Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment, and used as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures.
Butter is produced by agitating cream, which damages these membranes and allows the milk fats to conjoin, separating from the other parts of the cream. Variations in the production method will create butters with different consistencies, mostly due to the butterfat composition in the finished product. Butter contains fat in three separate forms: free butterfat, butterfat crystals, and undamaged fat globules. In the finished product, different proportions of these forms result in different consistencies within the butter. Churning produces small butter grains floating in the water-based portion of the cream. This watery liquid is called buttermilk. The buttermilk is drained off. Then the grains are pressed and kneaded together. This consolidates the butter into a solid mass and breaks up embedded pockets of buttermilk or water into tiny droplets.
almost all of its water and milk solids removed, leaving almost-pure butterfat - has a higher smoke point, used for sautéing.
Cream may be separated from whey instead of milk - taste more salty, tangy and "cheesy".
Based on a 100g portion 1
name | amount |
---|---|
water | 0 g |
energy | 0 kJ |
protein | 0 g |
fat | 0 g |
USDA Fooddata Central Database -- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov ↩