{"id":1300,"date":"2025-07-28T00:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T00:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/?p=1300"},"modified":"2025-07-28T02:12:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T02:12:05","slug":"all-about-butter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/2025\/07\/28\/all-about-butter\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Butter"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\n

Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Butter, what comes to your mind when you hear the word? There are many varieties and ways butter may be used in baking recipes. The only decision you had to make was salted or unsalted. But these days, there is a proliferation of options in the stores, and more and more recipes and recipes are specifying specific styles of butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Confused about the difference, and where and when you should use the various types? Let\u2019s discuss the butter aisle and what to choose for what recipes you are going to bake with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although you might be used to sticks or tubs of butter as your go-to kitchen fat, there are many \u2014 and I mean many \u2014 different types of butter out there, all with their own distinct flavors, textures, and functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You probably know the basics of butter: Aside from being available in solid whiteish-yellow blocks at the grocery store, it\u2019s typically made from cow\u2019s milk (although you might find goat and sheep butter at farmers markets and specialty stores). The cream that is produced from milk is churned until solid, and the liquid left behind is buttermilk (which is really easy to make from scratch<\/a>, by the way). American-sold butters are about 80% butterfat, with the remaining percentages made up of mostly water (15% to 18%) and a small amount made up of milk solids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unsalted Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"unsalted-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unsalted butter is the all-purpose flour of the butter world. If a recipe simply calls for \u201cbutter,\u201d this is the one to choose. Unsalted butter has a pure, creamy flavor. Its use in recipes allows the cook to have complete control over salt levels, making it a go-to for both baking and savory cooking. Unsalted butter will usually have 80% butterfat, and 16 to 18% water. I like to buy packs of \u201chalf-sticks,\u201d which give me the most flexibility with butter, especially for baking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salted Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unless a recipe specifically calls for salted butter, it is generally best used for spreading on toast, radishes, crackers, and other straight usage. Salt was originally added to butter as a preservative, and as such, it was often believed that commercial salted butter used lesser quality or older cream. These days, it is really just a flavor preference. If you are team \u201cButter on the Counter,\u201d salted will be your best bet to pack into your butter bell, as it will last longer than unsalted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"salted-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

European-Style Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"european-style-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

