What Is Buttermilk? How To Use It In Southern Cooking

What is buttermilk? Well, there's the old answer and the new, because this key ingredient in Southern cooking has changed over time. The important thing to know is that buttermilk is a cultured dairy product with a slightly tangy flavor that we love in buttermilk biscuits and cornbread. We'll tell you exactly what buttermilk is, the different types available, and how to cook with it in your favorite Southern recipes.

What Is Buttermilk?

The old answer is that buttermilk was the thin, non-fat but rich-tasting liquid left in a churn after making butter, full of healthful, delicious cultures that develop naturally when cream is left at room temperature for a few hours to improve the flavor of the butter. The cultures meant that buttermilk kept longer than raw milk in the days before easy cooling and refrigeration, which made it useful in cooking.

The new answer is that buttermilk is still cultured milk, similar to natural yogurt and kefir, but instead of being a by-product of churning, most dairies inoculate fresh, pasteurized milk with cultures (harmless lactic acid bacteria) that transform it into the buttermilk we buy in bottles and cartons in stores.

What's The Difference Between Churned Vs. Store-Bought Buttermilk?

Although it looks and tastes rich and creamy, traditional churned buttermilk was always nonfat because all the fat wound up in the homemade butter. These days, cultured buttermilk can range from skim to full-fat with a corresponding calorie count, just like yogurt and sour cream. However, most of what we buy in stores is low-fat.

Store-bought buttermilk is thicker, tangier, and more acidic than traditional or homemade buttermilk. If you're preparing a recipe that calls for buttermilk, it's best to stick with store-bought, especially in baked goods that depend on precise leavening. Many recipes that call for buttermilk include baking soda as part of the leavening, to balance the acidity in the commercial buttermilk.

How Is Buttermilk Used In Southern Cooking?

Americans have used cultured milk—essentially sour milk—to leaven baked goods in combination with baking soda since the mid-1800s. This approach to baking didn't require yeast and became a mainstay in traditional Southern biscuits, pancakes, and other baking recipes. Today, cultured buttermilk is also used to add tanginess to thick creamy dressings and sauces. Last but not least, buttermilk is excellent for tenderizing meat and is often used in fried chicken recipes for that purpose.

Can You Drink Buttermilk?

Buttermilk is a prized Southern ingredient, but it's also a delicious beverage that's good for us. It is a potent source of probiotics and active cultures found in natural yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchee, and other fermented foods that aid digestion and promote gut health. A glass of bedtime buttermilk has soothed the tummies of the dyspeptic and the frayed nerves of many a late-night reveler. A few sips calmed things down, with the lactic acid making it easier to digest than milk.

How Long Does Buttermilk Last?

One of the charms of buttermilk besides its myriad uses is that it keeps longer than most other dairy products. After a few days in the fridge, buttermilk naturally separates into solids and whey. If it comes back together when shaken, it's usable, even if it's a couple of days beyond the freshness date. Cultured products are forgiving.

Can You Freeze Buttermilk?

Buttermilk freezes well, so there is no need to waste a drop. Just pour it into containers the size you use most often in your favorite recipes, such as 1 or 1/2 cup, so that you don't have to measure it again after thawing. If you're not sure how you'll use it later, freeze it in 1-tablespoon portions in ice cube trays so that you can pull out the number of cubes needed to add up to the amount called for in a future recipe. Thaw frozen buttermilk in the refrigerator overnight or on reduced power in the microwave.

Try These Buttermilk Recipes

Some recipes offer substitutions for buttermilk, but the truth is that buttermilk's signature cultures are what enable buttermilk to work culinary wonders in recipes. To replace a frosty bottle of buttermilk with a bowl of wan skim milk curdled by lemon juice or vinegar just won't do.

So, how can one use a fresh carton of buttermilk? Let us count at least 12 delicious ways:

1. Biscuits
2. Cornbread
3. Pancakes and waffles
4. Pound cake and chocolate cakes
5. Marinade for fried chicken
6. Fried green tomatoes
7. Smoothies and frozen desserts
8. Mashed potatoes or grits
9. Creamy soups (and instead of coconut milk or cream in curries)
10. Muffins
11. Creamy salad dressing
12. Refreshing beverages and cocktails