Andy’s excellent “Cooking with Andy” series has inspired me to share a recession-busting secret recipe that has been solemnly handed down our family from father to son since I invented it by trial and error last night.
Vegetable oils and butter are natural and healthy, but margarine has been chemically processed creating unnatural trans-fats your body isn’t designed to cope with, and tastes disgusting. Its only advantages are that it spreads well and is far cheaper than butter. Semi-soft butter, despite being around 50% cheap vegetable oil, is even more expensive than regular butter – an absolute rip-off in my mind. It should be cheaper than standard butter.
So:
Take one 500g block of butter. Melt in the microwave until creamy. Mix in 2 cups of vegetable oil (plain canola oil is fine) until well blended. Pour into containers (fills 2 margarine containers) and place in the fridge to set overnight.
Voila, you have just made your butter go twice as far AND made it spreadable!
Enjoy on your morning toast.
Samuel Dennis 
April 29, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Thanks for passing on this recipe – venerated element of centuries of family tradition as it is.
And for the commendations!
April 30, 2009 at 8:52 pm
We just leave our butter out on the bench in a container. It’s nice and soft and oil free. Spread on hot toast and watch it melt in easily. Then dip the hot buttery toast in coffee to have the butter blend in with your morning drink.
May 4, 2009 at 10:32 am
Zen, that is the tastiest way to have butter (I hadn’t tried dipping in coffee though!). But it doesn’t make the butter go twice as far as my method does!
November 1, 2011 at 6:14 pm
ok – i just gave this a go – cant wait till morning:)
November 1, 2011 at 6:15 pm
ok just gave this a go – cant wait till am:)
November 1, 2011 at 6:21 pm
heh – Lissa’s comment drew my attention to this old post. am flattered by the compliment – and tempted by the recipe thanks Samuel.