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Yes, all of the obvious baking applications; pancakes, waffles, biscuits, bread machine... yes, salad dressings and dips... Yes, marinade chicken before frying... Only occasionally do I drink it straight and, when I do, it's straight from the carton ;~O Quite refreshing, really and I was surprisd to learn how low in fat "butter" milk is!
While in grad school, I had a professor/mentor who would often order a slice of cherry pie with buttermilk poured over it. Yes I tried it and found it quite good but now rarely find myself in a location where cherry pie and buttermilk are under the same roof!

I use buttermilk in mashed potatoes. Add melted butter, salt, pepper, maybe some chives, and it is quite tasty!

I bake with it often. Yesterday we had Banana cake with buttermilk and it was sooo moist. Mashed potatoes, pancakes, waffles, cornbread. It s the tangy addition no one can figure out unless they use it.
Low fat buttermilk is a great addition to your baking and cooking.

Cornbread is my most frequent use for buttermilk. It just doesn't come out right without it. Be sure to add baking soda if your recipe doesn't call for it. Also, pancakes, muffins and biscuits, of course.

Salad dressings. Makes an especially good bleu cheese dressing.

Excellent tenderizing marinade, especially important for chicken before frying. Or substitute in anything that is marinated in yogurt.

Buttermilk pie. AKA buttermilk chess pie. There's a recipe in Joy of Cooking, but you can find it elsewhere too.

There are several puddings that call for buttermilk.

My mom-in-law eats leftover cornbread crumbled up in a big glass of ice cold buttermilk.

Hi JEP,
I bake with it often, like the others. But it's also great with leavening (baking powder/soda) as an egg substitute in baking. Pancakes, quick breads, etc. So, if someone doesn't eat eggs, or if you just don't have them in the house for a project, buttermilk works well. It sure is great in mashed potatoes too. Lately, I've been using it as the main ingredient in the dressing for coleslaw. It's much lighter and tastier than heavy mayo-laden coleslaw.

Thanks for sharing buttermilk ideas, substitutions, linking recipes & blogs---SE community is my best source of cooking info! I'd forgotten about buttermilk pie & the ricotta making would be a fun project!

Hey, any UNUSUAL uses for buttermilk? Just curious...

I keep powdered buttermilk on hand in case I don't have a carton in the fridge. I don't think it works nearly as well, but it's fine for baked goods, in a pinch.

I've used it as a base for/ to thicken curries.

Perky, as with most liquid dairy, I wouldn't try freezing it (tho I could be wrong). I usually buy it by the quart. A batch of my cornbread takes about two cups of buttermilk, so I can usually find uses for the other two cups before it can spoil... marinades, salad dressings, etc.

If all else fails, I cook up an extra big batch of pancakes or muffins which I freeze for kids' quick weekday out-the-door breakfasts.

Otherwise, give the powdered stuff a try (store it in the fridge after opening). I haven't tried this yet, but I suspect adding a tablespoon of plain yogurt to the reconstituted powder would help it a lot.

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD

Put one tablespoon bacon drippings or shortening in a heavy, 8” oven-safe skillet (cast iron or Calphalon are best; do not use non-stick). If you don’t have an appropriate skillet, use an 8”square baking pan. Place skillet on center rack of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. While skillet is heating, whisk together thoroughly
1½ cups cornmeal
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or King Arthur white whole wheat)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

In a separate bowl, whisk together
1 large egg (you can use 2 if you prefer a cakier bread)
1½ to 2 cups buttermilk
2 to 4 tablespoons melted butter, margarine or oil

When oven has reached temperature, and fat in pan is very hot, combine liquid and dry ingredients just until fully incorporated – do not overmix or the bread will be tough – add buttermilk if batter is too thick. Tilt pan to fully coat with hot grease and immediately scrape batter into pan. Return pan to oven and bake about 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

This recipe is pretty forgiving. If you use a little more or less meal or flour, it will still be tasty. If the bread is a bit denser than you like, add an extra teaspoon of baking powder, or increase soda to 1 teaspoon. If you *must* have some sweetness in your cornbread, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of honey or sugar to the liquid ingredients. But I recommend trying it without the sweetener, especially if you’re in the habit of putting honey or molasses on your cornbread at the table anyway! ;-)

LoCo: Thanks!!!! Both recipes sound great. The only thing I want ON my cornbread is fresh, cold butter. I love it WITH so many things, 'specially chili and hamburger soup.

i use it on top of my oatmeal
i steal sips from the carton

i love the stuff

I read somewhere that in Ireland it's common to pour buttermilk on oatmeal. I tried it and thought it was pretty good.