Who knew there was so much information one needed to know about butter! The Food Network Magazine had a butter facts article, that I found interesting. Why do some recipes say use unsalted butter and then use salt in the recpe? The answer to that is so that you can control the amount of butter used. Salted butter contains 1 to 2 percent salt. It lasts about a month longer than unsalted, but unsalted is better for cooking and baking.
European style butter has a higher fat content and richer taste than standard American butter. It is also more expensive. Cultued butter that is popular in Europe, is made from fermented cream, has a yogurt like flavor. Sweet cream butter is not cultured; it can be salted or unsalted.
Whipped butter, sold in tubs, is injected with nitrogen gas so it's light in texture and easy to spread. Not good for use in baking.
Clairfied butter is butter without the milk solids. It is used for high heat cooking because the milk fats in butter burn at 250 degrees, while clarified butter can withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees.
Spread is soft butter mixed with oil. Buttery spreads are margarine like condiments made mostly with oil.
My husband keeps garlic butter in our frig at all times. He mixes a couple tablespoons of minced garlic into some butter and uses it to make garlic toast or add to other recipes.
I see lots of television chefs make other flavors of butter that they roll into a log and freeze. When they want to serve it they get it out and slice of the pieces. The Pioneer Woman mixed berries in her butter and rolled the log in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil before freezing. Then she used the slices for breakfast pancakes. I have also seen the chefs add herbs to butter and then add it to the top of a steak. I guess it is just up to the taste of the individual.
Do you use flavored butter?
I have a butter fact too! Since Wisconsin produces so much butter & dairy is such a big part of its economy, they outlawed margarine for a time. People would have to drive over the state line if they wanted to buy it!
ReplyDeleteI love flavored butter. Usually I throw in extra herbs that I have on hand. Just about anything works! And at IHOP, they always have that butter mixed with lingonberries on their Swedish pancakes--that's really good too.