Better Butter

Just as you can dress up a basic black dress with a scarf or jewelry, butter decoratively shaped or placed in an unusual dish is a simple way to make holiday meals even more festive.

We used regular butter when photographing this column, but the same techniques work well with some of the other butter-like products now on the market. They are defined as:

* Butter--Made from cream, milk, or a combination of the two. By law it must contain 80% fat. Salt is added for flavor and to prolong shelf life; yellow coloring is an optional addition. One tablespoon has 100 calories and 11 grams of saturated fat.

* Unsalted butter--Butter with no salt added. It is sometimes called sweet butter.

* Light butter--Made of cream and milk, but water and skim milk or other milk products and non-dairy ingredients are added for flavor and to hold it together. Contains half the calories and fat of regular butter.

* Whipped butter--Air or inert gas is beaten into regular or unsalted butter to make it more spreadable and lower in fat and calories. It should not be substituted for regular or unsalted butter in recipes.

* Butter-margarine blend--Combination of butter and margarine in one spread. The stick form may be substituted for regular butter or margarine.

* Margarine--Butter-like product made from vegetable oil. It may contain water, milk, coloring, preservatives and emulsifiers. Some margarines are fortified with vitamins A and D. One tablespoon contains 100 calories and 11 grams of polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat, depending on the type of oil used in production.

* Spreads--Butter-like products usually made with vegetable oil. The category includes diet spreads and squeeze-on liquids.

All of these products must be kept refrigerated, well wrapped or covered to prevent them from absorbing other food flavors. Unsalted butter may be stored under refrigeration for up to two weeks, regular butter for three weeks. Both may be frozen six to nine months. Check the packages of butter-like products for the recommended length of storage.

Regular and unsalted butter and regular margarine are typically sold in 1-pound packages, with these equivalents:

1 pound=2 cups=4 sticks

1/2 pound=1 cup=2 sticks

1/4 pound=1/2 cup=1 stick

2 2/3 ounces=1/3 cup=2/3 stick

2 ounces=1/4 cup=1/2 stick

1 ounce=2 tablespoons=1/4 stick

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Placing butter in a small crock is the simplest way to add some panache. If you have a French-styled butter dish, press softened butter into the smaller half and fill the larger with ice water. Invert the half with the butter into the cold liquid until just before serving, then turn upright.

Working with the different types of shaping tools takes practice, so do some experimenting ahead of time. Curls or molds that don’t turn out to your liking can be used for cooking or baking.

Wooden paddles and molds must be scalded with boiling water, then soaked in ice water for about 10 minutes before use. Metal tools usually work best when rinsed under warm water.

For best results, the butter should be firm but not too cold. Once attractively formed, drop the butter into ice water to set, then refrigerate up to 12 hours, or drain, wrap well and freeze.

* Wooden paddles--Cut the butter into 1/2-inch slices, press each into a rounded lump and drop into ice water. Place one lump at a time on the ribbed side of one paddle. Position the other paddle, ribbed side down, at a 90-degree angle (Step 2) and rotate the paddles until a ridged ball is formed .

* Curlers--A variety of curved-blade tools produce shell-like ribbed curls. Pulling toward you, lightly draw the tool lengthwise across a cube of butter . If the curls crack, the butter is too cold.

* Wooden molds--Cut the butter into 1/2-inch slices and press the cup of the mold through each butter pat . Push the plunger firmly into the butter so it leaves an imprint. Lift the mold, pull back on the wooden cup and, with the tip of a sharp knife, release the butter round from the plunger.

After the decorative butter has set, arrange over ice for serving .