A-Z Cooking School - Butter

March 30, 2012, 9:31 am

Made from churned cream, butter is favored by cooks both for its rich flavor and for the incomparable texture it gives to food.

To store - Wrap butter tightly in foil or plastic and freeze until needed. Butter is particularly vulnerable to spoiling as well as to pick up odors. For this reason, it turns out that your refrigerator’s butter compartment is the worst place to store butter. It's too warm.  If you must refrigerate rather than freeze butter put it in the center of the refrigerator near the back.

To measure frozen butter easily - Before freezing, score sticks of butter with table knife along the tablespoon marks on the package. Later, when the wrapper is removed the indentations remain in, making it easy to measure. 

 

To test whether butter is at the right temperature for creaming - Insert an instant read thermometer into it. It should be at about 67°F. Or press your finger into butter. It is ready for creaming when it gives slightly but still holds its shape. You can also bend it. It should bend with light resistance but not so much that it cracks or breaks.

To easily chopped frozen butter into pieces - Use a metal pastry scraper (a bench knife). Or run a knife under hot water to warm it for slicing the butter.

To cut cold butter into dry ingredients - Use a pastry cutter, food processor, or fork until the butter is in very small pieces throughout the dry ingredients.

To shred - Cut the frozen stick of butter in half. Using the wrapper to hold each piece, shred the butter, rubbing one of its long sides against the grater.

To soften cold butter - Run a small stainless steel bowl under hot water until hot, then place it, upside down, over the butter. Or, for spreading on toast, place a frozen slice of butter on the toast. Run a wide bladed knife, such as a chef knife, under hot water or hold over a gas burner flame for just a second or two to heat. Hold the broad side of the hot knife blade over the better to gently soften and melt it. To soften a wrapped stick of butter, hold it in both hands and massaged gently until it begins to soften, about 4 min.

To grease baking pans - Use the rappers from the butter in the recipe.

To measure butter that does not have a wrapper - Partially fill a measuring cup with water, then add butter until it reaches the measure you need. For example, for 1/2 cup butter, start with 1/2 cup water and add butter until the water line reaches 1 cup.

To prevent better from burning when sautéing - Use half oil.

To prevent a bitter flavor and burnt taste when frying in butter - Use clarified butter, melt it in the microwave oven or over low heat on the stove top. Skim froth from the top and pour off the yellow liquid to separate from the white solids that are settled at the bottom. Use the yellow liquid (clarified butter) to sauté or fry at high temperatures.

 

To avoid baking recipe pitfalls - Use stick butter only. Avoid using whipped butter, which has air incorporated into it that can adversely affect baking recipes.

To help prevent baked goods from sticking to the pan - Use unsalted butter rather than salted.

To save creamed butter that seems runny - Place the bowl in the refrigerator to firm. If there is no space in your refrigerator, place the bowl in a larger bowl that's partially filled with ice.

To soften cream butter that is slightly cool and has a good texture - Place the bowl in a larger bowl of lukewarm water.

To cut the butter into flour without a pastry cutter or food processor - Grate frozen stick of butter over the flour. Stop periodically to toss the butter and flour together to prevent sticking.

To prevent blowouts when melting butter in the microwave oven - Cut a stick of butter into thin slices you'll expose more surface area and the butter will soften more quickly.

To speed the cooling process of melted butter - Place a container of melted butter in a bowl of cool water or ice cubes. This is something you would do to avoid the hot butter "cooking" something such as raw eggs when it is added to them, as in a pancake recipe.

To soften quickly for creaming - Use a handheld hair dryer.  Cut butter into large cubes and put them in the metal bowl of an electric mixer. Turn the mixer on low and use a hair dryer on high setting to direct hot air around the outside of the bowl. Watch for the first signs of melting at the edge of the bowl, and stop at that point. If you don't have a hairdryer, rub the bottom of the mixing bowl with a towel dipped in hot water. Or place the butter in a metal bowl near a heat register or radiator. Check frequently to avoid melting the butter .  You can also cut one stick (1/2 cup) of butter into 4 pieces, place it in a microwavable bowl, and microwave it uncovered on medium power for 15 to 30 seconds.

To brown for flavor - When butter is browned the milk solids toast and add flavor.  Melt the butter in small pan over medium heat. Continue to cook until it turns a medium to dark golden brown.

Pour over vegetables such as steamed asparagus, green beans, or baked potatoes. Browned butter is also a classic old-fashioned American flavor for buttercream. Just chill the browned butter, let it soften at room temperature, and beat in confectioners' sugar and a few drops of milk to make a fluffy buttercream for cakes, cupcakes, or cookies. 

To use less butter - Try to think of butter as a condiment, using a little of it to add to a dish at the end. For example, instead of sautéing fish or chicken in butter, steam or pan-fry with a little cooking spray. Remove the food from the pan and, while it is still hot add a small nugget of butter on the top, allowing it to melt. Your taste buds will taste the butter coating the food, but you'll take in fewer calories and less saturated fat. You can also use a nonstick pan for sautéing and cut back to 1 to 3 teaspoons of fat. Make sure to preheat the pan before adding the food being sautéed, as the food you are cooking will absorb less fat when the fat is hot. Or use a mixture of butter and oil when sautéing.

To use light butter - This product has half the fat and calories of regular butter. It tastes terrific spread on hot muffins or melted and drizzled over steamed vegetables.

It also works well in frostings, nut toppings, and streusel toppings. To use it in pastry dough, avoid overworking the dough by chilling the light butter and then shredding it on a hand-held grater so that it mixes quickly and evenly into the dry ingredients. The fat in like butter is lower primarily by the addition of water. So, to use like butter in baking recipes, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe. For example, in cookie dough, omit an egg white or two. In muffin or pancake batter, reduce the milk or juice.

Five Flavored Butters

Flavored butters are made by softening butter and then blending in herbs, spices, and flavorings. Use them in place of plain butter or as a sauce or basting butter.

Basic procedure: Soften one stick (1/2 cup) butter to room temperature. In a bowl, stir until smooth. Add flavorings and stir to blend. On a sheet of wax paper, plastic wrap, parchment, or aluminum foil, shape into a log about 5 inches long. Roll up to enclose, twisting the ends to hold in place Or place the flavorings directly on the waxed paper and roll all a stick of butter into them chill until firm. Slice as needed. Each recipe makes 1/2 cup.

Basil Tomato Butter: Combine one stick softened butter, 1/3 cups shredded fresh basil, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Great on corn, beef, and poultry.

Citrus Butter: Combine one stick softened butter; 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon, lime, or orange zest; 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon, lime, or orange juice; and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Delicious over seafood, poultry, or vegetables. To use orange butter over pancakes, omit the salt and pepper.

Garlic Butter: Combine one stick softened butter, one or two minced garlic cloves (raw or cooked), and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Great for garlic toast or melted over corn on the cob, or atop broiled chicken, beef, or seafood.

Hazelnut Butter: In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup whole toasted and peeled hazelnut with 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Pulse until finely ground but not a paste. Combine one stick softened butter, ground hazelnuts, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Use over broiled or sautéed fish fillets and with chicken.

Herb Butter: Combine one stick softened butter and 1/4 cup chopped herbs. Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons orange or lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Great over everything from grilled chicken and steaks to seafood and potatoes.

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