MG wrote:

> a friend has just had a bit of a cooking disaster while making her usual
> great raspberry muffins..thought she'd try making mango and macadamia
> muffins, but still using the same basic recipe, using frozen mango chunks
>
> here's the recipe...basically, the muffins didn't rise and she wants to
> know if it was the substitution of oils which caused it, and if so, why
>
> I've googled, and so far the impression is that macadamia oil is only used
> as a flavouring rather than a substitute for other oils...nothing though
> on why this might be so


The main reason macadamia oil isn't used as a substitute for other oils is
its cost. I can attest to the fact that it works just fine as a pan oil for
sautéing, and it adds a great flavor. It works just as well as other oils
for baking, too. It's no more chemically active than vegetable oil (and
being monounsaturated, it's better for you).

I don't think the oil was the problem. I think the problem was the
substitution of mango chunks for frozen raspberries: Raspberries are fairly
high in acid, where mangoes have almost none. Another thing to check was
whether the egg was beaten vigorously enough before adding it to the bowl:
The bubbles in the egg/dairy mixture will expand during cooking, causing the
muffins to rise. And she *did* verify that she was using self-rising flour,
didn't she?

Bob