Vegetable oil-butter spread, reduced calorie

Reduced-calorie vegetable oil-butter spread blends vegetable oil with a smaller portion of butter or butter flavoring and water, whipped together to cut the calorie density while keeping a spreadable texture straight from the fridge. It is designed for the table rather than the pan, spread on toast, dinner rolls, pancakes or corn on the cob, and it also melts into cooked vegetables or mashed potatoes reasonably well, though because it contains added water it can behave differently than real butter in baking, where it may make batters slightly wetter. Its soft, easily spreadable consistency even when cold is its main practical advantage over a stick of cold butter.

Keep it refrigerated in its tub with the lid on, since the water content in these spreads makes them less stable at room temperature than pure butter. At 465 calories per 100 grams it is still calorie dense, but a typical tablespoon serving is only about 13 grams, so the actual portion used is small. It stands out for micronutrients relative to its category, supplying 91% DV of vitamin A and 61% DV of vitamin E per 100 grams, both added through fortification and the vegetable oil base, while its sodium content of 581 mg per 100 grams is worth noting if you are watching salt intake.