Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I just came across this in the Cuisine@Home forum. I make my own crème fraîche but did not think about doing the same with buttermilk.

I have been making my own Buttermilk lately. It's been working out great! When there is about a cup of buttermilk left in the quart, I fill it up with whole milk, leave it on the counter overnight. Then stick it in the fridge in the morning and I have a whole new container of fresh buttermilk for pancakes, muffins, marinades, salad dressing, whatever. I wonder if I can freeze this stuff? I will have to find out.---yes, you can.

I do it all the time because I go through crazy amounts of buttermilk. I prefer to use 1% milk, though.

so cool!

I've always made my own, in fact, have never bought it!

I had no idea you could do this. I tend to buy buttermilk and then never get around to using it until it's w-a-y past the pull-date. Can you keep doing this with the same starter of buttermilk?

I just add a tbsp of lemon juice/cup of milk, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then voila, buttermilk!

I buy a fresh bottle every now and then (maybe every few months?), but I probably don't really have to. I usually do it when the bottle itself starts to look sad. The date is meaningless on buttermilk. As long as you have it in something resealable (not a carton), it has live cultures, and it still smells good, it's fine. Even separation is not a good indicator of spoiled buttermilk. If it still smells good, just shake it. It's not really any different than separated sour cream or yogurt.

Milk soured with lemon juice isn't buttermilk, it's clabbered milk. It will work in place of buttermilk in 99% of applications, but it won't keep like cultured buttermilk.

Ahhhh, so when I have lemon with my tequila I have been clabbered not clobbered

If so, I'd say the hangover from getting clabbered is at least twice as bad as the one from getting clobbered. Better stick to limes next time.

interesting. We only see it in cartons here, as far as I've seen at least, so I'd need to transfer to a mason jar or similar.
I just brought 2 containers of buttermilk powder home from a road trip over the border since I find that's the easiest thing for me.