Butter

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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 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.

See also

Mantequilla de l'Alt Urgell y la Cerdanya

Mantequilla de Soria

Mantequilla de Soria

This is Spain’s famous sweet butter, although it is also available unsweetened. It has ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida’ status and is produced in the Valle de Soria in Castilla-León. The geographic area has an altitude and a pastures composition of characteristic flora, which contributes to the peculiarity of the [[milk] which is then turned into butter.

It is made with the milk of the brown Friesian breed and cross Alpines coming from dairy farms within the production area. The DOP protects the three varieties of butter, which are natural, fresh and salted.

The first two are achieved after a process of skimming and pasteurisation. Having reached the desired acidity and cooled, it is beaten, the serum is removed and kneaded slowly to achieve the final texture required for the product. The butter is sweet due to syrup being mixed in with it.

Beurre rose - Marque Nationale du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

Beurre rose - Marque Nationale du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg

Beurre rose is an AOP butter which complies with a superior quality standard. While the butter does not differ markedly from another high quality butter from the point of view of its material composition, it does nevertheless possess special organoleptic characteristics whereby it can be differentiated from the point of view of origin. In fact, in tests for smell and taste, a set of specific qualities can be noted which are without any doubt linked to the composition of the flora of the territory where the cows feed, to stock rearing practices on the farms and to the conditions for the production of milk and fresh cream which are specific to the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Only acid cream is used in the production process. No salt is added. The butter is marketed exclusively in 250 and 500 gram packs.

The designation "Beurre de Marque Nationale, Luxembourg" was created in 1932 by specific legislation and can therefore boast a long tradition. The legislation was amended by the Regulation of the Government in Council of 3 July 1970 creating a national brand for Luxembourg butter. In the past, the butter was manufactured by a non-industrial method, although today it is prepared in dairies by continuous churning. Production is carried on all the year round. The butter is checked 15 times a year chemically and organoleptically by sampling. This inspection is carried out in addition to the normal inspections relating to food quality and hygiene.

Reference: The European Commission

© European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/editorial/legal_notice.htm#droits

Beurre des Charentes

Beurre des Charentes

Beurre des Charentes is an AOC and AOP pale-coloured butter with a firm texture, characterised by its fine aroma. It is produced in the Loire and Poitou districts, a region with livestock-breeding and wine-growing traditions. The phylloxera crisis of 1880 resulted in the development of the dairy herd and an increase in the production of butter. The creation in 1893 of the Central Association of cooperative dairies of Charentes and Poitou soon spawned a large number of initiatives, for instance a refrigerated rail transport service to convey the butter to Paris, which helped to establish the reputation of Charentes-Poitou butter, which was soon in great demand because of its high quality.

The butter has to be made using traditional methods and cannot include preservatives or colourings. Only 12 dairies are allowed to produce it. The cream that is used must undergo biological maturation for at least twelve hours after pasteurisation. The addition of colouring agents, preservatives or acidity regulators is prohibited. Guardians of a heritage handed down from generation to generation, the Dairy Association of Charentes-Poitou was established to protect local produce and the unceasing efforts of the producers and processors to provide quality products.

It is available from Waitrose.

Reference: The European Commission

© European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/editorial/legal_notice.htm#droits

Beurre d'Isigny

Beurre d'Isigny

Beurre d'Isigny is an AOP butter of a natural golden colour as a result of its exceptional richness in carotinoids. It is produced in the Veys Bay area and the valleys of the rivers running into it, i.e. 193 communes straddling the Manche and Calvados départments. The chalky-clay soil, the marine sediment environment, and the richness of the fluvial deposits make the Veys Bay and the surrounding valleys a special area whose high-quality grasslands give the milk a high concentration of trace elements and an exceptional mineral salt content. These special features are reflected in the butter.

Stockbreeding in this area dates back to the 19th century, especially after the marshlands were reclaimed. The reputation of Isigny butter is certified in a large number of documents dating from that period. As early as the 1930s professionals requested protection for their milk products and a definition of the production area, but were not successful until 1986.

The milk and cream must be pasteurised. Biological maturing of the cream must begin no later than 48 hours after the milk is skimmed. It is forbidden to add lactic-acid starter cultures during working. No whey creams, reconstituted, chilled or frozen creams, colouring agents, or anti-acid substances may be used.

Reference: The European Commission

© European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/editorial/legal_notice.htm#droits

Beurre d'Ardenne

Beurre d'Ardenne

Beurre d'Ardenne is an AOP/BOB Belgian pasteurised dairy butter which, in addition to the conditions prescribed by law, meets very precise criteria regarding chemical composition, bears the inspection mark of the National Dairy Office delivered following an organoleptic test, and is manufactured milk from the Belgian Ardennes. The butter must also be processed in the same area..

In the Ardennes, butter has always been very highly rated, even by the local inhabitants themselves. However, they ate very little of it for various reasons, including low milk production, until the mid-nineteenth century. Butter was at that time food for the rich, sold at high prices in the region itself. Lard and tallow, as well as bacon fat, were the main fats consumed. Towards 1870, there was a very rapid improvement in milk production and village dairies and regional butter-dairies collecting the cream from them were set up. The production and consumption of butter started to grow very quickly. Towards 1910, beurre ď Ardenne held an important place among the other local specialized butters (Herve, Hasselt etc) appreciated on the Liège market. The Brussels market was already a large-scale consumer at that time.

The success of the word ARDENNE resulted in it being usurped to such an extent outside the Ardennes, between the two World Wars, that the inhabitants of the Ardennes were vociferous in calling for an end to these improper practices. The constant efforts by the Ardennes producers, agricultural organizations and Provincial Trade Corporations culminated in 1984 with the Belgian legislator recognizing the designation of origin "BEURRE D'ARDENNE", which lays down the conditions for production and the territorial limits where this butter can be produced.

The Ardennes is a country of medium altitude. It is characterized by an acid soil. It has a harsh, humid climate, meagre soil but vigorous harvests. These climatic and geological factors influence the quality of the production of the land. It is also a country essentially devoted to stock-farming. Grass is the main crop. This grassy vegetation is characterized by its special flora which is also a result of the climatic and geological conditions. The composition of the milk and its organoleptic properties are closely related to the nature of the grass consumed by the Ardennes cows. In their production, the dairy cows are undeniably affected by the influences of these many factors of the natural environment. As in the case of wine and its different vintages, these influences determine naturally the specific characteristics of the milk and are ultimately to be found in the produce derived from it, to the extent that it is common to refer to butter in terms of "local specialities".

Reference: The European Commission

© European Union, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/editorial/legal_notice.htm#droits

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

Estimated US cup to weight equivalents:

Ingredient US Cups Grams Ounces
Butter / Margarine / Fat / Lard / Shortening
1
225 grams 8 ounces

Conversion notes:
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.