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COMMERCIALLY MADE BUTTER
Butter Definition
Butter Ingredients
Butter Products Available
Cooking with Butter
Butter Measurements
Three C's of Butter Storage - Clean, Cool, & Covered
BUTTER DEFINITION
BUTTER: By a 1923 act of Congress, butter must be made from milk or cream or both, with or without salt. It must be at least 80% fat and contain no preservatives or additives except approved natural food coloring (annatto).
WHIPPED BUTTER: Whipped butter is butter which has its volume increased through a whipping process, which incorporates air into the product. A cup of whipped butter weighs two-thirds that of a cup of stick butter.
GRADING: Butter is graded for quality on the basis of flavor, body, texture, color and salt by USDA experts trained in this art.
- U.S. Grade AA is the very best butter. It is made from sweet cream of low natural acid. It has a fine pleasing nutty flavor.
- U.S. Grade A is very good butter but may possess "to a slight degree" acidity, bitterness and other less pleasing flavors.
- U.S. Grade B is the lowest grade. It can be made from sweet or sour cream and lacks the fine fresh flavor of the two top grades.
- Butter which has been produced in a plant not using methods approved by the USDA cannot carry a U.S. Grade.
STORAGE: Always keep butter refrigerated. Store it in its original container in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not the warmer "butter keeper" on the door. Store it away from foods with a distinctive odor like cheese, onions, garlic, etc.. Refrigerate unused portions of opened butter in a covered dish. Butter has a shelf life of four months. For longer storage, freeze in carton.
INGREDIENTS
PASTEURIZED SWEET CREAM BUTTER
- 80% milkfat: based on 1923 act of Congress - all butters must be at least 80% milkfat.
- Annatto: USDA approved food coloring, a natural substance found in the annatto seed. Added when needed to standardize coloring throughout the seasons.
- Salt: approximately 2% salt added. This is the standard amount which is added to all pasteurized sweet cream butters.
UNSALTED (SWEET) BUTTER
- No Annatto or other coloring is ever added.
- No salt is added.
BUTTER PRODUCTS AVAILABLE
- 1 pound carton (1/4 pound sticks individually waxed wrapped) Lightly Salted Sweet Cream Butter
- 1/2 pound carton (1/4 pound sticks individually foil wrapped) Unsalted (Sweet) Butter
- 8 ounce tub whipped (inner sealed) Lightly Salted Sweet Cream Butter
- 8 ounce tub whipped (inner sealed) Unsalted (Sweet) Butter
Butter that is Kosher approved and certified carry the "K" on the packaging. Kosher certification of products requires the inspection of plant and ingredients by a rabbi.
COOKING WITH BUTTER
IN COOKING: Butter adds its own rich natural flavor and enhances the natural flavors of other foods.
IN BAKING: Butter provides flavor, tenderness and flakiness.
IN SEASONING: Butter acts as a seasoning in its self. It complements the natural taste of vegetables, breads, poultry and seafood.
Butter is used by chefs and cooking schools throughout the United States.
BUTTER MEASUREMENTS
2 cups = 4 sticks = 1 lb.
1 cup = 2 sticks = 1/2 lb.
1/2 cup = 1 stick = 1/4 lb.
1/4 cup = 1/2 stick = 4 tbsp.
Butter is packed in sticks and cartons.
THREE C's OF BUTTER STORAGE - CLEAN, COOL, & COVERED
To protect its delicate flavor, butter should be stored in its original carton or in a covered container. For longer storage periods, butter can be frozen in its original protective carton for up to 4 months. For product sampling and easier spreadability, remove butter from refrigerator 30 to 45 minutes before serving. Code dating showing month, day and year, appears on every carton. This date represents 4 months after the butter was produced.
LIGHT BUTTER
Light Butter Description
Light Butter Varieties
Light Butter Ingredients
The Quality Difference
Cooking with Light Butter
Light Butter Measurements
Light Butter Product Features
LIGHT BUTTER DESCRIPTION
Light Butter is a 40% fat spread product made with Grade AA butter, water and pasteurized skim milk. It is called Light because it has 1/2 less fat, cholesterol-and calories than regular butter.
LIGHT BUTTER VARIETIES
LIGHTLY SALTED STICKS: Packaged in a 1 pound carton (Land O Lakes has a yellow and white carton). The four quarter pound sticks are wrapped in foil (Land O Lakes) or a wax paper (depending on brand name). Light Butter salted sticks have a fresh dairy butter flavor and smooth creamy texture, and they have 25% less sodium than regular butter. May be used as a delicious spread on your favorite breads, muffins, and vegetables.
UNSALTED STICKS: Packaged in a 1 pound carton (Land O Lakes has a blue and white carton). The quarter pound sticks are wrapped in foil (Land O Lakes) or wax paper (depending on brand name). Light Butter unsalted sticks have a light creamy color, a delicate cultured flavor, and are sodium free. May be used as a delicious spread on your favorite breads, muffins, and vegetables.
LIGHTLY SALTED WHIPPED: Packaged in a 8 ounce carton (Land O Lakes has a yellow and white carton). Whipped Light Butter has a light creamy color and a delicate buttery flavor. Because it is whipped it contains less calories and fat than the stick form.
INGREDIENTS
- Grade AA Butter
- Water
- Pasteurized Skim Milk
- Gelatin
- Salt
- Vegetable Mono- and Diglycerides
- Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate
- Lactic Acid
- Natural Flavor
- Vitamin A Palmitate
- Beta-Carotene (Pro Vitamin A)
THE QUALITY DIFFERENCE - LAND O LAKES BRAND
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is a cooperative owned by 350,000 farmer members. This means they have control of the butter process from the feeding of the cows to delivery to the grocer. Their Producer Field Service consists of field representatives who consult and advise over 8,000 dairy farmer members while their Quality Assurance Department routinely checks their plants and distribution centers. This is done to maintain high quality milk to use in all their butter production.
