Butter & More
Butter, a yellow-to-white solid emulsion of fat globules, water, and inorganic salts produced by churning the cream from cows’ milk. Butter has long been used as a spread and as a cooking fat. Most frequently made from cow's milk, butter can also be manufactured from the milk of other mammals, including sheep, goats, buffalo, and yaks. Many different types of butter are available, including salted, unsalted, grass-fed, and clarified butter — each of which varies based on their respective ingredients and production method. Due to its high concentration of fat, butter has a rich flavor and creamy texture. It works especially well for high-heat cooking like sautéing and pan-frying and can help prevent sticking while adding flavor. Butter is also widely used in baking to add texture and volume to baked goods and desserts. Plus, it can be spread on bread, roasted veggies, pasta dishes, and many more.
It is an important edible fat that contains vitamin A, E, D and K2. Vitamin D and K2 are vital for bone growth and development. It also has calcium, which is essential for bone strength. Calcium also helps prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones weak and fragile. It can help make your skin healthier and may help slow the rate of vision loss, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
What is the benefits of eating butter?
In moderation, butter can be a healthy part of your diet. It’s rich in nutrients like bone-building calcium and contains compounds linked to lower chances of obesity. Butter can also be part of a low-carbohydrate diet, which may help people better maintain their weight or lose weight quicker than they would with a low-fat diet.
In addition Butter has other health benefits, some of them are listed below:
- It can help lower your chances of cancer: Butter is high in beta-carotene, a compound that your body converts into vitamin A. Beta-carotene has been linked to lowered risks of lung cancer and prostate cancer.
- It could help your eyes: The beta-carotene in butter may help slow the rate of vision loss, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
- It can help strengthen your bones: Butter contains vitamin D, a nutrient that is vital for bone growth and development. It also has calcium, which is essential for bone strength. Calcium also helps prevent diseases such as osteoporosis, a condition that makes bones weak and fragile.
- It can help make your skin healthier: Butter also contains vitamin E, which plays a role in skin health. The nutrient reduces damage from UV sun rays, reduces skin inflammation, and improves how well skin wounds heal.
What kind of butter is healthiest?
Light butter has half the calories, saturated fat and cholesterol of butter thus making the healthiest among all kind of butter.
Which brand is best for butter?
Top Butter Brands in India
- Amul
- Mother Dairy
- Britannia
- Gowardhan
- Nandini
- Omfed
- Milma
- Aavin
- Dlecta
- Kwality
What kind of butter is used for cooking?
Unsalted butter gives you complete control of the overall flavor of your recipe. This is especially important in certain baked goods where the pure, sweet cream flavor of butter is key (butter cookies or pound cakes). As it pertains to cooking, unsalted butter lets the real, natural flavor of your foods come through.
How many different types of butter are there?
The 9 Most Common Types of Butter
- Unsalted Butter: Sometimes called sweet cream butter, this is the most versatile type of butter.
- Salted Butter: Just like the original, but with added salt.
- Clarified Butter: Basically, clarified butter is pure fat without the milk solids or water—it's richer and more shelf-stable than traditional butter. It has its own delicious toasty flavor and a higher smoke point, too, which make it ideal for high-heat searing and roasting, or for finishing dishes. Ghee is one well-known type of clarified butter.
- Organic Butter: This type comes from cream that's cattle raised without antibiotics or growth hormones and given 100 percent organic feed grown without toxic pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. It is available unsalted and salted, and can be used like conventional butter.
- Whipped Butter: This variety has air or some other gas, such as nitrogen, added to it to make it less dense than standard butter, so a little goes a long way. The increased volume results in fewer calories per tablespoon (often half) and a lighter texture. Best for spreading on toast and finishing dishes, whipped butter is not recommended for baking or cooking.
- European-Style Butter: European-style butter has less moisture than standard butter and so produces extra-flaky pastries and tender, fluffy cakes. Because it is made with fermented (also called cultured) cream, it has a slight tang. European-style butter can be used for all cooking tasks.
- Plant-Based Butter: These are a game changer for those with dairy allergies or anyone following a vegan diet. Plant-based butters, made with ingredients like avocado, almond, or olive oil, taste like butter and can be swapped one-for-one for dairy butter in all your favorite recipes.
- Spreadable Butter: A combination of regular butter and vegetable oil (and sometimes other flavorings and fillers), this product maintains a soft texture even when refrigerated. It is not recommended for baking or cooking.
- Light Butter: This option has half the calories of standard butter because it contains less milkfat—40 percent at most. The rest is made up of water, lactic acid, and other fillers. It is not recommended for baking or cooking.
How should you use butter?
When heated, butter develops a magnificent nutty flavor as the milk solids (proteins and sugars) caramelize. In baked goods, it contributes to the flavor and texture. It's commonly used by the tablespoon and sliced from a stick of butter, baked goods use a whole or part of a stick, and it can be melted for dips, frying, sautéing, and other uses. You can also make whipped butter or flavored butter to create an interesting spread for toast, pancakes, and other bread items
How many calories are in a tablespoon of butter?
Salted Butter (1 tbsp) contains 100 calories. Unsalted Butter (1 tbsp) contains 102 calories.
What are exotic butters used for?
Exotic butter has a rich content of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, They are highly favorable in the natural skin care industry for their anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, sun protection, and emollient properties. Exotic Butters are also beneficial for scalp and hair health, since they penetrate below the surface, repairing dryness and damage.