Editing Butter (section)

==In cooking and gastronomy==
[[File:Spargel sauce hollandaise.jpg|thumb|[[Hollandaise sauce]] served over white asparagus and potatoes]]
Butter has been considered indispensable in [[French cuisine]] since the 17th century.<ref>Jean-Robert Pitte, ''French Gastronomy: The History and Geography of a Passion'', {{isbn|0231124163}}, p. 94</ref> Chefs and cooks have extolled its importance: [[Fernand Point]] said "Donnez-moi du beurre, encore du beurre, toujours du beurre!" ('Give me butter, more butter, still more butter!').<ref name="belleret">Robert Belleret, ''Paul Bocuse, l'épopée d'un chef'', 2019, {{isbn|2809825904}}</ref> [[Julia Child]] said, "With enough butter, anything is good."<ref>Katie Armour, "Top 20 Julia Child Quotes", ''Matchbook'', [https://www.matchbookmag.com/daily/47-top-20-julia-child-quotes April 15, 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124083306/http://www.matchbookmag.com/daily/47-top-20-julia-child-quotes |date=24 January 2020 }}</ref>
[[File:Preparation des brownies etape3.jpg|thumb|left|Mixing melted butter with chocolate to make a [[Chocolate brownie|brownie]]]]
Melted butter plays an important role in the preparation of [[sauce]]s, notably in French cuisine. ''[[Beurre noisette]]'' (hazelnut butter) and ''[[Beurre noir]]'' (black butter) are sauces of melted butter cooked until the milk solids and sugars have turned golden or dark brown; they are often finished with an addition of vinegar or [[lemon juice]].<ref name="McGee"/>{{rp|page=36}} [[Hollandaise]] and [[Béarnaise sauce|béarnaise]] sauces are [[emulsion]]s of [[egg (food)|egg yolk]] and melted butter. Hollandaise and béarnaise sauces are stabilized with the powerful [[emulsifiers]] in the egg yolks, but butter itself contains enough emulsifiers—mostly remnants of the fat globule membranes—to form a stable emulsion on its own.<ref name="McGee"/>{{rp|page=635–636}}

''[[Beurre blanc]]'' (white butter) is made by whisking butter into reduced vinegar or wine, forming an emulsion with the texture of thick cream. ''[[Beurre monté]]'' (prepared butter) is melted but still [[emulsified]] butter; it lends its name to the practice of "mounting" a sauce with butter: whisking cold butter into any water-based sauce at the end of cooking, giving the sauce a thicker body and a glossy shine—as well as a buttery taste.<ref name="McGee"/>{{rp|page=632}}

Butter is used for [[sautéing]] and [[frying]], although its milk solids brown and burn above 150&nbsp;°C (250&nbsp;°F)—a rather low temperature for most applications. The [[smoke point]] of butterfat is around 200&nbsp;°C (400&nbsp;°F), so clarified butter or ghee is better suited to frying.<ref name="McGee"/>{{rp|page=37}} 
{{cookbook}}
Butter fills several roles in [[baking]], including making possible a range of textures, making chemical leavenings work better, tenderizing proteins, and enhancing the tastes of other ingredients. It is used in a similar manner to other solid fats like [[lard]], [[suet]], or [[shortening]], but has a flavor that may better complement sweet baked goods.{{Cn|date=December 2024}}

[[Compound butter]]s are mixtures of butter and other ingredients used to flavor various dishes.{{Cn|date=December 2024}}