Real vs. fake: Your guide to choosing genuine butter
How can you tell real butter from a fake? It seems simple, but given the creativity of dairy product manufacturers, anyone can be confused. Especially during the holiday rush, it’s easy to make such a mistake.
When buying butter, carefully examine the label. There should be a clear word "butter." Even if it’s creamy, it may contain hydrogenated vegetable fats, which are not healthy. If the product isn’t labeled "butter," it means it isn’t.
How to tell real butter from a fake?
Real butter consists of 82% milk fat. The rest is 16% water and 2% milk proteins. These proteins influence the structure and consistency of the block. Lactose, or natural milk sugar, is present in butter in small amounts. However, if you have a high lactose intolerance, lactose-free products are a better choice for you.
When deciding on the block, exclude products that contain vegetable oils. If it’s not specified what oils are used, it could include palm oil, which mostly consists of saturated fatty acids.
Good, natural butter has a light color and creamy smell. When taken out of the refrigerator, it is hard and difficult to spread on a slice of bread.
White foam on butter – is it a bad sign?
If you see white foam while heating butter, don’t panic. It’s a good sign, indicating that the butter is natural. When you heat it, water starts to evaporate, and proteins denature and coagulate, forming white foam on the surface. This foam is removed in the process of clarifying butter.
Can you fry with butter?
Due to its low smoke point, natural butter should not be used for frying at high temperatures. At 300 degrees Fahrenheit, it begins to burn, and the byproducts of burning are harmful to health. It is suitable for frying scrambled eggs or sautéing onions at low temperatures but should not be used for frying fish.
A much better choice is clarified butter, which has a smoke point of 480 degrees Fahrenheit. The healthiest option is to prepare the Christmas dinner in the oven.
Natural butter can have different colors
Most blocks without vegetable fats have a light, almost white color. However, the color of butter can vary depending on the season and the diet of cows. Dairy produced from cream from cows fed fresh grass is somewhat more yellow than butter from cows fed with dry feed. The best guide is the smell. Fresh original butter smells like milk, while the so-called blend often smells like margarine.
How to make butter at home?
Making butter at home is simple and does not require specialized equipment. The only ingredient is cream with a high-fat content, at least 30%.
Homemade Butter Recipe:
- Pour chilled cream into a mixer or bowl. Whip at high speed until thick cream forms and then turns into butter. When the fat separates from the buttermilk, stop whipping.
- Using a strainer or cheesecloth, separate the buttermilk from the butter clumps. Don’t pour it out—it’s great for baking or pancakes.
- Rinse the butter with cold water to remove any remaining buttermilk and extend the product's shelf life.
- Form the butter into a block and place it in the fridge.
The butter prepared this way is ready to eat immediately. Its taste, consistency, and smell can successfully compete with store-bought products, and making it provides extra satisfaction from self-production. You can add your favorite spices, herbs, or garlic to the butter.
