What is buttermilk, can it be made at home? What nutrients are contained, the nutritional value of the product. Useful properties and contraindications for use. Recipes and interesting facts about the oil can.
Buttermilk or butterdish is a low-fat cream. The drink can be considered a by-product of making butter, but sometimes it was made on its own from skim milk. The color is white, the consistency is liquid, it stratifies upon standing. The taste is sour, at the same time reminiscent of slightly sour milk diluted with water, or kefir, only slightly sharper. A not very pleasant sensation of an oil film remains on the tongue. Skim cream is rarely used as a drink, in most cases it is used as an ingredient in other dishes. Baby food and food additives are made on the basis of the oil can.
How is buttermilk prepared?
This product has not been specially made before. The liquid that remained after beating the butter was drained off, and the dough was kneaded on it. Buttermilk can now be made from skim milk at home.
How to do it:
- On yoghurt … Cool milk is mixed with live yogurt without filler in a 1: 2 ratio. If the yoghurt is very thick, you can increase the amount of milk. The mixture is well stirred and cooled. The finished product is fluid, but forms a greasy film on the spoon and dishes into which it is poured.
- With lemon juice or wine vinegar … Heat low-fat milk to body temperature. If a cooking thermometer is not available, apply a drop to the back of your hand. Pour vinegar or lemon juice - 180 ml of raw materials and 1 tbsp. l. leaven. Wine vinegar should be white. Leave for 15 minutes, then cool.
In an industrial setting, to make buttermilk, milk is pasteurized and defatted, homogenized, and then pure cultures of lactic acid bacteria are introduced. Packaged in packs of dense cellophane. But the production is unprofitable, since the shelf life of the product in the refrigerator is up to 2 days.
Composition and calorie content of buttermilk
Nutritional value allows you to introduce this product into the diet of those who are losing weight.
The calorie content of buttermilk is 62.5 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 3 g;
- Fat - 3.6 g;
- Carbohydrates - 4.8 g;
- Water - 80 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Vitamin A - 50 mcg;
- Retinol - 0.05 mg;
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.04 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.2 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 23.6 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.4 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.05 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 5 mcg;
- Vitamin B12, cobalamin - 0.4 μg;
- Vitamin C, ascorbic acid - 1.5 mg;
- Vitamin D, calciferol - 0.05 μg;
- Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol - 0.09 mg;
- Vitamin H, biotin - 3.2 μg;
- Vitamin PP - 0.598 mg;
- Niacin - 0.1 mg
Macronutrients per 100 g:
- Potassium, K - 146 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 120 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 14 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 50 mg;
- Sulfur, S - 29 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 90 mg;
- Chlorine, Cl - 110 mg.
Microelements per 100 g:
- Aluminum, Al - 50 μg;
- Iron, Fe - 0.07 mg;
- Iodine, I - 9 mcg;
- Cobalt, Co - 0.8 μg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.006 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 12 μg;
- Molybdenum, Mo - 5 μg;
- Tin, Sn - 13 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 2 μg;
- Strontium, Sr - 17 μg;
- Fluorine, F - 20 μg;
- Chromium, Cr - 2 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.4 mg.
Buttermilk also contains:
- Pectin - protects the mucous membrane of the digestive tract from toxins and improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines.
- Lecithin is a building material for brain and liver cells, stabilizes the central nervous system.
- Lactose - restores energy reserves.
- Organic acids - stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines and stop the development of putrefactive processes.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids - prevent the risk of obesity and lower blood pressure, slow down the heart rate.
- Monounsaturated fatty acids - accelerate metabolic processes, protect the body from toxins from outside.
The benefits and harms of buttermilk are largely determined by these substances. Excess can provoke the accumulation of cholesterol and weight gain, leading to the development of diarrhea. But with a lack of organic components, the skin becomes dry, the hair breaks off, the mucous membranes become inflamed, and age-related changes rapidly increase. The character changes, irritability increases, depression develops. The use of a fermented milk product helps to normalize the condition.
Useful properties of buttermilk
The rich vitamin and mineral composition of the dairy product allows it to be introduced into the diet of patients recovering from serious illnesses.
