Saturated Fats

Also indexed as: Beef Tallow, Coconut Oil, Lard, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Oil, Tropical Oils

Preparation, uses, and tips

Butter is a staple in many countries. It is used daily by many people as a spread on toast, bread, and sandwiches. In cooking, it is a key ingredient in sauces, pastries, creams, and soups. Flavoured butters, containing garlic, herbs, lemon, and/or nuts, are used to season seafood, vegetables, and potatoes. Butter (with the exception of ghee) should never be cooked at high temperatures, as it burns easily.

Buying and storing tips

Butter is usually purchased in foil-like packaging that protects it from light, the absorption of odours, moisture loss, and discolouration. Butter may be stored in its original packet in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months. Butter can also be frozen, but it begins to lose some of its flavour after about 6 months. Ghee is traditionally kept, sometimes for months, without refrigeration. Nevertheless, homemade ghee is best stored in the refrigerator.

Varieties

Butter

Butter is a smooth, fatty substance made by churning cream (most often the cream from cow’s milk). The churning causes the fat in the cream to separate from the liquid, which produces butter. The remaining liquid is known as buttermilk.

Ghee

Ghee is the traditional Sanskrit word for clarified butter (e.g., butter that has the milk solids and water removed). Having no milk solids, ghee has a longer shelf life and can be heated to much higher temperatures than butter without burning.

Coconut and palm oils

Coconut and palm oil are called the “tropical fats.” These oils contain a significant amount of the saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid. Coconut and palm oils are staples in the traditional diet of the Polynesian countries, where they are eaten in their natural state. However, in the United States, these oils are used primarily in the manufacturing of processed foods, and are not readily available for use in home-food preparation.

Lard and beef tallow

Lard and beef tallow are the fats derived from pigs and cows, respectively. These products are used in food manufacturing and, to a lesser extent, in home-food preparation.

Nutrition Highlights

Butter, 1 tsp butter (5g)
Calories: 45
Protein: 0.4g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 5.0g
Fiber: 0.0g

Lard, 1 Tbsp lard (13g)
Calories: 115
Protein: 0.0g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 2.8g
Fiber: 0.0g

Ghee, 1 tsp ghee
Calories: 45
Protein: 0.0g
Carbohydrate: 0.0g
Total Fat: 5.0g
Fiber: 0.0g

Learn more about Healthnotes, the company.

Learn more about the authors of Healthnotes.

The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.