The Many Household Uses For Butter

It is delicious on bread and popcorn as well as on potato and corn. Oh heck, I'll admit it, butter can be a tasty addition to almost any food. Surprisingly though it is important to note that butter has many practical purposes in the kitchen. Our great grandmother knew that butter is a food product that can be used for far more than just baking.

Rural women who traditionally spent a large part of their day in the kitchen preparing meals and baking the family's daily bread knew that in an emergency situation they could reach out for what was handiest for them to use. One product that was generally close at hand was butter and it could solve a number of everyday household dilemmas.

Used as a grease to loosen items or a lotion to soothe, butter has traditionally been used as an essential solution for a number of tasks around the home. Frontier women knew to reach out for a quick swab of butter to solve whichever household situation it might be required for.

Butter is perfect for greasing up a cast iron pan. Simply apply a small dab or thin pat of butter into the pan then use a cotton rag to rub the butter over and throughout the pan. It will shine up beautifully. This greasy coating also serves to season cast iron so not only will your old pans come out gleaming they will also not be so likely to have food stick to them in future uses.

Butter can also be used to prevent a knife from sticking. A thin layer of butter helps make this basic kitchen utensil silky smooth and much abler to cut sticky foods without issue. This can be especially helpful when cutting dough or other foods which have a tendency to cling to the cutter.

Busy in the kitchen? If a pot is starting to boil a little too quickly than a little plop of butter into the water will effectively stop the water from boiling over. And if you are cooking something starchy a teaspoon of butter in the spaghetti, macaroni, or rice pot will help to keep these starchy foods from sticking to the pot.

Butter can be used for a number of health and beauty regimens. As a quick and convenient lotion while working in the kitchen butter is always close by to relieve the symptoms of dry or cracked hands. In less than a minute a small dab of this smooth yellow mixture can be quickly rubbed over the hands and elbows to relieve the dryness that skin has a tendency to develop. In the evening it can be used as a hand or foot moisturizer just before bedtime. Butter's light greasy coating on these vulnerable areas can help to lock in and maintain moisture throughout the night.

When used as a hand cream butter can help to keep cuticles soft and flexible. Apply a small dab around the fingernails often throughout the day to help keep your nails less brittle or prone to breakage.

Butter can even be used as a massage cream and after the massage will leave your skin smelling fresh and feeling smooth to the touch. It also makes a suitable replacement for shaving cream and can be used for this purpose when the need arises.

As a moisturizing hair treatment it can be used to effectively restore health and shine to brittle hair. Use butter as a deep hair conditioner. Simply dampen hair, work a generous amount of butter into it, towel wrap buttered hair, and leave in for around thirty minutes. Wash hair thoroughly and then apply a vinegar and water rinse to remove any greasy residue.

To help keep your pet's coat glossy and smooth put a dab of butter on his or her paw daily. Your pet will enjoy this tasty treat and lick it off. For cats this greasy meal will also help to keep those nasty fur balls in check.

Butter can be used on most metals that squeak, stick, or grind when they shouldn't. There are many instances where it can be used as a grease to replace more harmful petroleum oils.

For greasing the chain or wheels on a bicycle or getting a key to slip more easily into an old lock, butter can be the more environmentally friendly product to use. It is easy to apply, simply use a cotton rag to massage the butter onto the sticky metal pieces to help loosen things up. Those annoying squeaks and creaks can be gone.

Butter can be used to loosen a too tight ring from a swollen finger. Many of us have used this trick on ourself or on someone that we know. When the kids get into something they shouldn't this greasy golden solution may help to slick them up enough to be removed from whatever it is they are stuck in.

Most parents know well how great butter is for removing a sticky mass of bubblegum from the hair, glue from sticky fingers, or tree sap from whatever body part it may have managed to attach itself to.

1. India is the country that is the number one producer of butter. This is a good thing because they are also the number one consumers of butter.

2. It takes 10.2 litres of cows milk to make 454 grams ie one pound of butter. Now that is a lot of moo cooperation going on out there in the fields!

3. Butter contains about the same amount of calories as margarine or vegetable oils.

4. Butter has been around for about 10,000 years.

One serving or about 2 teaspoons each:

a) Butter: 8g fat 72g calories

B) Margarine: 8g fat 72g calories

C) Olive Oil: 10g fat 88g calories

Butter does contain transfats whereas transfat free margarines do not leading many to reach for the vegetable substitute instead. Recent research though has pushed butter back into the spotlight as a natural product with a healthy array of nutritious benefits so despite its high fat content it is a preferable choice by many. If you are looking to diversify olive oil is always a healthy oil choice.

Like most things in life moderation is the key. Restrict your fatty intake to a helathy level and resist the temptation to dine out too heavily on those foods that are calorie laden.