PrintUnbelieveable! This Is Not Butter!
Everyone has heard of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, the margarine spread with the memorably comical name. While there are many butter substitutes gracing our grocery store shelves (oh yes, how they make my stomach juices flow), I assumed that this was the only product that used the word "butter" to market its superiority over other butter substitutes through its fascinating ability to be mistaken for real butter.
But my world of fake butter (population: 1) was turned upside-down when I read Elyse Sewell's livejournal entry documenting curious products from her local supermarket, including two more I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!-like products: Butter It's Not! and Could It Be Butter? I found these names just as amusing as I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, possibly more so, but googling their names showed that the Internet didn't really give a damn about these other products. While I Can't Believe It's Not Butter returned 95,100 results, Butter It's Not returned 1,760 results and Could It Be Butter? brought up the rear with a paltry 186 results.
I came across a few other fake butter products with peculiar names. Check out the full gallery after the jump.
Photograph taken by Elyse Sewell
Butter It's Not!: As scottbateman said, "By Yoda was named."
Photograph taken by Elyse Sewell
Could it be Butter?: I imagine a misguided consumer saying this name in a hopeful tone: "Could it be butter? Oh please, for the love of God, could it be?..." and then falling into a heap of disappointment when they realize it's not butter.
Photograph taken by prettyandhigh
What, not butter!: Shouldn't this be a question!
Photograph from Wm Jas on Flickr
Unbelieveable This is not butter: Although this product is from Taiwan, I think with a few additional exclamation marks and more appealing packaging this name could catch on in the US.
Move Over Butter: It's so good, it drives farmers to sing with their cows. If that's what you're looking for.
I came across a few other names for fake butter products—Is It Really Butter? ("Nope, fooled ya!") and Too Good To Be Butter ("Doubtful!")—but I have no visual evidence to back this up. If you've ever seen these products or have other names to toss into the ring, please let me know.
Updated: 11/24/07
Photograph taken by Raphaël Brion
Taste Like Butter: I first read this as "Tastes Like Butter." I'd think most people would if they have a few grammar lessons under their belts.
However, it's "Taste," not "Tastes." As Raphaël pointed out, "'Taste Like Butter' isn't even correct English!"
But I can think of at least one situation where it could be correct: if it were a command. "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TASTE LIKE BUTTER"
Updated: 11/25/07
Photograph from erloteiel on Flickr
You'd Think It's Butter!: Notice the typography on this product from H-E-B, a Texas-based grocery store chain; the words "Think" and "Butter" are bolded. Perhaps they want me to...think butter? Yet how come every time I read the name I just want to attach, "But It's Not!" to the end of it?
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18 Comments:
Such products make my stomach juices flow as well, but it the wrong direction.
Sharing my home with my young roomie has meant many compromises, none more meaningful than the fact that my fridge, proud home of Lurpak, Plugra, Eli Zabar's Homemade Butter and even the occasional Breakstone, now has to hold my roomie's half-gallon tub of Country Crock. Oops, it must be a half-gallon Crock.
I have intentionally left the Crock on our kitchen counter in 75 degree weather and shown roomie that, strangely, it does not melt. This means nothing at all to her and so we go on living with the stuff.
For more culinary fun please check out my blog: http://www.annienewman.typepad.com.
annien at 3:38PM on 11/19/07
As a big fan of The Princess Bride, I think there should be one called "Inconceivable! It's not butter!" - with Wallace Shawn's face prominently featured on the packaging, of course. Heh, hope I don't lose too many people with that reference...
ienefra at 4:10PM on 11/19/07
There used to be some awesome margarine commercials on TV.
I remember this one in particular. Whew. Scary.
My other favorite had some sort of small animal (a squirrel I think?) who would say "Parkay" in a wierd little voice then this huge Spanish guy would respond in a deep booming tone "mantaquilla" and this went on for three or four times till something else happened. No, I'm really not dreaming this. :)
I loved that commercial. Never bought the stuff though.
Karen Resta at 6:25PM on 11/19/07
I saw "I Can't believe its not butter!" at the grocery store today and it was on sale! I almost bought it until I realized it has hydrogenated oils in it. Boo.
ag3208 at 7:36PM on 11/19/07
I sadly have to admit to buying some of these fake butters. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. My little one is allergic to all dairy which includes butter. She would not be outdone by her parents slathering butter on everything that held still, she wanted her own butter and as a good mommy trying not to punish her for something she has no control over, I seeked out fake butter.
Serious eats should do a taste test on the fake butters. Even in the fake butter world, they are not equal and some do contain butter or some of it's elements. I have found the Parkey squeezeable is the only one that is pure oil with no butter or dairy ingredients.
