Buttermilk 101: The MOST Important Ingredient that's not in your fridge right now

Are you one of those awful people who never have buttermilk in your fridge? STOP IT! Buttermilk is literally the most important ingredient in my refrigerator, I use it almost daily.

This video will explain how diverse buttermilk is for everything from baking to marinating, as well as the laughably simple method for making MORE buttermilk when you start to get low:

Refill your buttermilk container with any type of dairy milk (skim, 2%, whole, cow or goat), and you can use quality organic grass-fed milks to create a "premium" buttermilk that can be impossible to find in most area. Shake well to distribute the old buttermilk into the new milk, and leave on the countertop at room temperature until it thickens. (The cooler your kitchen, the longer it will take to ferment, from a minimum of a day, to potentially 3 or 4 days.) Once you can tell it has thickened, shake it and put it back in the fridge.

The more old buttermilk is in the container, the faster the milk will ferment. So if your container was empty, with only a little buttermilk clinging to the sides, it will also take longer for the new milk to ferment.

This method works best when you start with standard low-fat cultured buttermilk, rather than the "Bulgarian buttermilk" which uses a yogurt culture that prefers to ferment at temperatures warmer than room temp.

Both storebought and homemade buttermilk last FAR beyond the expiration date. It is only bad if mold is growing on the surface of the buttermilk, smells terrible, or it has separated into large, heavy clumps. (Some graininess or gentle separation is completely normal, just shake it to smooth it out. Buttermilk is, in fact, soured milk, so it should smell like sour milk...this doesn't mean it is BAD...technically it has already "gone bad" with an intentionally-selected strain of lactobacillus bacteria.)

If your buttermilk over-thickens, simply give it a good shake to loosen it up. If it's still too thick for your liking, add a little milk and shake it well, then put it back in the fridge.

Refrigerate or freeze the whey, and use it in place of water, cup for cup or ounce for ounce, in ANY baking recipe, particularly bread and sourdough.

Hang the bag and allow the curds to drain for a minimum of 4 hours (for a creamy cheese), or up to 12 hours (for a drier, firmer, sharper cheese). Mix salt (at least 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, more to taste) and any desired additions into your cheese.

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[tlfarmgirl]

Organic Valley farmer here... thanks for the support! Here because of your simple sourdough. Love it... thank you!!!

[VagabondAnne]

Buttermilk tip: inoculate a jar of cream or half and half with buttermilk (like a tablespoon per pint), and whoa nelly you have a nice CHEAP substitute for crème fraîche.

[maryharker]

So great to know the expiration date means nothing, that I can substitute buttermilk for milk in recipes and even cooler that I can renew it instead of buying more! You are such a fountain of knowledge and I really appreciate you!

[evajankowski]

I am 77 years old and cannot believe all the information you are providing. So informative. I plan on watching all your videos. Please keep up the great work

[jamiejackson]

I'm absolutely fascinated with your videos. I'd been stressing over my sourdough starter and a FB sourdough group comment led me to you. I have since gone down every rabbit hole your videos provide. The way you interject the science into your recipes gives the why. And I'm a why girl who learns thru rationale. Thank you so much for taking so much of your time and efforts to teach. I've learned so much and will likely binge the heck out of your channel until I've seen everything you've put out. 🙏🏻

[lindagordon]

Ben!!!! My life has opened up to a whole new world! I'm 69 years old and I can't believe how you have encouraged me to try all these amazing new recipes! Thank you!

[cherylbryant]

I always have buttermilk, whole milk gourmet. Thank you so much for this video. 71 years old, grew up on a farm and never knew I could make buttermilk. I am headed to the kitchen to make it with store bought. I make everything I can with BM. our favorite is pancakes, biscuits, chocolate cake, sour cream big soft sugar or molasses cookies and always fried chicken and fish. You have made my day/year!

[pamfadness]

Just did my first buttermilk batch! Husband thought I was crazy :)) I left it out 2 days so it’s really thick & creamy. It’s been super handy for making homemade ranch dressing with it every couple days or so! HE appreciates that! I think I may try it in an ice cream recipe next! Thanks for the great tips!!

[sharonhochstetler]

You are a genius Ben Starr! Do you know how many containers of buttermilk I have thrown away because I thought they had gone bad? Well no more! Thank you for your sharing your expertise. I can now have buttermilk on hand in my kitchen!

[TURTLEORIGINAL]

I cannot believe how easy it was to make a gallon of buttermilk with only 1/4 cup leftover buttermilk, and almost a full gallon of whole milk! Ben Start, thank you, sir! I love how you give all the pertinent details to your tutorials. God bless!

[isabelleblain]

Thank you for the explanations. I am a microbiologist by training, and I love that you inject the food science in your videos.

[rolandjackson]

SO GLAD I FOUND YOUR CHANNEL. WHO DOESN'T LIKE A RECIPET THAT THRIVES ON NEGLECT!

[camilleespinas]

Finally someone who educated the public about the wonders of buttermilk . I always keep buttermilk in the fridge, not only to brine and bake with, but to drink for the delicious flavor. It contains probiotics and it really can help an acid stomach or if one drank to much like a member of our family. The first thing this person does when they wake up in the morning is to drink a big glass of cold buttermilk to soothe the upset tummy.,

[maryellenhoscila]

LOVED THIS! As a kid our milk was straight from the cow. My mom was known for her delicate, tasty baked goods. She used sour milk, as we NEVER wasted a morsel of food! We always had fresh buttermilk, icy cold, for my daddy to drink, since he was Polish and it was a nutritious quick refreshing snack. Thank you for teaching new generations the old ways!

[CitizenKate]

I WAS one of those awful people, but I've seen the light! There is now buttermilk in my fridge and I've got plans for it! Thanks, Ben!

[thedaydreamerplans]

I tried this, and it worked! It took a solid 48 hours to thicken like you said, and now I will have buttermilk indefinitely. Also, if anyone lives in/near Lancaster County, PA, there is a grocery store called Shady Maple that has 3 different brands of actual Buttermilk. It's expensive, but if you want to try to real thing, go get you some.

[Richardofdanbury]

I make my own butter from 1 qt of whipping cream in a hand churn. After 15 -20 minutes I have butter and buttermilk, which we use for baking.

[ChantYip]

Great info for a lot of people who ignorantly buy buttermilk when it is not necessary.

[cathyholloway]

I have been using your sourdough recipe for a long time now.... I've watched many of your videos and never clicked on this one because I agree, buttermilk is a KEY ingredient in the kitchen, I use it in everything. I cook a lot of deer meat and it is my secret weapon. I finally watched this last Wednesday. My mind was blown when you said I could make bmilk at home. Finished the video, walked right to my refrigerator and pulled out both milks. Followed your instructions and on Friday morning... I had thick and tangy buttermilk on my counter. My house stays very cool, so it did take a bit longer and Thurs night, I really didn't think it was going to work. But it did! Thank you... I've been paying nearly $5 for a half-gallon every couple of weeks. Great video, thank you!

[abbey]

You just explained why my buttermilk came out like Elmer's glue! Thanks!