BUTTERNaturally Delicious
Driven by strong consumer desire for natural food products, butter boasts a significant
resurgence. Americans place a higher value on products with fewer ingredients andbutter fits this trend perfectly. The ingredient deck is simple: for sweet butter, theonly ingredient is cream; salted butter contains cream and salt. This is a restaurant
operator’s dream, and it’s ideal for everything from condiments to baking to sauces.

BUTTER FACTS
California is the largest butter producer in thecountry. In 2017, California dairy processors
churned 534 million pounds.

Commercial butter in the U.S. contains 8082% milkfat; in addition, there’s 16-17%
water and 1-2% solids (mainly protein andsalt). European-style butter is a cultured
butter churned longer to attain at least 82%
butterfat.

The word “butter” is derived from the Greek
word bou-tyron, which translates to “cowcheese.” Its first recorded use goes back 4,000years.

Real California butter is full of nutrients
including: Conjugated linoleic acid – an antiinflammatory fatty acid, healthy saturated
fats, butyrate (an anti-inflammatory) andVitamins A, D, E, and K2.

STORAGE & HANDLINGlStore butter in the refrigerator tightly
wrapped or in a covered dish.

lKeep it away from highly aromatic foods so
it doesn’t pick up external flavors.

l

Butter is safe at room temperature for shortperiods, but refrigerate to maintain peakflavor.

l

To freeze butter, overwrap the original
package with aluminum foil. Subsequently,
to soften butter quickly, cut it into 1/8thinch slices and place the slices in a bowl. Or
grate the frozen butter with a box grater.
For best results, do not soften butter in amicrowave.

lFrozen salted butter will generally maintainbest quality for about 12 months, while
unsalted butter will stay at peak quality forabout six months; in both cases, the butter
will remain safe beyond those times.

For more information about CMAB Foodservice:209.883.6455 (MILK) | businessdevelopment@cmab.net | www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice

FOODSERVICE APPLICATIONS
Back-of-the-House

As a cooking ingredient, butter is better because of its richflavor, moisture and ideal melting properties.
Butter has a higher smoke point than olive oil and enhances
the flavor of everything it’s cooked with, such as meats andvegetables. Butter also adds a silky, creamy texture to saucesthat provides a vibrancy and improved mouthfeel. New uses forbutter include as an ingredient in tomato sauces and in coffee,
in place of cream or milk.
When cooking with butter, chefs recommend cutting it intopieces before melting. Additionally, butter continues to cookafter it is taken off the heat – it’s best to monitor cook time for
maximum flavor. Chefs prefer unsalted or “sweet” butter tocontrol the salt amounts in recipes.
Due to butter’s popularity and superior nutritionals,restaurants have adjusted their menus. McDonald’s switchedfrom liquid margarine to butter for its Egg McMuffin® toimprove flavor. Jack in the Box Buttery Jack® burger includes amelted garlic herb butter.
Chefs are poaching fish dishes with butter to add rich flavor
and preserve moisture. Butter-poached lobster, shrimp andsalmon are also growing in popularity.

Front-of-the-House

In restaurants, bread and butter is often the first food served;
setting expectation levels on quality. Of course, nothingcompares with a dollop of whipped butter on pancakes andwaffles. The popular “all-day-breakfast” trend opens the door
for operators to slather butter on toast 24/7.
Garnish fresh asparagus, steamed broccoli and baked potatoes
with butter to delight restaurant patrons. When asked whatmakes the difference between restaurant and home-cooked
food, many chefs respond that it’s their favorite ingredient …
butter.

WHAT’S TRENDING
Coffee Surge Spurs Demand for Bakery GoodsCoffee houses have expanded theirofferings of pastries, donuts and otherbaked goods. Many urban areas havealso seen a resurgence in high-quality
local bakeries. Butter is the baseingredient in bakery recipes offering
delicious flavor.

Marginalizing Margarine

Americans crave real butter at theexpense of margarine, a trans-fat
loaded product made from partiallyhydrogenated vegetable oils. In recentyears, as consumers are more aware of
the health risks of trans-fats, they havedrastically cut back on margarine andturned to butter. Foodservice operators
have capitalized on this trend.

Boosting Flavor of Butter

Inventive foodservice operators are
expanding their use of butter to matchthe growing demand. Compound butters
are featured in both sweet and savory
dishes. For sweet compound butters,add lemon or orange zest, maple
syrup, honey or cinnamon to spreadon pancakes, waffles or cornbread.
Savory compound butters use herbs
like rosemary, spices or nuts and areused to top beef, pork, or fish and boost
the flavor of vegetables. Smoked butter
capitalizes on Americans’ craving forsmoked meats. It’s excellent on brisket,corn-on-the-cob and biscuits.

© California Milk Advisory Board. An Instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

For more information about CMAB Foodservice:209.883.6455 (MILK) | businessdevelopment@cmab.net | www.RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice