Butter is an ingredient regarded as a starting point to many baked goods from cakes, breads, biscuits, and cookies, and is also what adds that extra layer of aroma to different dishes for more balanced flavors. Butter can be divided into 4 types as follows:
Fresh butter is made from milk such as goat’s milk, cow milk, or buffalo milk, and can be divided into 2 types: unsalted and salted butter.
Compound butter is made from a mix of vegetable oil and milk, and has a scent and color similar to that of butter.
Margarine is made from soybean oil or palm oil and is scented to resemble butter.
Shortening is made from vegetable oil in a way that is similar to margarine. However, it is not scented or colored to keep its solid white shape.
Unsalted Butter Color/Scent: Subtle scent and flavor, with a light yellow hue. Uses: Popularly used in baking and seasoning food such as steak, pasta, and curries, as well as used to grill certain meats.
Salted Butter Color/Scent: Slightly salty flavor, aromatic, and light yellow in color. Uses: Commonly used as a spread on toast, or in baking cakes and cookies.
Compound Butter Color/Scent: Flavored and colored similarly to fresh butter. Uses: Commonly used to season food such as seafood and steak.
Margarine Color/Scent: Scented like butter with a dark yellow hue. Uses: Mostly used in baking or as a substitute to butter when frying.
Shortening Color/Scent: No scent or smell Uses: Commonly used to achieve that crispy or crumbly texture in baking, or in frosting due to its ability to maintain its stable texture.
As mentioned earlier, margarine is scented to resemble butter while sold at a lower price. Therefore, many resort to margarine for baked goods such as breads and cakes, or extensively as an addition to other dishes. However, the aroma and flavor may differ to that of fresh butter that remains most balanced in these areas.
