Chefs Agree - Butter Makes It Better

Chefs Agree - Butter Makes It Better

The recent media spotlight on 'spreads' has generated interesting discussion in the past few months. But when it come to taste, the choice is clear 87 per cent of chefs say butter makes food taste better.

The research undertaken by Galaxy Research also revealed 84 per cent of chefs believe butter is an everyday kitchen essential and eight out of 10 chefs believe butter gives superior results.

Dairy Australia test kitchen manager Amanda Menegazzo said there were many benefits to cooking with butter.

"Most notably is its great taste and ability to enhance the flavour of other ingredients," Ms Menegazzo said. "Butter is an extremely versatile and natural product and is an ideal ingredient for sweet or savoury dishes."

And when it comes to a healthy diet butter can also play a role.

Dairy Australia dietitian Glenys Zucco said butter was a wonderfully natural product which has been in our diet for thousands of years.

"And it is produced now as it was then churn cream and add a little salt," Ms Zucco said. "A little butter goes a long way toward enhancing the taste and texture of foods such as wholegrain bread or vegetables which Australians don't eat enough of."

Butter is often portrayed negatively due to its saturated fat content. Saturated fat has been linked to increased blood cholesterol levels, which is one of a number of risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

But Ms Zucco said the idea butter caused heart disease and therefore should be eliminated from the diet was far too simplistic.

"Saturated fat can come from a whole range of foods and there are many different types of saturated fats which all have varying effects on the body," she said.

The last National Nutrition Survey showed Australians get most of their saturated fat from foods other than butter. Twenty per cent of the saturated fat consumed by adults came from biscuits, pastries, chips and other potato items butter contributed just 5 per cent.

"Furthermore evidence does not give us reason to think restricting dairy foods, such as butter, is in any way an appropriate strategy to prevent heart disease," Ms Zucco said.

"While epidemiological studies of individual dairy food items such as butter are uncommon, there is no convincing evidence of harm of the separate food items. Studies of dairy food as a category show higher dairy food consumption is associated with reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease.

"We all want to encourage people to eat well and whether people cook with butter or another spread, I don't think it matters as long as it is balanced with a wide variety of nutritious foods."

References: Galaxy Research, Chefs Study 2010

Elwood PC. et al. The consumption of milk and dairy foods and the incidence of vascular disease and diabetes: an overview of the evidence. Lipids. 2010 Apr 16.

Media enquiries: Glenys Zucco Dietitian, Dairy Australia

03 9694 3842
0409 552 554
[email protected]
Dairy Australia Limited
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SOURCE: Dairy Australia