I know it will not be easy to swallow that I consider having recourse to refined SHEA BUTTER but here are some reasons: 1) coconut
oil is
costly and my aim is not only to avoid using unethically
sourced products, but also to reduce the cost of food; 2) coconut
oil has a very low melting point, even lower than spreadable butter, and even in its solid state it is quite soft, so I am afraid this vegan butter will not be fit for making puff pastry; 3) for all I know, and I know little, so I am not completely sure of this, coconut
oil has a better nutrient profile than shea butter and is less harmful (one may infer it from the resemblance between shea butter and palm
oil).
Let's reword all this and say that we want to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste and real pollution wherever we can, we want to move away from ever scarcer and
costlier fossil fuels, particularly those that have to be imported from a price - fixing cartel of nations that are generally hostile to us and we want to develop new domestic
sources of energy, be that shale
oil and gas, new biofuels (not silly corn - to - ethanol schemes) and other renewable energy
sources, etc..