Smooth like butter
In case you don’t already know, butter is produced by churning cow’s milk. We use it in cooking, to bake cakes and cookies, as well as in our sauces.

Do you know that not all butters are equal?

There are many types of butter such as clarified, cultured and compound butter, and some are called butter but aren’t even butter!

At one stage, health proponents said butter wasn’t healthy, but now apparently, experts say it is rich in nutrients and contains bone-building calcium and compounds linked to lower chances of obesity! Here are some interesting buttery tips:

1. Butter has a low smoke point of 121.1°C, which makes it suitable for cooking certain foods. It requires only moderate or low heat, otherwise it will burn. The trick around this is to add a little olive oil, which has a higher smoke point, to the pan to prevent it from scorching.

Ghee is commonly used in Indian cooking.

2. Ghee, a form of clarified butter, is often used in cooking Indian food. Obtained by separating butterfat from the milk solids and water in butter, ghee has a slightly nutty, almost caramel-like flavour and is lighter in texture than actual butter. In Asia, it’s easy enough to buy a can of ghee from the grocery shops, but it may not always be available in other countries. You can make your own ghee at home and if stored in the fridge properly, it can last up to three months.

3. Locally made butter and imported butter tastes quite different, and the prices differ significantly as well. Some are not actual butter, but butter blends which are a mix of milk fats and vegetable oil resulting in a product similar to actual butter. The percentage of dairy content varies from brand to brand, so do check the ingredient list.

4. Most dairy butter products would be labelled clearly. But sometimes, some brands do not contain any churned cream at all, but are made up of hydrogenated fats and they still carry the word “butter” in their main label. This is, of course, misleading and as a consumer, we should read the labels properly to know what we’re buying. A general rule of thumb is if it’s too cheap, chances are it’s not real butter.

Clarified butter is essentially melted butter. — Filepic

5. Besides butter, there are alternatives such as margarine – made from refined vegetable oil and water – and plant-based butter. This form of butter is legit labelling, made with plant-based oils such as almonds and olives, and is dairy- and gluten-free. Some people have switched to this vegan option as a non-dairy substitute.

6. Butter is often divided into a choice of salted or unsalted butter. On average, a block of 227g of salted butter contains approximately 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Unsalted butter is sometimes also referred to as “sweet butter”, so don’t be alarmed if you come across this term as it doesn’t mean the butter has added sugar.

Flavoured butter such as herbed butter is not hard to make. — Filepic

7. These days, you can find flavoured butter such as garlic, seaweed, chilli flakes, kombu and even truffle butter on supermarket shelves and obviously, they come at a higher price. You can choose to make your own flavoured butter at a fraction of the cost.
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Laying out the buttery facts.