by: Melissa A. Kay
Buttermilk is a supermarket staple and many people use the slightly sour dairy product in all sorts of recipes. As per Food Republic, "Simply put, it's the liquid that is leftover after churning butter (a low-fat and high-protein substance that ferments to the point of tartness). Today most commercial buttermilk is made by dairy processing plants injecting enzymes into low-fat milk."
You may find yourself in a situation where your recipe called for a ½ cup of buttermilk and you're not sure what to do with the remainder. No worries. Here are 4 uses for buttermilk – 2 for the kitchen and 2 for the body! Buttermilk is versatile and useful and you'll never throw away the leftovers again.
Use in pancakes
As if pancakes could be more delicious, with the addition of buttermilk, you'll flip over them. According to Prevention, "Substituting buttermilk in a standard recipe that calls for whole milk will yield tender, moist, and more flavorful pancakes. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of buttermilk used."
Never reveal your "secret ingredient" and whoever tastes your pancakes will be in awe of their fluffy perfection. No more IHOP when you're around!
Tenderize poultry
Are you planning to serve up some fried chicken tonight? Before you get cooking, marinate your chicken first in buttermilk. As Per Epicurious, "Marinating chicken in buttermilk makes the meat incredibly moist and juicy."
To make sure the buttermilk works it wonders, Prevention suggests, "Poke chicken all over with a fork and cover with buttermilk. Chill for at least an hour (or overnight) so the buttermilk seeps in." Dry chicken is for the birds, so this flavorful addition will be a real treat.
Lighten skin spots
Via jbswellness.com
Due to overexposure to the sun or from the effects of aging, dark spots may begin to appear on the skin. Forget cover-up makeup or dermatological peels, grab the buttermilk instead.
As per Vkool, "Buttermilk is said to be rich in lactic acid which is an alpha hydroxy acid such as those that are used in a lot of beauty products designed in order to get rid of spots as well as marks." Simply dip a cotton ball into buttermilk and apply to the spots and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Rinse with water and repeat 2x per day until the spots fade.
Top 10 Home Remedies has another way to use buttermilk for skin spots, "Mix 2 tablespoons of dry orange peel powder with enough buttermilk to make a paste. Apply this paste on your skin and gently massage it around. Leave it on for about 30 minutes, then scrub it off and rinse with cold water. Use this remedy 2 or 3 times a week."
Buttermilk sure hits the "spot" in this case!
Ward off dandruff
Dandruffis a real pest and can happen to anyone at any time. Shampoos and other treatments will do the trick to free you from flakes, but going with an all-natural remedy is always something to attempt first.
According to Vkool, "The lactic acid in buttermilk can help in preventing the development of fungi on the scalp which is one of the popular reasons causing dandruff. Moreover, buttermilk can also help to combat scalp dryness."
Here's how to use buttermilk in the hair: Apply a generous amount of buttermilk to the scalp and massage in circular motions for 10 minutes. Leave on for another 15 minutes then rinse off with water. Do this 3-4 times per week until the flakes are gone. Your scalp will soon be all better thanks to butter(milk)!