Anyone who knows us knows that we have no opinion whatsoever on this subject. (NOT!)

Short and sweet answer: Low-fat margarines are not formulated for baking. Some amount of water replaces some amount of fat, and is guaranteed to throw your recipe off. For a similar reason, you would not used whipped butter in a recipe.

Butter and real margarine have essentially the same cooking and baking properties and can be substituted willy-nilly. We know people – trained chefs and others whose taste buds we respect – who prefer margarine to butter. We do not fall into that camp.

We have a question in with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about whether we can ask job applicants whether they prefer butter or margarine – and if we can use that as a basis for making hiring decisions. We do not think they are taking our query seriously….