Buttermilk benefits:
- Increases immunity, creating favorable conditions for the vital activity of beneficial intestinal microflora.
- It has a detoxifying effect, helps to remove toxins from the liver and intestines.
- Improves the functions of the cardiovascular system, prevents the development of atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke.
- Stimulates the dissolution of cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels, improves the functioning of the myocardium.
- It has a mild diuretic and laxative effect, increases the speed of peristalsis.
- Strengthens inert and cartilaginous tissue, increases the elasticity of muscle fibers.
- Protects organic tissue from destruction at the cellular level.
A very important useful property of buttermilk is that it simultaneously quenches thirst and blocks the feeling of hunger, replenishing the reserve of nutrients in the body. For this she is appreciated by those who are losing weight. One of the conditions for rapid weight loss is a low-calorie diet and an extended drinking regime.
There are no restrictions on the use of buttermilk. It can be drunk by children from the age of 1, 5 years, elderly patients suffering from diabetes and diseases of the digestive tract in remission. You will not have to give up a fermented milk drink with lactase deficiency. The casein content is minimal and allergies are rare.
Contraindications and harm of buttermilk
Individual intolerance rarely appears, but it must be remembered that a worsening of the condition can occur with abuse. After 2-3 glasses a day, intestinal irritation appears, flatulence and bloating occur, digestive disorders - diarrhea or constipation.
Buttermilk causes harm in patients with increased acidity of gastric juice, with a relapse of gastritis or peptic ulcer disease. You can not drink a fermented milk drink with pancreatitis, liver diseases, increased bile secretion.
Some people experience a gag reflex when eating buttermilk products. This is due to the characteristic specific taste that persists even when it is introduced as an ingredient in various dishes. In this case, it is better to abandon the use completely.
Buttermilk recipes
In culinary recipes, buttermilk can replace kefir. The most delicious desserts are made with skim cream.
Buttermilk recipes:
- Raspberry pie … The oven regulator is set to 200 ° C. While the required temperature is reached, knead the dough. Sift 250 g of flour, add baking powder, half a tablespoon, a little salt to it. Beat half a pack of butter with a glass of sugar, add 2 eggs, combine with flour, pour in buttermilk. You should get a dense and smooth dough with an oily consistency. The amount of buttermilk is determined experimentally. A baking dish is greased with sunflower oil, the dough is put into it, leveled, and a recess for the raspberries is formed. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, check by sticking a toothpick. If the tip that entered the dough is dry, the pie is ready. Cool and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.
- Salad … Broccoli cabbage (450 g) is washed, boiled in salted water for 3 minutes, without dividing into inflorescences. Then the vegetable is thrown into a colander so that the excess liquid is glass. You can even dry it with paper towels. Then the head of cabbage is divided by hand into small inflorescences. Peeled salted pistachios (0.5 tbsp) are peeled and cut in half. Cut half of the red onion into thin, almost transparent strips. Rinse with boiling water. You can marinate in apple cider vinegar, diluted in half with water, adding a little sugar. Cut the other half of the onion into arbitrary pieces, pour in 125 g of buttermilk, add 1 tbsp. l. brown sugar, apple cider vinegar - 1 tbsp. l., if the onions were pickled, and 2 tbsp. l. - if only doused with boiling water, 2 tbsp. l. dietary mayonnaise. Beat for 20-30 minutes. Layers of broccoli in a salad bowl, nuts - half a glass, dried cranberries - a third of a glass. Distribute the onion on top, fill it with dressing. Leave at room temperature to infuse under cling film. Salt and pepper before serving. Prepare as much salad as you can eat at one time. The dish cannot be stored.
- Roast … Turkey meat (0.6 kg) is freed from the skin, the bones are removed. They beat it off, roll it up into a tourniquet or sausage, wrap it with a thread on top. Salt and pepper. Sunflower oil is heated in a pot and fried on all sides until golden brown. Then put it into the oven in a closed container and simmer at 180 ° C for about 40-45 minutes. Then they take the pot out of the oven, pour 400 ml of milk buttermilk and 100 ml of wine, add 2 bay leaves, a few cloves, oregano, thyme and put the meat and hot sauce back into the oven for another 40 minutes. The finished meat is removed from the pot onto a plate, the sauce is drained. The meat is again laid out in the pot and covered with a lid so that it does not cool down, and the sauce is filtered through cheesecloth, poured into a ladle, a little less than a glass of buttermilk with diluted starch is added - 2 tbsp is enough. l. Bring to a boil, turn off. The meat is cut into portions, laid out on plates and poured over with sauce. The best side dish is potatoes or rice.