COOKING WITH LIGHT BUTTER
The delicate, creamy flavor of Light Butter adds its own natural flavor and enhances the natural flavors of many foods. Just as the majority of regular butter use is as a table spread, the main use of Light Butter will be as a table spread. Use as a topper for:
- Baked potatoes
- Corn on the cob
- Vegetables
- Muffins
- Bagels
- Crusty bread
- Biscuits
- Pancakes, waffles, etc.
Since Light Butter is lower in fat, it is not recommended for baking and frying. For these applications use regular Butter.
LIGHT BUTTER MEASUREMENTS
2 cups = 4 sticks = 1 lb.
1 cup = 2 sticks = 1/2 lb.
1/2 cup = 1 stick = 1/4 lb.
1/4 cup = 1/2 stick = 4 tbsp.
Butter is packed in sticks and cartons.
PRODUCT FEATURES
PACKAGING (LAND O LAKES)
- Light Butter is available in the following forms:
- 1 lb. carton (1/4 lb. sticks individually foil wrapped) Unsalted (Sweet) Light butter.
- 1 lb. carton (1/4 lb. sticks individually foil wrapped) Lightly Salted Light butter.
- 8 oz. Whipped tubs - Lightly salted
KOSHER
- All products are kosher approved and certified and carry the "K" on the package. Kosher certification requires the inspection of plant and ingredients by a rabbi.
SHELF LIFE
- Light Butter has a four month shelf life.
sTORAGE
- Keep refrigerated in original carton in coldest part of refrigerator.
- To maximize freshness, Light Butter can be kept frozen up to four months. For extra flavor protection, store in a re-sealable plastic bag.
- Three C's of Butter Storage is Clean, Cool and Covered.
Information Obtained from LandOLakes.com
HOMEMADE BUTTER
If you have not done this yet, go out today and buy a pint of heavy cream, and then spend 10 minutes to make your own butter. It is incredibly simple to do, and it tastes great. As a child, my mother used to skim the cream off the gallon jars of milk from our cow and put it into quart jars (clean, recycled mayonnaise jars work great for this project). She would fill them about half way and give them to us kids to sit and shake while we were watching our favorite television programs. We would always race to see who could get it to turn to butter first. I still prefer the quart jar method over the beater method, even today, 50 years later. Nothing tastes better than homemade butter on freshly baked bread.
QUICK HOMEMADE BUTTER
Equipment:
- Mixer (or jar to shake)
- Strainer
- Bowl
- Spatula
Ingredients:
- Regular or Heavy cream (preferably fresh, organic & local)
- Salt (optional - if you prefer lightly salted butter)
1. Leave the cream out for a bit so that it warms to 50°F or so.
2. Pour the cream into a jar you can shake. You can measure it out or just pour it in, no more than halfway (a pint of cream for a quart jar). The jar method will take longer (usually about 10 to 20 minutes shaking time), but your arms will get a good workout, and you can make it a family project.)
3. when using a jar, make sure the top is tight fitting and carefully cap on the jar. Begin to shake the jar. It will take awhile to shake this into butter but it is well worth it in the end. The fat in the cream will begin to stick together and separate from the buttermilk. Every about 3 minutes check the jar by taking off the lid and looking inside, once you see about the consistency in the jar you are nearly done. The cream will start to feel thicker as you shake it, making it much harder to shake around, the easiest shaking method is to take the jar by the "neck" or the closest part to the lid, and shake downwards in a stabbing motion back and forth. Eventually the jar seems easier, and easier to shake, open the jar and peek inside, see butter? This is when the butter starts to seperate from the buttermilk, once you see the little clumps of butter inside the jar, begin to strain out the extra liquid. It will form a light ball of butter in the jar. You can save the liquid for later use. It is the buttermilk, and when homemade it tastes sweet, and is often used in baking pancakes, biscuits and other recipes. After straining the buttermilk you have the remaining butter in the jar, just scoop it into a storage container and pat it down a bit working the excess buttermilk out of the butter using a spatula (or your fingers). You will want to put it into a covered container in the refrigerator to harden it a bit more so its easier to scoop and spread. Salt, if desired. A fine grained Sea salt works well.
MIXER METHOD:
1. Leave the cream out for a bit so that it warms to 50°F or so.
2. Pour the cream into the mixer with a whisk attachment. Put a cover over the mixer, so you do not splatter cream all over your kitchen.
3. When using a mixer, mix on medium-high for 5-7 minutes. You do not have to worry about over-whipping your cream when making butter. Here is what you will see while using a mixer. when the butter has separated from the liquid, you are done mixing.
4. Strain the butter into a bowl, making sure all the liquid runs out. Then set aside the liquid. The liquid that is leftover is fresh made buttermilk.
5. Rinse the butter with water to remove any excess liquid.
6. Knead the butter with a spatula to bring together the curds. This does not take long, about a minute or two. If you want to salt your butter, now is a good time. (Some people prefer to have unsalted butter, which gives them more salt control when cooking.)
7.Save the butter in a sealed container in the fridge, and use the fresh buttermilk for pancakes or homemade biscuits.
MoonDragon's Nutritional Recipe Index
HELPFUL PRODUCTS & FURTHER EDUCATION
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 2nd Edition
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 4th Edition
Prescription for Herbal Healing: The A-To-Z Reference To Common Disorders
-- by Phyllis A. Balch
Educational materials and health products are available through Amazon.com. Use the search box provided below to search for a particular item.
HERBS, OILS, & SUPPLIES
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