Butter is one of the oldest dairy products in the world. Since at least 2,000 B.C., traditional cultures have cooked with butter and butter varieties. Today, butter is making its way back onto our modern tables as we realize its health benefits.
No other ingredient compares with butter for flavor and the texture it provides for flaky pastries or silky sauces. Whether you use butter for spreading on toast or dipping that succulent lobster, it is a natural, minimally processed healthy fat to include in your recipes.
Here are some tips for cooking with butter:
• Salted butter-best used for table use and general cooking
• Unsalted butter-has a shorter shelf life without the preservation quality of salt. Use it for baked goods like sweets and crusts. Also brings out the delicate flavor of seafood.
• Clarified butter or ghee-this is butter that is melted and the milk solids and water have been removed, which leaves it clear. Use clarified butter for sauces and other cooking based on high temperature since it doesn't burn.
• Cultured butter-made from cultured sour cream. It has a rich, complex flavor that enhances baked goods. It produces flakier crusts and fluffier cakes due to its lower moisture content.
• European-style butter-used for high temperature cooking without burning. It produces a light, flaky pastry. European-style is made from cream that has been churned slowly for a longer time than regular butter. It also has higher butterfat content, giving more flavor to baked goods.
• Whipped butter-used for easier spreading at colder temperatures because of the air whipped into it, giving it greater volume. Great for toppings too!
For a full, rich flavor, heat butter before using. Drizzle melted butter over fish, poultry, potatoes, veggies, pasta and grains. And don't forget a little sea salt and dulse to enhance flavor and health benefits.
If you would like to learn more about butter visit http://butters.thenaturallivingsite.com/ - Everything Butter! for more recipes and ideas.
Discover more natural foods and how to prepare them at The Natural Living Site http://thenaturallivingsite.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Cook-With-Butter-and-Butter-Varieties&id=4317609
How to Cook With Butter and Butter Varieties
