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Buttermilk is one of those pantry items that I buy for a specific recipe, then don't know what to do with the leftovers (and I think this is not uncommon). In my question about buttermilk in soda bread, the topic of alternate uses came up in the comments. I'd like to make a list of these uses. Here's what I have so far:

  • pancakes (instead of milk or yogourt)
  • quick breads, scones (instead of milk)
  • cakes
  • mashed potatoes (instead of milk)
  • low-fat muffins (replacement for oil)

(Note: This should be a community wiki item, rather than a question, but I'm not sure how to flag that.)

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Allison
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  • @Allison - I don't think this fits our [culinary uses guidelines](http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/740/can-i-ask-about-how-to-use-a-specific-ingredient-aka-culinary-uses-guidelines), which is what it would have to be tagged. Voted to close. You can try to edit to see if you can get it there, but buttermilk's a bit too common for that. – justkt Mar 18 '11 at 17:51
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    @justkt - fair enough. For me it falls into the category of "Things which have a specific (or few) widely recognised uses which may have other uncommon uses." I associate buttermilk mostly with pancakes and muffins, but haven't used it for anything else (most of my list came from your comment in the other question). – Allison Mar 18 '11 at 18:06
  • [25 uses](http://www.soundmoneymatters.com/uses-for-buttermilk/) is not a few. And that's just one website's list off google. Others may of course disagree, though! – justkt Mar 18 '11 at 18:16
  • For me the key phrase was "widely recognized" ... but I guess I don't need a list here, since I can now refer to the one you linked to! :) – Allison Mar 18 '11 at 18:19
  • I used to do buy buttermilk for specific recipes and then have leftovers but now if the recipe calls for a small amount (1-3 cups) I just use a buttermilk substitute by mixing milk with vinegar and letting it sit for ten minutes. – Kyra Mar 18 '11 at 18:24
  • @justkt and Allison, Check out the new question on meta about where the boundary for these types of questions lies. http://meta.cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/1058/where-do-we-draw-the-line-on-culinary-uses-questions – yossarian Mar 18 '11 at 18:27
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    @yossarian - Thanks for raising this... I think it's a tricky subjective line. And for reference, looking at that list more closely, it's not really 25 things, in my opinion. A lot of the items I would group together (e.g. biscuits and scones are basically the same thing, as are various kinds of cakes). Also, another interesting use I'd add to a list is as a beverage when mixed with OJ, which is a traditional Dutch lunch drink. – Allison Mar 18 '11 at 18:36
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    I realize this is closed, but I had an answer that's not a "list entry" but a more general solution. Since I also tend to purchase buttermilk for specific purposes, and get frustrated with 1/4 cups going to waste, I tend to stretch recipes to fit the amount of buttermilk I can buy. Add 1/7th to all the other ingredients, or just be happy adding a bit of extra buttermilk to the item. Makes slightly larger batches, slightly richer foods, and no wasted buttermilk. – Scivitri Mar 18 '11 at 21:03
  • The most obvious - drink it! Have hot mushed potato on a plate, some meat next to it and cold buttermilk in a glass. Yum. – z-boss Mar 21 '11 at 22:40

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