European butters have a higher butterfat percentage than American butters, and have become the butters of choice for many chefs, bakers, and passionate home cooks. American butters have to have 80% butterfat to be called butter, European butters or American-made \u201cEuropean style\u201d butters have between 82% and 90% butterfat (and a maximum of 16% water), which makes for a richer flavor. These are great for spreading on bread at the table, but also can make a lovely difference in sauces that are boosted with butter<\/a> , or rich baked goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whipped Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This light fluffy salted butter comes in convenient tubs, and is a great option if you want butter that is more easily spreadable than sticks, even when right out of the fridge. These are a good choice if you live in a hot climate and leaving butter out isn\u2019t an option for you. Perfect for toast, pancakes, baked potatoes and the like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"whipped-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you like, you can make your own whipped butter by just whipping cool room temperature butter in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer until it is aerated and fluffy. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We don\u2019t recommend using whipped butter in recipes unless you weigh it, as the aeration makes volume measures inaccurate for recipe use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vegan Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"vegan-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are a variety of salted and unsalted cultured vegan butters on the market. You can find options made with vegetable oil, almond oil, olive oil, avocado oil, cashew milk, and coconut oil. They taste and act just like dairy butter, whether you\u2019re baking, spreading, melting, or browning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarified Butter And Ghee<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Clarified butter is butter that has been cooked to remove the water and milk solids, leaving pure butterfat. This gives it a much higher smoke point, which means you can cook with it without risk of burning. Unless you are shopping at a restaurant supply house, you will need to make your own clarified butter<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ghee is a South Asian style of clarified butter, where the milk solids have been left to brown before straining, giving it the addition of a lovely nutty flavor. Ghee is readily available in grocery stores and is a wonderful product to keep on hand when you want to saut\u00e9 or do other higher heat cooking and want that buttery flavor. Both are also great options for those who have dairy sensitivities, but not allergies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browned Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The French call brown butter \u201cbeurre noisette,\u201d or hazelnut butter, as a nod to its deep brown color and nutty, complex aroma and flavor. Brown better is butter that is melted and then cooked further, until the water evaporates and the milk solids brown and become toasty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultured Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cultured butter is made with cream that has been allowed to ferment slightly, intensifying the flavor and bringing some lovely tangy notes to the final product. It is great for spreading on bread, garnishing vegetables, or making compound butters, and is especially good drizzled on popcorn. We don\u2019t recommend using it in recipes unless the text specifically calls for it, since the tangy flavor can be pronounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cultured-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sweet Cream Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sweet cream butter is simply butter made specifically with pasteurized fresh cream as its main ingredient, as opposed to cultured or soured cream (which tend to give butter a slightly tart flavor). Contrary to its name, though, sweet cream butter isn\u2019t sweeter or creamier than the typical stick of butter you\u2019d normally come across, as explained further in our article about sweet cream butter<\/a>. Most major American brands of sweet cream butter contain about 80% butterfat. Sweet cream butter can be salted or unsalted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irish Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Irish butter, which is produced from (no surprise here) Irish dairy cows, is a type of European-style butter that is churned until it reaches about 82% butterfat. One popular brand is Kerrygold<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"kerrygold-irish-butter\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bright yellow color comes from the beta carotene in the rich grasslands that Irish cows feed on. \u201cGrass-fed\u201d is a term you\u2019ve likely seen attached to various packages of butter at the grocery store. The term simply refers to the diet consumed by the cows from which the butter is made. Grass-fed butter is produced from milk derived from cows that graze in grasslands rather than being fed a grain-based diet. Grass-fed butter tends to have a richer yellow hue, and proponents say it has a richer flavor than regular butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amish Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Amish butter is easily recognizable due to its unique shape. Amish butter usually comes in a log and is made from cream that is churned to about 84% butterfat, making for an extra-creamy texture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This style of butter is traditionally produced within or around Amish communities and some brands of Amish butter, like Minerva Dairy<\/a>, sell their butter in 2- or 8-pound rolls as well as quarter sticks. Since Amish butter has such a high butterfat content, it\u2019s great in recipes like pie crusts, cookies, and pastries, which typically rely on a lot of butter for richness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compound Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A compound butter is typically made by flavoring softened sticks of butter with additional ingredients and seasonings. You can use either unsalted or salted butter and any spices and seasonings you love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Common add-ins for compound butters include spices like paprika or chipotle chile powder, finely chopped herbs such as thyme or basil, and alliums like roasted garlic. Compound butters are great when rolled into a log in plastic wrap \u2014 this makes it easier to slice into coins \u2014 and placed on top of a just-out-of-the-skillet steak or simply spread on a piece of crusty bread. (Read more about compound butters<\/a> here.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant-Based Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Plant-based butter is exactly what it sounds like \u2014 butter that is produced by mixing oils derived from plants with water<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant-based butters are similar to margarine (read more below), except plant-based butters are usually explicitly branded as vegan. Plant-based butters are typically made from olive oil, soybean oil, palm kernel oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil. Brands like Mykonos<\/a> sell plant-based butters that are great options for vegan cooking and baking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Light Butter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Butter that is branded as \u201clight\u201d typically contains butter in combination with other ingredients, such as water and buttermilk, that reduce the overall amount of cholesterol, fat, and calories in the spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Many brands, such as Land O Lakes, specifically make butter labeled as \u201clight butter,\u201d often combined with ingredients like canola oil. Other popular brands, like Smart Balance, use terms like \u201cbuttery spread.\u201d These types of \u201cbuttery spreads\u201d are typically made from a blend of different vegetable oils, as opposed to the fat in cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Do You Leave Butter Out on the Counter or Keep It in the Fridge?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let me get this part out of the way: According to the Food and Drug Administration<\/a>, it\u2019s safe to leave butter<\/a> and margarine out at room temperature. The agency warns that leaving your butter<\/a> in this temperate state for a few days may result in its flavor turning toward rancid, but I leave my butter out on the counter when the recipe calls for softened butter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Long Can butter Sit Out?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Whether it\u2019s OK to leave butter<\/a> out at room temperature or not is a hotly debated issue, but the truth is it\u2019s perfectly fine to keep butter out at room temperature for up to two weeks. The concern for room-temperature butter is that it will go rancid. But that won\u2019t happen as quickly as you might think \u2014 especially if avoid these four mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, butter is a dairy product, and dairy products degrade when left out at room temperature, but butter is at least 80 percent fat and has a much lower water content than other dairy, which makes for a product that\u2019s much less susceptible to bacterial growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On most occasions, butter can sit out at room temperature for up to two weeks. The reason butter can sit out at room temperature for substantial amounts of time, while other forms of dairy like milk or cream can\u2019t, is that butter has a much lower water content than other dairy, which makes it less likely to develop bacterial growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving the wrong type of butter out<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s fine to leave unsalted butter out on the counter for a few hours if you\u2019re planning to bake with it, but if you\u2019re going to leave any butter out at room temperature for an extended period of time, make it salted. That\u2019s because the salt in salted butter adds extra protection against any sort of bacterial growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storing it in the wrong container<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Exposure to light and air are the two main reasons butter goes rancid or spoils, which means it\u2019s wise to be savvy about the container you\u2019re storing the butter in at room temperature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving it out in simply the wax paper wrapper it came in or even just on a plate wrapped in plastic wrap should be avoided. Instead, choose a butter dish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also opt for a butter crock<\/a>, also called a butter bell or butter keeper. With these containers the butter is kept in a small pot that is immersed in water, creating an airtight seal. Both a dish and crock also help keep the butter soft and spreadable while at a steady temperature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving it in a very warm kitchen<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you live in a warm climate or it\u2019s the peak of summer, your kitchen just might simply be too warm to leave butter out on the counter. If the temperature in your kitchen hovers steadily above 70\u00b0F, you\u2019re better off storing butter in the fridge<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping too much out at once<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The USDA recommends leaving butter out at room temperature for only a day or two. But if it\u2019s stored in all of the proper conditions listed above, it can stay fresh for up to two weeks. So don\u2019t leave out more than you think you\u2019ll be able to get through in that small period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re unsure if your butter is OK to eat, simply give it a smell. If it\u2019s rancid it will most definitely smell off, and if you\u2019re willing to give it a taste, it should taste unpleasantly sour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summarizing the Many Uses and Types of Butter<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

So, in conclusion I have discussed the many uses and varieties of butter. In addition to, the best way in storing your butter. I hope that this clarifies any questions that you may have had regarding butter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope you will join me in next month\u2019s Blog when I discuss and peel the layers back on different types of baking equipment and the variations of colored pans and baking times on your recipes.<\/p>\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Butter Butter, what comes to your mind when you hear the word? There are many varieties and ways butter may be used in baking recipes. The only decision<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1300"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1356,"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1300\/revisions\/1356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cwsdemowebsites.com\/lucille\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}