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or 100 g butter

Oils & FatsYear-round. However, butter from grass-fed dairy animals shows seasonal variation in color and flavor, with deeper golden hues and more complex flavors in spring and summer when animals graze fresh pasture; winter butter from grain-fed animals or stored forage tends to be paler.

Butter is calorie-dense and primarily composed of saturated fat (approximately 62% of fat content), with smaller amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. It contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K2, particularly in grass-fed varieties.

About

Butter is a dairy product produced by churning cream or milk to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk, resulting in a solid or semi-solid emulsion of fat, water, and milk solids. The process involves agitation of fat globules suspended in liquid until they coalesce into a continuous fat phase. Butter is primarily composed of milk fat (at least 80% in most standards) with the remainder being water and milk solids. It ranges in color from pale yellow to deep golden depending on the diet of the dairy animals and the season; grass-fed butter tends to be more intensely colored due to carotenoid content. The flavor profile is rich, creamy, and slightly sweet, with cultured or "European-style" butter offering tangy notes from lactic acid fermentation.

Butter exists in several regional variations: unsalted (sweet) butter, salted butter (preservative and flavoring), and cultured butter produced from fermented cream. The fat content and water content can vary slightly by region and producer, affecting melting point and cooking properties.

Culinary Uses

Butter functions as both a cooking medium and a finishing ingredient across nearly all culinary traditions. It is used for sautéing, pan-frying, and baking; it serves as a base for emulsified sauces (beurre blanc, hollandaise, brown butter); and it enriches baked goods, pastries, and confections. In European cuisine, butter is fundamental to classical cooking techniques. In Asian cuisines, it appears in curries, dals, and rice dishes, particularly in Indian and Southeast Asian cooking. Butter is spread on bread, melted over vegetables, and whipped into frostings and creams. Its relatively low smoke point (around 350°F/177°C for whole butter, higher for clarified butter or ghee) makes it best suited for moderate-heat cooking; for high-heat applications, clarified butter (ghee) is preferred.

Forms & Preparations

Unsalted (sweet) butter — Pure butter without added salt, preferred for baking and cooking where salt content must be controlled.
Salted butter — Butter with added salt (typically 1-2%), used for table use, cooking, and finishing dishes; salt acts as preservative and flavor enhancer.
Cultured butter — Made from fermented cream, offering tangy, complex flavor; commonly produced in Europe and increasingly available elsewhere.
Clarified butter (ghee) — Butter with water and milk solids removed through gentle heating and straining, resulting in pure butterfat with higher smoke point.
Browned butter (beurre noisette) — Butter heated until milk solids caramelize, developing nutty flavor and aroma; used as finishing condiment or in baking.
Compound butter — Softened butter mixed with herbs, spices, or other ingredients, then chilled; used as finishing element on meat, vegetables, or bread.