Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Buttermilk vs Whey....what's the difference?

Here is a little FYI for you....Real buttermilk is what is left over after making butter (you probably already know this). To make buttermilk, you first make butter then you leave the liquid left over on the counter for several days (yep, you read correct) so that bacteria (the good ones) produce lactic acid which clabbers or thickens the buttermilk (but not as thick as the store-bought because they add thickeners, cheaters!). You know buttermilk is ready when it has clabbered (curdled/thickened). My grandma would drink buttermilk (blech!) straight from a glass. It is much too sour for my taste buds but I will definitely use it for cooking and baking. My cousin makes her own butter and she milks her own cows too. She makes cheeses and yogurt too. I've made butter because I want know how to do it and for if I ever have to know how to do it. I use store-bought buttermilk to flavor and tenderize meat because it's easier than driving all the way out to my cousin's farm to buy milk from her. The enzymes and calcium tenderize and flavor meat.
 
Whey is the liquid you have after making cheese. You can keep it in the fridge for smoothies to make a protein shake because whey is pure protein. You can also mix it in soups. You ferment sauerkraut with whey. Whey is a natural source for probiotics for healthy digestion. This is especially good to have after taking antibiotics because the good bacteria are killed along with the bad; whey restores the good bactieria.
And, because of its high calcium, I dilute it with water and water my garden (especially tomatoes and peppers) with it.


No comments:

Post a Comment