Excellent advice save for one thing. The Earth Balance spread and most margarine blends contain palm oil as their major ingredient. It's our demand for this product that is driving huge deforestation and habitat destruction (especially of our closest relative, the orang-utan). There are plenty of recent investigations showing that "ethically-sourced' palm oil is nothing more than greenwash. So I'm afraid baking with it comes at a major wildlife conservation cost. A better alternative might be to pop some soy margarine in a saucepan then heat it gently so that the water whipped into it separates out. Let the pot cool, pour off the water and repeat the process one more time. What you are left with is a solid vegan shortening that is stable at room temperature. At the bakery, I use it in all my vegan patisserie and cakes.

• Reply