6 uses for buttermilk that will take your meals to the next level

You may have leftover buttermilk sitting in the fridge, but do you know what to do with it? These five recipe ideas will allow you to work its magic.

1. To make more tender cakes, use buttermilk instead of whole milk. Add two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) of baking soda for each 250 millilitres (one cup) of buttermilk. The acidity of buttermilk tenderizes the cake much better than plain milk can, and the baking soda balances out that acidity.

2. For a quick, creamy sauce for cooked fish or chicken, combine 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) of buttermilk with 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) of bottled blue cheese salad dressing.

3. To create a thick, rich texture in your favourite cold soups, sauces and salad dressings without adding too much fat, use buttermilk in place of some or all of the heavy cream or oil used in your recipe. A spoonful of low-fat sour cream will further enrich the texture.

4. To make a luscious pumpkin pie, mix together 350 millilitres (1 1/2 cups) of canned pumpkin, 175 millilitres (2/3 cup) of buttermilk, three egg yolks, 220 grams (one cup) of firmly packed light brown sugar, five millilitres (one teaspoon) of ground cinnamon and two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) of ground ginger. Beat three egg whites with one millilitre (1/4 teaspoon) of salt in a small bowl until soft peaks form, about two to three minutes. Fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin mixture. Pour into an unbaked 23 centimetre (nine inch) pie shell and bake at 190°C (375°F) until set, about one hour.

5. For quickbreads with a lighter crumb, use a combination of buttermilk and whole milk. Buttermilk works especially well in pancakes, cornbread and banana bread.

6. To make fluffier, richer-tasting mashed potatoes, use buttermilk instead of plain milk.

Tidbits: Buttermilk was originally the liquid left over after the production of churning milk into butter. Nowadays, most buttermilk sold to consumers is made by ­thickening plain milk with special bacteria. If you need buttermilk but have none on hand, to make 500 millilitres (two cups) of buttermilk substitute, add 20 millilitres (one tablespoon plus one teaspoon) of lemon juice or white vinegar to 500 millilitres (two cups) of milk.

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