
i do use pam to keep food from sticking, but don't spray chemicals onto your food!
:) khairete
S.

REAL BUTTER! Or better yet make your own. Take cream put it in a jar and start shaking! Or do what my family does (we are colonial re enactors so we have a lot of odd stuff around the house) use a real butter churn.
It tastes a thousand times better than anything you can buy.
p.s if you have younger children this is typically there responsibility back in the day. A lot of kids find it fun to shake the little baby food jars with cream in it. Science/crafty project lesson in one!

Real butter or oil are your alternative to margerine. You can bake with butter, and cook with it too, you can also cook with canola oil or olive oil. One of the best oils for you is all natural coconut oil that is organic. It can be rather expensive though...but it is really really good for you!

I we use " Smart Balance" its much healthier than real butter. There is also a similar brand that helps remove the bad chosterol. I think the taste is very similar to butter. We use it for everything. Baking, cooking, putting it on toast.

EARTH BALANCE...it's the only "subsitute" out there that has NO PRESERVATIVES, and it does not alter the taste or texture of baking...I have been using it for years.

I agree with Nikki M., we LOVE Earth Balance!

either real butter, or Smart Balance. Smart Balance its a butter spread without hydrogenated oils. Which is what causes high cholesterol, clogged arteries and the like.

I use real unsalted butter for any type of baking and smart balance to replace butter for sauteeing and such...and non-stick spray when I deem it appropriate.

Brummell and Brown!! It comes in a tub in the refrigerated section. I have 3 or 4 in my frig now. If they ever stop making it, I don't know what I'd do!!
The flavor is awesome, it cooks great, spreads great, etc., etc.
W. :)

Just use real butter. Wipe it on if needed.

I use smart balance. No hydrogenated oils. Use it for everything. :)

I use unsalted butter for all baking except biscuits and then I use vegetable shortening. For all frying, etc. I use canola or olive oil.

I use real butter for baking.
For toast we use Smart Balance Heart Healthy Light because of my husband's cholesterol level, but honestly, the taste isn't as good. I buy my kids veg oil spread because my daughter is lactose intolerant. I'm still looking into better options. My MIL doesn't like substitutes so when she visits I buy Land O Lakes spreadable butter with olive oil for her toast. If I forget to buy it, she'll use real butter. (Just hard to spread unless you leave it out.)

I use real butter for everything. It tastes better than margarine, and it's actually better for you than margarine. You will NEVER find margarine in my house.

My husband grew up on maragarine and had never tasted real butter before we met. The first time he bit into a biscuit spread with real butter at my house, he couldn't believe the difference in taste. He has never touched margarine since then.

we use the brown crock butter

i use real unsalted butter, let it get soft and blend it with equal parts extra virgin olive oil, store it in the fridge.

I always use unsalted real cream butter. (I get the store brand.)

We use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

I'm a little confused. Imperial is margerine, not butter. I use real butter for baking and cooking as I think a natural product is better for you. I recommend the Central Market European style as the best flavor for the money that I have found. You could use Land O' Lakes for the things where flavor isn't as critical. My husband likes Healthy Choice margerine in a tub for table use (he uses more than I do), but I still think the natural stuff, used sparingly, is the best. I would rather have a little real butter than a lot of margerine.

i buy the store brand salted butter. Put it on our baked potatoes, recipes, grilled cheese, etc. Costco sells organic butter which is good too. I don't use the Imperial stuff ever, as I feel butter is better than the oil for ya.

I didn't read the other posts. You have been using margarine... not butter. Real butter will say "Butter" on the label. If you are going to try to use some of the alternatives out there, be sure to read the labels. You want to avoid anything that says "Partially hydrogenated... oil" as that is an indicator that the product contains trans-fats. Your body cannot break down trans-fats so that is why so many studies have shown and expert cardiologists agree that even saturated fat is better for you than trans-fats.