Butter may very well be my favorite food. Well, okay – it’s probably a seven-way tie between butter, bacon, kale, parmesan cheese, sauerkraut, figs, and pistachios.
But I digress. As much as we’ve been pushed to use olive oil as the heart-healthy alternative, and as much as popular low-fat rhetoric likes to frame butter as a villain, I actually don’t think of my butter consumption as a vice. It is a traditional, medicinal, nutritional dietary fat that has infinite uses in cooking and otherwise, and has been around for centuries – long before it was labeled as something we shouldn’t be eating, and long before people started doubling in width (and health insurance premiums).
Why is butter so great? A few reasons. First, it’s delicious. Fat is the purest form of energy we can feed our bodies, the highest grade fuel we can consume. Bodies run better on butter. Second, its natural oils, aminos (protein), and fatty acids (especially omega-3s) support cell renewal, collagen production, and supple joints. Sounds like an anti-aging miracle to me. Finally, when grass-fed and/or pasture-raised, butter is brimming with vitamins from green nutrition, sunshine, and space. Of course, if your tummy + dairy aren't a match made in heaven, listen to your inner dietary wisdom (and that of your accredited nutrition professional) instead. For me, butter is soothing, and I have seen only improvements since adding more of it to my culinary repertoire.
So, without further ado, here is a list of 10 great things I think you should do with butter, starting today. Have any more ideas? Leave them in the comments!
10 things to do with butter
- Make ghee – ghee is another name for clarified butter. It’s an ancient Indian food, used for everything from cooking, to medicine, to aiding sacred rituals. Ghee is also free of milk solids, which burn easily, so it has a higher smoke point and can be used at higher cooking temperatures than butter. See this great tutorial for how to make your own ghee.
- Indulge – in some of Sarah Wilson’s sugar-free nut balls, which are brimming with nutrition.
- Moisturize – slather room-temp butter on hair, skin, nail beds, and cuticles. You can even use it as shaving cream!
- Whip it – with raspberry jam; and serve with a batch of almond-flour waffles.
- Preserve – spread a thin layer of butter on the cut edge of hard cheese, an onion, or other veggies before wrapping and refrigerating, to prevent spoilage and the growth of mold.
- Tea – make some matcha butter tea for the best morning pick-me-up alternative to coffee.
- Coffee – if tea isn’t your thing, upgrade your coffee and make it bulletproof.
- Mushrooms – the very best way to cook flavorful mushrooms is with a couple tablespoons of butter, a cast iron pan, and a sprinkle of salt. Toss to coat, then leave them alone.
- Shine – forget spit and soap; rub a little butter on handbags, cowboy boots, silver jewelry, and other metals for impeccable sheen.
- Lubricate – who needs WD-40 when there’s butter in the fridge? The guy without butter in the fridge, that’s who.
I hope I’ve managed to convince you to incorporate more butter into your everyday lives. My favorite high quality brands are Straus and Kerrygold, both sold at Whole Foods and other specialty markets.
Have questions? Suggestions? Ideas of your own? Leave ‘em below!