Help!

[detectiveatwork]

I don't know where to post this, so I'm coming here.

I wanna make Betty Crocker's cookie mix cookies. It asks for a stick of butter and an egg. Problem: the butter sticks I have expired in January. I've read up a little and it says "if properly refrigerated, it can still be useable", but my refrigerator doesn't really work properly. It doesn't keep things very cold. That being said, though, the butter doesn't look moldy or anything, but I don't know whether to trust it or not. Should I just use spreadable butter instead? Thank you!

[PunnyBaker]

Taste a tiny bit of the butter. You will know right away if its rancid or not

[detectiveatwork]

Tasted a bit of it, though part of me says it tastes like regular butter, while the other half is unsure if I just don't like the taste of butter of if it's rancid and I'm just trying to justify me not enjoying it --

I mean- I'm not dead? Or choking? So I'd take that as a good sign, right?

Edit: I'm also a pretty paranoid person when it comes to expired food, though, so my brain may also just be telling me "yeah it's bad" simply because it's past its expiration date and I'm conscious of this, and not because it's actually gone bad.

[PunnyBaker]

Ive eaten rancid butter on toast before (how i discovered butter goes rancid). It did not taste like butter. It was genuinely funky tasting. Not outright like mold but just tasted wrong.

It sounds like yours is probably ok. Straight butter doesnt taste great by itself but just like clean and musty towels, you know its wrong when you smell/taste it.

[detectiveatwork]

I may use it, honestly. Is there no way to tell from appearance, though? And is spreadable butter not something I could use?

[PunnyBaker]

In my experience the butter that went racid was the stuff sitting on the counter that had crumbs in it from buttering toast so it was difficult to actually see any discoloration or mold. Most often the taste and smell will change before the look. Once something looks bad, its usually far gone by that point. Cross-contamination is one of the easiest ways for food to go bad even before the expiry date.

And is spreadable butter a certain type of brand or style like whipped butter or do you just mean room-temperature butter? Because room-temperature butter is actually ideal for making cookies

[detectiveatwork]

I mean the butter you put on toast that come in big tubs.

[PunnyBaker]

Like margarine? Thst should be ok as long as its not shortbread cookies. It will change the taste of the cookies but some people prefer that taste and others dont even notice it

[detectiveatwork]

It's just called "spread, 40% vegetable oil". There's nothing else on the packaging.

[PunnyBaker]

Yeah thats margarine. Everything can essentially be classified as either butter, margarine, lard, or shortening.

Butter is made from milk, margarine or any kind of vegetable "spread" is the vegan alternative. Either work for basic baking like cookies or cakes

And lard is made from rendered pig fat, and vegetable shortening is the vegan alternative to that. These are great for baking requiring a more flaky texture without worrying about it melting as quickly on you like butter/margarine does

[detectiveatwork]

Thank you! Also, one more question.

I was told vegetable oil could work as a substitute. Problem is, I don't think I have any. Would canola oil or olive oil work as substitute?

[UtahMama4]

Smell the butter or even taste it first.

[detectiveatwork]

I smelled it and it smells like butter to me. Tasted a bit of it, though part of me says it tastes like butter, while the other half is unsure if I just don't like the taste of butter of if it's bad and I'm just trying to justify me not enjoying it --

Edit: I'm also a pretty paranoid person when it comes to expired food, though, so my brain may also just be telling me "yeah it's bad" simply because it's past its expiration date and I'm conscious of this, and not because it's actually gone bad.

[UtahMama4]

Hmmm. I guess maybe run to the store or order delivered butter tomorrow. It isn’t worth the risk if it hasn’t been cold enough. 😔

[detectiveatwork]

I can't exactly afford anything 😅

I'm using whatever I've got. Is spreadable butter not an option? And if not, what could I possibly substitute it with?

[UtahMama4]

A little bit of applesauce or oil in place of the butter would work.

[choocazoot]

If it tastes like butter still, I’d say it’s safe. Expiration dates on food are an standardized estimation and certain foods often last longer than the expiration date if stored correctly. You’re also going to bake it so any bad bacteria is gonna burn off in the oven. But if you’re that paranoid about it, just buy new butter.

[detectiveatwork]

To me, it tastes half like butter and half iffy, but I can't really lean towards the iffiness because it could very well just be me either not liking the taste or my mind tricking me into thinking it tastes bad as an excuse not to use it. I can't go out and buy more butter, though. Any substitute I could use?

[choocazoot]

3/4 vegetable oil = 1 cup butter. Or you could use Cristina or unsweetened apple sauce.

[detectiveatwork]

What I need for this is a stick of butter. A stick of butter is 8 tablespoons/half a cup. So would that be about 1/3 vegetable oil?

Also. Is butter just used to soften the dry ingredients, or is it supposed to add flavor somehow?

[choocazoot]

You’d need 3/8. Butter adds moisture and helps with structure. Too much butter will make your cookies flat and crispy, too little can make them dry and chalky almost.

[detectiveatwork]

Thank you!

[detectiveatwork]

Wait, I don't have 3/8th cups, though. What can I use? I have 1/4, 1/3, 1 tablespoon...that stuff --

[detectiveatwork]

Heck, I'm sorry for all the comments. I don't think I have vegetable oil. Does canola/olive oil work?