Vlntchr at 9:25PM on 11/19/07
Some friends have a cat named Butters. They used to live across the street from a cat that looked just like Butters. We called him I Can't Believe it's Not Butters.
yi at 11:41PM on 11/19/07
Ew.
But this brings up a good question to ask y'all. I bake about 1 million cookies for Christmas. I usually use Land O Lakes unsalted, because it is an America's Test Kitchen favorite. The big box supermarket had their brand on sale today for, like, $2 cheaper and I thought of getting it. So my question is: is there *really* a big difference between supermarket brands and a common, commercial brand?
lonewolf at 11:43PM on 11/19/07
I assume that the fake butter only tastes mildly like butter but it might actually taste slike butter?!
DO NOT KNOW
HAVE NOT EATEN
raphael at 12:30PM on 11/20/07
Great. Now I have The Move Over Butter commercial stuck in my head. Quick, someone start whistling the theme for Andy Griffith! It's the only antidote! At least the commercial doesn't have Fabio in it, though.
My grandfather used to refer to "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" as "The Hell It Ain't Butter".
Cloudscout at 2:34PM on 11/20/07
Vlntchr, I don't know if you are familiar with Earth Balance, but it is a "butter alternative" made with soy and other vegetable oils, and is non-hydrogenated (and made with non-GMO ingredients). It doesn't taste exactly like butter (obviously), but it's a pretty darn good substitute if you can't have the real thing. It's also great for baking and in recipes. I've had to cut out most dairy products, and it's been a godsend to have a butter sub that tastes good enough to eat on toast.
producestories at 7:44PM on 11/20/07
Well, it's obviously a spoof and not a real product, but pretty funny IMO:
http://www.iamanangelchaser.com/expressions/subvertisement/oh_god_i_wish_it_were_butter.jpg
iamanangelchaser at 8:49PM on 11/22/07
I want one that's named Antibutter :D
headsign at 5:46AM on 11/23/07
Here's another ICBINB parody, check it out:
http://www.bosworthmagazine.com/ads.htm
mjlavin at 10:16AM on 11/25/07
Or skip the sketchy marketing and make your own thanks to Hillbilly Housewife.
Blender Margarine
* 2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
* 2 packets butter buds, dry butter flavoring (optional, for flavor)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2/3 cup fresh water
* 4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
* 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
This is one of those cool recipes that makes you feel like an alchemist in the kitchen. You do need a blender to make this recipe. Non-electric blenders can be found at Lehmans.com.
Begin by measuring the dry milk powder, butter buds, salt and fresh water in the blender. Add the food coloring if you are using it and process the mixture for a few seconds. Remove the center of the blender lid. With the blender running, dribble in the oil in a thin stream. This is important. If you dump the oil all in at once, the recipe won't turn out. So add the oil slowly. The mixture will thicken and become very creamy. When all of the oil has been added the mixture will be very thick. Turn the blender off. Scrape the margarine into a resealable container. You should have about 2 cups of margarine or the equivalent of a pound.
The flavor of the oil is very important to this recipe. Only use fresh, high quality oil. Corn oil tastes good, as does safflower oil. Canola oil will work also, but I do not recommend soy bean oil. I made it with soybean oil the first time because I had a big gallon of it I was trying to use up. The recipe turned out fine, but didn't have the delicacy of flavor that it did when made with corn oil. I would not use olive oil in this recipe.
If you do not have butter buds, then increase the salt to 1/2-teaspoon. The butter buds give the margarine a light, buttery flavor that I enjoy, but not everyone does. Use this margarine as a spread and for seasoning vegetables. Do not use it for frying or baking. The water content makes it spatter when frying, and makes cakes fall when baking.
I do lots of recipes and diy stuff at http://red-icculus.com
Red_Icculus at 5:55PM on 11/25/07
This whole discussion reminds me of a very funny "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" sketch from the Vicar of Dibley (English comedy, shown on some PBS stations)...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkRC8bi3bbc
md1712 at 7:26PM on 11/28/07
I had no idea there were so many variations on that crappy "I can't believe it's not" product name. Maybe some of these should just be called, "I can't believe we couldn't come up with an original name so we're copying that other fake butter's name but in a way that won't get us sued."
It's pretty telling too that your web search turned up so few of the fake, fake butters.
OneMoreBite at 4:01PM on 11/29/07
Yi: I just broke the office silence with a hearty chortle-snort, thanks to you!
dizastress at 12:59PM on 12/28/07
@lonewolf - I only buy LOL butter when it's on sale, but I buy Kroger butter regularly and haven't had a problem with it. I do notice a slightly fresher "creamery" flavor with LOL butter though.
Also, I read/heard somewhere (Alton Brown?) that salted butters vary widely in the amount of salt added, so you'd probably notice less difference in unsalted, and perhaps more in salted butter.
akk328 at 2:09PM on 04/23/08