Interesting article in NYT food section today about drinking and cooking with real buttermilk (as opposed to skim milk with additives, which is what commercial buttermilk apparently is). Anyone know where to find this?
It's hard to say if the buttermilk we get in the BA has additives. I check the cartons of the stuff I buy and they don't seem to. But when I'm in Ohio supermarkets, it's pretty clear that it's not just buttermilk in there. The article highlighted more of an artisanal approach I thought. I'd be curious to try it to see how it differs. If anyone knows were to get something like this, point us to it.
"Real" buttermilk is what's left over from churning butter. Straus used to sell it, but stopped years ago. You can make your own from cream.
Commercial buttermilk is cultured, like kefir. The kind I buy has no additives.
You can't substitute one for the other in recipes.
It's what is left over when you make butter. You can put the cream in a jar and shake it for 10 mins but a kitchen aid is easier :-) once you have your butter solids strain the buttermilk out and wash the butter to get all the milk out and you can then freeze or use the butter. The butter you get is fabulous especially if you can find good raw (unpasteurized) milk. Making buttermilk biscuits then spreading the fresh made butter on them pretty amazing.