Chef at 17:15, 1 October 2024

2024-10-01T17:15:02Z

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{{#seo:
|title=Butter: Cooking Wiki
|titlemode=replace
|keywords=#butter #oliveoil #sheep #butterfat #condiments #fermented #clarification #proteins #portionsperpersonlookup #sauce #frying
|hashtagrev=12032020
|description=Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk
}}


[[Image:Butter.jpg|300px|thumb|right|A packet of butter]]
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or [[fermented]] [[cream]] or [[milk]]. Butter is used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications such as baking, [[sauce]] making, and [[frying]]. Butter consists of butterfat surrounding minuscule droplets consisting mostly of water and milk [[proteins]]. The most common form of butter is made from cows' [[milk]], but it can also be made from the [[milk]] of other mammals, including [[sheep]], [[goats]], buffalo, and yaks. Rendering butter produces [[Clarification|clarified butter or ghee]], which is almost entirely [[butterfat]]. When refrigerated, butter remains a solid, but softens to a spreadable consistency at room temperature.

Most categories of butter are sold either in salted and unsalted forms. Either granular [[salt]] or a strong brine are added to salted butter during processing. In addition to the enhanced flavour, the addition of salt acts as a preservative. For most culinary uses, purists prefer unsalted butter.

Do not use 'spreads' in place of butter. Most spreads contain very high amounts of water and are therefore not suitable for culinary use. If you don't have butter, use [[olive oil]].
===Why use unsalted butter?===
If a recipe calls for '''unsalted butter''' it is probably to reduce the total amount of [[salt]] used in the recipe. The amount of salt quickly adds up - for example, there is almost a teaspoon of [[salt]] in a 250g packet of butter!

==See also==
* '''[[Mantequilla de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya]]'''
* '''[[Mantequilla de Soria (Soria butter)]]'''
* '''[[Beurre des Charentes (Charentes butter)]]'''
* '''[[Beurre d'Isigny (Isigny butter)]]'''
* '''[[Beurre rose - Marque Nationale du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (Luxembourg Rose butter)]]'''
* '''[[Beurre d'Ardenne (Ardenne butter)]]'''

== How much does one cup of butter / margarine / fat / lard / shortening weigh? ==

''Estimated [[Generic_conversion_table#Volume|US cup]] to weight equivalents:''

<div class="wikitable-responsive">
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
!style="min-width: 20%;"|'''Ingredient'''
!style="min-width: 40%;"|'''US Cups'''
!style="min-width: 40%;"|'''Grams'''
!style="min-width: 40%;"|'''Ounces'''
|- style="vertical-align:top; text-align: center;"
|- style="background: #e6e6fa;"
|Butter / Margarine / Fat / Lard / Shortening||1 Cup||225 g||8 oz
|- style="background: #f8f2d7;"
|}
</div>

'''Conversion notes:'''<br />
Every [[ingredient]] has a cups to ounces or grams conversion table. Search for the ingredient, cup to weight conversions are at the end of each ingredient page.

We also have a [[generic conversion table]] and a [[portions per person lookup]].

{{CategoryLineIngredients}}
[[Category:Ingredients]]
[[Category:Condiments]]
[[Category:Dairy products]]

<code 'hashtagrev:12032020'>[[Special:Search/butter|#butter]] [[Special:Search/oliveoil|#oliveoil]] [[Special:Search/sheep|#sheep]] [[Special:Search/butterfat|#butterfat]] [[Special:Search/condiments|#condiments]] [[Special:Search/fermented|#fermented]] [[Special:Search/clarification|#clarification]] [[Special:Search/proteins|#proteins]] [[Special:Search/portionsperpersonlookup|#portionsperpersonlookup]] [[Special:Search/sauce|#sauce]] [[Special:Search/frying|#frying]]
</code>

Butter - Revision history

Chef at 17:15, 1 October 2024