- Airy dessert … Beat 100 g buttermilk, 200 g unsweetened yogurt, 1 ripe banana and a handful of peeled pistachios in a blender. Sprinkle each portion with chocolate.
- Syrup … 180-200 ml of buttermilk is poured into an enamelled scoop, 115-130 g of butter, cut into pieces, are poured, 300 g of sugar and baking soda are poured on the tip of a knife, 2 tbsp. l. corn syrup. Cook for 6-7 minutes. Served with pancakes.
Buttermilk drinks:
- Tomato cocktail … Pour half a glass of tomato juice and buttermilk into a blender bowl or shaker, add pepper and salt on the tip of a knife, more finely chopped greens - parsley, dill, or cilantro. Beat up. Garnish with a mint leaf before serving.
- Fitness cocktail … All the ingredients are poured into the blender bowl: a small kohlrabi, a peeled cucumber, garlic and onion feathers in an arbitrary amount, parsley and dill. Pour in the buttermilk. You can add salt before use.
- Mango lassi … Mango, 500 g, mashed with 4 tbsp. l. sugar, pour in an oil can - 1 liter, pour in the juice of one lime, after cutting off a slice for decoration. Pour ice cubes into each glass before serving.
- Vanilla cocktail … In a blender, mix 0.5 kg of vanilla ice cream with 1 glass of buttermilk, add a drop of lemon extract and 1 tsp. lemon peel. You can sprinkle with grated chocolate before serving.
Interesting facts about buttermilk
In the Middle East, the oil can is used to quench thirst. The climate is hot, you don't want to eat, and skim cream is an excellent option to replenish the vitamin and mineral reserve of the body.
Many oriental sweets are made with buttermilk - the dough is more airy and tender. The specific flavor is drowned out by vanilla, cinnamon and other natural flavors.
Skimmed cream is now popular in European countries. In Bulgaria, they are used to make cocktails and fermented milk drinks, adding various strains of bacteria. In Hungary, buttermilk is used to make multi-colored low-fat milkshakes, artificial flavors and natural sourdough are introduced. In Germany, it is used as a feedstock for dietetic cottage cheese and cheeses, and in Australia for butter. The resulting product is much more useful than margarine, contains the whole complex of useful substances of skim cream, and is easier to digest. But at the same time it is easier to spread on bread and does not freeze.
If you have buttermilk in your home, you don't have to worry about the condition of your skin and hair. It is enough just to wipe the face like a lotion, morning and evening, to whiten the skin, eliminate freckles, and stop inflammation. For owners of dry skin, in order to prevent drying out, it is advisable to mix fat-free cream with vegetable oils - sea buckthorn or olive oil in home cosmetic masks.
Buttermilk bath - 4-5 liters per standard volume - has the same rejuvenating effect as milk bath. After this procedure, the skin becomes firm and smooth.
For oily hair, it is recommended to use skim cream instead of a mask. Stir in lemon juice and cognac - 1 tbsp each. l. for 100 ml buttermilk, or egg yolk. Apply for no more than 30 minutes, wash off with shampoo. If left on for longer, the head will smell like sour milk.
Do not keep the oiler at room temperature for a long time. It loses its beneficial properties and begins to sour within 40-60 minutes. Store in the refrigerator no longer than 48 hours and always in glassware. In a metal container, a fermented milk drink will quickly oxidize, and in a polyethylene package, after opening, it will smell like plastic.
How to cook buttermilk - watch the video:
Watch the video of what to cook with buttermilk:
If the goal is health improvement, buttermilk should be used immediately after purchase. The life cycle of lactic acid bacteria is short, and, despite the original taste, on the second day there will be no benefit from eating.
