Whenever I post a recipe that contains buttermilk, like my cookie recipe yesterday, I usually get a few comments or emails from readers who say they do not keep buttermilk on hand.
You can almost always find buttermilk in my fridge, so not having it on hand seems odds to me. This got me thinking about buttermilk and whether or not most people keep buttermilk on hand.
To me buttermilk is a staple in my kitchen. I use it in pancakes, biscuits, muffins, quick breads, and even things like cookies. I have also made buttermilk syrup that we use on pancakes and waffles. Yes, I know you can buy buttermilk powder and I have used this before. I also know that you can substitute buttermilk by using 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice. I have also done this a few times.
But I don’t think either of those are as good as buying and using buttermilk. Buttermilk is thick and creamy; you can’t get that texture with either the powdered buttermilk or the milk/vinegar trick. Buttermilk also has a unique tangy taste that I don’t think the other options have. In my opinion things like biscuits are just not the same made without buttermilk. They are not as flaky or tender. I think the same goes for pancakes and other recipes that call for buttermilk. So, maybe this makes me a bit of a food snob, but buttermilk works for me better than any of the other options.
I know many of you probably do not keep it on hand because you won’t use it all before it goes bad. But did you know that you can freeze it? I have done that before and it works great.
Today on Twitter I asked what others thought about buttermilk being a kitchen staple. Now I am really thinking that I am in the minority here. Most people don’t keep buttermilk on hand. Here are some of the replies that I got on twitter.
Phoebe said, “I usually do not keep buttermilk–but I’ve slowly begun to realize that the real deal makes a HUGE difference! “
Amy said, “I just do the vinegar in milk trick. I’m sure buttermilk would be better, but I don’t keep it on hand.”
”I do the vinegar/milk thing too. Seems to work out alright for me, but I’m sure real buttermilk is tastier! ” said Micropreemies. She also said that she has done this with my Buttermilk Chocolate Bread and it worked great.
“We try to keep buttermilk on hand as well. To me biscuits aren’t biscuits with out buttermilk.” said http://tia-mimi.blogspot.com/
Foodie Reflects said, “It’s easy to make buttermilk with milk and lemon juice. I find in baking that I usually just need a little buttermilk & can’t always find it in sm amounts. Easier to make it. ”
So, now I am really curious, what do you think? Is buttermilk a kitchen staple in your house? Or do you think the milk and vinegar trick or buttermilk powder work just as good?
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I love to cook and my family loves to eat! I keep buttermilk in my fridge most all the time. As you said it is so much better in pancakes, biscuits, etc. I am from the south, maybe that is the reason. From what I’ve been reading, buttermilk is very good for us. I also have been soaking grains when I remember to do it! I wonder if there was a reason that our grandparents drank it & tried to get us to do the same!?
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I’m in the minority too. I almost always have buttermilk on hand. I’ve used the substitutes, but they are just not the same. I love using it in baked goods, but I also use it for buttermilk syrup and homemade ranch dressing.
I’ve never tried freezing it, thanks for the tip!
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I also just do the milk and vinegar trick, but I cook quite a few recipes that call for buttermilk so maybe I should try buying it and freezing it and see if I notice a difference in taste.
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I use the milk and lemon juice trick. I need it less than once a month, so it doesn’t make sense to me to keep it on hand, but I have a friend who does!
And to boot, my Indiana co-worker brings half-gallons of buttermilk to work and drinks it all the time for his heartburn. We make jokes about it, but it grosses me out!!!
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Hmmm… maybe I’ll have to grab some and keep it in the freezer. But, I’ve been buying all of my milk straight from the farm for the last few months. Don’t know if I want to go back to pasteurized…
Definitely something to think about!
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Buttermilk is a staple at my house! I use it for biscuits, pancakes, cakes – I can’t even make a decent biscuit without buttermilk.
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I am a firm believer that if a recipe calls for buttermilk then buttermilk it is! If I buy it for a certain recipe, I will find other recipes to make with it before it goes bad in the refrigerator.
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Interesting. As I’ve learned to do more baking and cooking this last year, I’ve just used the milk/lemon juice substitute because I haven’t wanted to waste any I couldn’t use. But I also haven’t made anything that depends on the buttermilk for a strong part of the final flavor. If I did that, I would probably buy the real thing. And now that I know you’ve frozen it successfully, I think I will do just that! Thanks for the tip!!! (My husband will thank you too, I’m sure, once I get a good biscuit recipe!)
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Love the real thing. My husband loves cornbread, biscuits, and pancakes made with it. Also, bake with it. Never tried freezing it.
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I live in the south and buttermilk is a staple in my house. When I am out and don’t have time for a store trip I have used the milk and lemon juice trick. It’s okay, just not quite the same.
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I love to cook with buttermilk. I can usually purchase BM for .75 for a half gallon on clearance at kroger. I take it home and pour one cup measures into freezer bags and freeze to have on hand for any recipe.
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staple!
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I generally keep it on hand, too. My dh makes pancakes most Sunday mornings and the taste difference is huge.
He uses it past the expiration date and it is fine (I buy it on clearance at Kroger quite often, too). If we run out, we replace it with plain yogurt thinned a bit with regular milk. We like that better than the dry buttermilk or making soured milk and it’s rare that we’d be out of both yogurt and buttermilk at the same time.
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I prefer buttermilk over the powdered stuff. The powdered just isn’t as good. I never thought about freezing the real stuff before. DUH! Thanks for the tip!
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I MUST always have buttermilk in my fridge! We have cornbread, as well as pancakes, at LEAST once a week. So we go through it pretty fast.
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I think the difference is you make better treats than I do! I never get pancakes, which sound so good right now. I agree that homemade buttermilk isn’t as good as the real stuff, but for the few recipes I need it for it works fine. And those call for small quantities – usually 1 cup or less.
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I don’t think I’ve ever bought buttermilk. Maybe, but I always keep the powdered buttermilk in my fridge. That is a staple for me.
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buttermilk in the 1/2 gallon jug is a staple in my kitchen. I have a can of powdered buttermilk as a backup.
I will agree with you too that nothing beats the texture you get in baked goods with good ol’ buttermilk–the thick & creamy kind!
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It’s a staple in THIS house!
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I have honestly never bought buttermilk. I’m sure it tastes better, but for as little as I use it (just in a few recipes that I have), I always just add lemon juice to whole milk.
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I honestly never use the stuff. When I was a kid, my dad would drink it from the carton.
I would never use it before it goes bad and I think it’s too much trouble, so I usually skip any recipes with it altogether. Yes, I am a bit of a lazy cook in this area.
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