HUGE thumbs up for this stuff! I’m a little embarrassed that until earlier this year I had no idea this stuff even existed. For as long as I can remember I have been buying quarts of fresh buttermilk in the store and forcing myself to use up the (generally more than half) unneeded leftovers. Not that having a perfectly good excuse to make pancakes or biscuits is a bad thing, but saving money and having options is definitely a better thing.
I looked around and found a few brands of buttermilk powder, and I have to admit that this review is a little totally bias because I have not tried any other brand. However, I don’t really feel the need to because the SACO brand is perfect for my needs. Its price is reasonable, it keeps for a year without needing refrigeration and it comes in a nice resealable tub with a lid so it’s not messy to use. What more could you want?
For any recipe that calls for buttermilk, you can mix the powder into the dry ingredients or you can “reconstitute” it with water or milk and use it just as you would liquid buttermilk. I’ve even soaked chicken and pork chops in some of the reconstituted stuff (before rolling in bread crumbs and baking) and no one could not tell the difference in flavor or texture. IMO that is the ultimate test… though I would not drink the stuff, but I wouldn’t even if it was fresh in a carton from the store.
Again, HUGE thumbs up for this stuff! It may very well be better than the fresh stuff. So if you’ve never heard of it then go get some, I promise you’ll love it!
I checked out the SACO website and found some really good info and recipes. Just follow these links: Making Buttermilk and Cultured Butter & SACO Cultured Buttermilk Blend to find out more about this product and about buttermilk in general. I recommend taking time to explore the site and its recipe section, I found it very enjoyable and interesting.