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Ingredientbeginnerdraft

Butter

Also searched as: sweet cream butter, clarified butter, ghee

In short: Butter is itself an of fat, water and milk protein. That is why it thickens sauces, but burns sooner than oil.

Picture it

Like a ready-made parcel: fat, water and protein already tied together.

What Butter does
ROLEPROCESSthickens sauces whenmountingbrowns nuttily (brownbutter)burns early because ofmilk proteinmakes pastry shortEmulsionMaillard reactionSmoke point of fatGluten development

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What happens

Butter is about four fifths fat; the rest is water and milk protein. The milk protein browns nuttily when heated and then burns. Clarified butter has no water or protein and takes much more heat.

What the ingredient does

thickens sauces when mountingEmulsion
browns nuttily (brown butter)Maillard reaction
burns early because of milk proteinSmoke point of fat
makes pastry shortGluten development

Rules of thumb

  1. For hard frying use clarified butter or oil; fresh butter only at the end.
  2. Cold butter for mounting sauces and for shortcrust, soft butter for creaming.
Related entries
Mounting with butterSmoke point of fatBastingMaking butterMaking clarified butter and ghee
Sources · 1
  • Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004), Kapitel Saucen, Eier