Buttermilk

[SobaAddict70]

I've never had buttermilk. What should I expect?

What can you do with it?

What are the best uses for it?

Your stories please.

The thread on butter made me recall the first time I heard of buttermilk, which was in one of the Little House books where Laura reminisces about making butter, by hand churn, coloring the milk with grated carrots through a cheesecloth, and churning the milk until a solid lump of butter formed.

Soba

[Ron Johnson]

Buttermilk has a higher acidity than regular milk. It is crucial for making biscuits.

Edited March 17, 2003 by Ron Johnson (log)

[guajolote]

Buttermilk used to be the liquid that was left after milk was churned - the butter would float top the top. Today (I think) it is just milk that has a bacteria culture added to it, kind of like liquid yogurt.

A lot of recipes combine buttermilk with baking soda, the acid in the buttermilk activates the baking soda to provide leavening. Pancakes with buttermilk are very good.

I've also seen recipes for fried chicken where you marinate the chicken for along time (8 hours) to tenderize it.

Buy some and taste it (personally I don't like it, but I don't like yogurt either), it's very inexpensive.

I think if you add buttermilk to cream you end up with creme fraiche?

[Sandra Levine]

I don't like to drink it, but love it as an ingredient. Ranitidine likes to drink it in the summertime. He claims it is refreshing. It's probably no coincidence that he is a major yogurt consumer. Even the very low-fat versions are thick and rich-seeming.

[Rhea_S]

I like drinking buttermilk after I water it down a little. I've only had the grocery store buttermilk, but I've been told that fresh buttermilk is completely different and delicious.

Buttermilk is used quite often in lowfat baking and that's pretty much all I've ever used it for aside from biscuits. If a baking recipe needs buttermilk and you don't have any on hand, you can make a substitute using milk, a little vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes to thicken. And yes, you can make creme fraiche by adding buttermilk to cream and letting it sit unrefrigerated until it thickens (hours and hours). This used to scare me, but I haven't died or become sick, so I guess it's safe.

[claire797]

Buttermilk is a great tenderizer for chicken and beef. When I'm roasting a tougher cut of meat like Eye of Round, I like to marinate it in buttermilk for a day before seasoning it and putting it in the oven.

Buttermilk marinade is a must for fried chicken too. Whether you intend to oven fry, deep fry or pan fry, throw your chicken in a Ziplock bag full of buttermilk and let it soak for a day. When you're ready to fry,shake off the excess buttermilk, dredge if flour (breadcrumbs, whatever) and cook.

[kitwilliams]

Buttermilk is a crucial ingredient for Irish Soda Bread which everyone must be baking today, no???

[vengroff]

Here is a recipe for Crispy Buttermilk Waffles.

[Xanthippe]

And yes, you can make creme fraiche by adding buttermilk to cream and letting it sit unrefrigerated until it thickens (hours and hours). This used to scare me, but I haven't died or become sick, so I guess it's safe.

No need to be scared! I've been making my own creme fraiche for a number of years now; my experience tells me it's perfectly safe -- indeed, critical to the fermentation process -- to leave the mixture at room temperature. I use Rose Levy Beranbaum's "recipe" of 1 T. buttermilk to 1 cup heavy cream. Pour ingredients into a jar or plastic container, whisk the mixture together, place container in a warm part of the kitchen (mine goes on top of the fridge), and leave container ajar to help the culture grow. It's usually ready in about 24 hours, though I've left it as long as 36 hours with no problem.

I love the stuff, especially as I don't have to pay an arm and a leg in order to enjoy it!

[Ye-Ye Girl]

I use buttermilk in waffles, cornbread, and a favorite childhood cookie recipe. I haven't tried it in biscuits, but since I love biscuits, I'll have to give it a whirl.

Mmmmm. Biscuits.

[Jinmyo]

Buttermilk is also a good marinade for pork and fish.

[Jaymes]

I started making Buttermilk Candy when I was about eight. It's like Southern Pralines. Very good.

[Xanthippe]

Buttermilk is also a good marinade for pork and fish.

As it is for game; the acid in the buttermilk tenderizes the leaner, tougher cuts of meat beautifully.

I prepared an elk roast during the holidays. Bathed it in a juniper-berry-and-buttermilk marinade for at least three days, and the end result was delicious.

[SobaAddict70]

I started making Buttermilk Candy when I was about eight.  It's like Southern Pralines.  Very good.

I'm all ears....

recipe pls.

Soba