Butter Cooking

Butter cooking is generally done with butter or margarine and this kind of cooking is ideal for sautéing, baking and also for making sauces. When foods are cooked using butter, the flavors are complemented and enhanced and it also adds complexity to the sauces. When butter (that is made of cow’s milk) is heated, it melts and has a wonderful nutty flavor that gets transferred to the ingredients that are cooked with this cooking medium. Almost all the cuisines have dishes that undergo this method of cooking.

 

Origin of Butter Cooking

Cooking with butter dates back to the time when domesticated animals’ milk such as the goat, sheep or cattle was used for making butter, especially in Africa and Near East. The skin of these animals was used as sacks for storing the milk of these animals. After half filling the milk, these sacks were inflated with air so as to convert the milk to butter over time. In the middle ages, butter was used for cooking more by the peasants. It was only by the 16th century that the Roman Catholic Church allowed the upper class to use butter for butter cooking during Lent.

 

Process of Butter Cooking

Cooking with butter is done in many ways from sautéing to baking to making soups and stews, and also for garnishing. When heat is applied, butter melts easily, especially in cases of sautéing or any other way of cooking were direct heat is involved. However, in cases of making spreads using butter, then the shortening agent needs to be softened before ingredients such as spices, herbs or even flavoring agents are added. This kind of butter is known as ‘compound butter’. This can be used as a spread, can be sliced, placed on hot sauce and at times even served as a dessert, if it is sweetened butter.

 

Popular Dishes Prepared by Butter Cooking

Butter Cooking is ideal for preparing sauces, sautés and stir fries, bakes and even used for garnishing. Some popular dishes prepared by cooking with butter are:

White Sauce – This sauce is used for preparing bakes and even the popular Russian Salad. The sauce gets its nice nutty flavor from sautéing the flour with butter till it turns a light brown.

Cakes – All cakes/pastries get their rich taste from the shortening that is used. Though butter gives the taste, some people prefer using margarine.

 

Butter Cooking Trivia

Butter Cooking is not advisable for people suffering from milk allergies, because of the allergy causing proteins present in the butter. A little butter added to low fat foods (such as vegetables), may cut down on the hunger pangs.