Brown Butter (aka “beurre noir” meaning “blackened butter” in French) is butter that is cooked until it has deeply browned, to which capers and chopped parsley are then added. It’s then poured out into a dish. A tablespoon of vinegar is heated in the pan where the butter was browned, then added to the melted…
Butter
Butter Moulds
Butter moulds are used to make portions of butter either more decorative for a pleasing effect, or to make them into a standard-sized shape for sale.
Butter Muslin
Butter muslin is a finely-woven unbleached cloth used as a cooking tool. Its original purpose was to drain butter. Cheesecloth is coarser.
Butter Pat Slicers
A butter pat slicer is a tool designed to cut a stick of butter into even pats of butter. You can also use one to slice bananas, or to mark up rolls of cookie dough for cutting.
Buttermilk
Two products result at the end of the butter-making process: butter, and the liquid left over, which is called buttermilk. Butter in North America used to mostly be cultured butter (see entry for butter.) The buttermilk left over from the butter-making process would carry with it both the cultures used for the butter as well…
Butyric Acid
Butyric Acid (aka Butanoic Acid) is a saturated fatty acid found naturally in butter, and is normally bound up in glycerides. When Butyric Acid is freed up in butter, it’s what causes the rancid smell. It is also present in vomit, Gingko fruit and foot sweat. It’s formula is CH3CH2CH2-COOH. Language Notes The word comes…
Dairy Salt
Dairy Salt is a very finely ground, pure salt (with no starch, or iodine added) that can be an added ingredient when making butter and margarine. Owing to the small size of its granules, it dissolves faster and better than other pure salts, which might be coarser. In making butter at home, the ratio of…
French Butter Crock
A French butter crock is a two-piece container designed to keeping butter fresher at room temperature. It consists of one piece which holds the butter, and another piece which holds tap water.
Melted Butter
In classical French cooking, a very simple sauce is made by melting butter slowly, then seasoning the melted butter to taste with salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. It’s used on foods cooked in water, such as vegetables that have been boiled, or fish that has been poached.
Yak Butter Tea
Yak Butter Tea is a beverage made in Tibet and Nepal from tea and Yak Butter. Yak Butter Tea is served hot. It has a slightly salty taste and a layer of melted butter on top. It is drunk any time of day. To make Yak Butter Tea, some “chaku” (see below) is blended in…