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Butter

Eggs & dairy · Butter

Butter

Solid dairy fat churned from cream, usually salted; for spreading, frying, sauces and baking.

Also called: salted butter

Around the world: tereyağı (tr) · beurre (fr) · mantequilla (es)

516 recipes with it

Photo: Matěj Baťha, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Butter is cream churned until the fat clumps, leaving roughly 80% butterfat with some water and milk solids. This record is ordinary salted butter; unsalted butter gives cooks more control over seasoning in baking. The milk solids give flavour and browning but also make butter burn at a lower temperature than oil or ghee.

How it’s used

  • Spreading on bread and toast
  • Frying eggs and sautéing at moderate heat
  • Enriching sauces and finishing pasta
  • Laminated pastry, shortbread and cakes
  • Browned (beurre noisette) for nutty sauces

Characteristics

Taste
Rich, creamy and lightly salty.
Texture
Firm when chilled, spreadable when soft, melting in the mouth.
When cooked
Melts at body temperature, foams as the water boils off, then browns and burns. Creaming soft butter with sugar traps air for cakes; cold butter in pastry makes flaky layers.
Sold as
fresh
Cooking uses
Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking, Suitable for frying

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep wrapped in the fridge away from strong smells, which it absorbs; it freezes well. A small amount can sit covered in a butter dish at cool room temperature.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Contains milk (allergen), though only small amounts of milk protein.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
717 kcal
Protein
0.85 g
Carbohydrate
0.06 g
Fat
81.11 g
Fibre
0 g
Sugars
0.06 g

USDA FoodData Central: Butter, salted.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Unsalted butter — 1:1; add a pinch of salt per 100 g.
  • Ghee — Good for frying; in baking it gives a denser, less airy result since it has no water.
  • Neutral vegetable oil — For sautéing; in baking use about 80% of the weight and expect a different crumb.

Related ingredients

Recipes with butter

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