When people think about cooking with butter, it's not uncommon for them to start to drool with delight! Unlike other forms of cooking fat, butter is straight forward in its goodness and in its taste. When people think of homebaked goodies that mother and grandmom used to make, they don't think of low-fat margarine. They only think about buttery treats that melt in the mouth. While butter is used as a topping, it has so many uses as a food ingredient. Here's a look at different types of butter, and it's uses.
Unsalted and salted: All it takes is a quick jaunt to the grocery store to find that there are two different varieties of butter in general. There is unsalted and salted varieties. These are both tasty and useful, but they might be used in different ways. For example, another name for unsalted butter is sweet butter. This is the type that is best used for baked goods. Obviously, a cook wouldn't want their baked treats to taste too salty. This is what can happen if the salted variety is used. Not only this, but the extra salt can make the dough tough not only to work with, but the end result might end up with a tough and rubbery texture on the palate. The only negative in buying and using the unsalted variety, is that it has no salty preservative, so it's prone to going rancid a lot faster. To head this off, it's best to either use it quickly, or keep any excess in the freezer.
The salted variety lends itself for savory cooked dishes instead of baked dishes. The only word of caution for this version, is that one should adjust their salt formula for their recipes, because salted butter will alter the salt taste. One thing that the cook could do to make sure all is well, is to wait until the salted butter and the other ingredients are mixed together. Then they can taste the salt ratio before adding in additional salt.
Baking: Again, the thought of biting into a rich pound cake, or chocolate chip cookies made from butter should make you drool and smack your lips with a smile on your face! Although many people use other fats such as margarine or shortening, there simply is no substitute for the rich, creamy, warm taste that spreads over your palate when you eat a real butter-made treat. The thing for cooks to keep in mind, is that butter in the batter can cause the mixture to brown faster than when the batter has shortening in it. Many people love it when the end product produces a rich golden brown. Again for many, it's not a home-made baked good if it's made with any other fat besides butter.
Sauteing: It's common to use this fat to saute foods such as vegetables, seafood, and even steak. Yes, it's possible thanks to the help of this fat to make even a meaty, beefy steak taste more as it should. Once you eat a steak sauteed this way, their will be no other way for you to eat this. When cooking other foods that have a high water content, make sure to pat them very dry to prevent splattering, and to protect the integrity of the saute. Finally, butter makes a scrumptious fat base for a variety of gravies and roux.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Mongiovi |
No comments:
Post a Comment