How Much Is A Pat Of Butter?
Butter is one of the most widely used ingredients in any cuisine. While butter is used to make all kinds of food, it is especially important in any kind of baked dish. In baking, butter isn’t just used as an ingredient but also used to grease the baking pans. It is also the reason why, normally, greasing a pan is also known as “buttering a pan”.
Butter is such a versatile ingredient; it is used to enhance the flavor and texture of various dishes and is easily spreadable on toast so you can enjoy the creamy flavor all by itself.
Butter is also available in many forms, including frozen, cream, and melted. Since butter is such a staple ingredient in so many dishes, it is a permanent fixture in every pantry. But what do you do when a recipe asks for a pat of butter? How much is a pat of butter? Read on to learn the answer to that question.
Salted Vs. Unsalted Butter

Butter is made when bacteria containing lactic acid is mixed in with cream and then churned. This process is fairly simple and can be done at home as well. Though it may sound a little icky, the end result of this process is creamy, smooth, and rich butter that has a distinctive taste (Source: buttercreambakeshop.net).
Today, butter may be available in a number of flavors but traditionally, butter is of two types; salted and unsalted. Salted butter is named so because it has salt in it that aids in its preservation. Salted butter is said to give butter a different kind of flavor and this kind of butter is more commonly available in the market. Unsalted butter is more natural and its taste and texture varies with the breed of cow and also the feed that was used for the animal.
While both kinds of butter can be used interchangeably in other forms of cooking, generally, unsalted butter is preferred while baking. The reason for this is that the amount of salt varies in every bucket of butter you buy even when it’s from the same brand. Since baking requires a lot of precision, being unable to manage the saltiness in a dish hinders in getting the desired flavor. You can learn more about when to use what kind of butter here.
Nutrition Facts Of Butter

Butter may be one of the most delicious and creamy ingredients ever, but it is also an unhealthy one, especially when used in large quantities. Made from cow’s milk butter has 17% water, 4% milk solids, and 80% fat. While this fat is what makes butter so creamy and delicious, it is also largely saturated fat which means it isn’t the best thing for your health.
A single stick of butter contains more than 820 calories. It is also high in cholesterol. However, not everything in butter is bad, it is also a rich source of Vitamin A, B, D, B12, and K2. In fact, if butter is taken in moderate amounts with a healthy diet, it is actually good for your health. Take a look at the detailed nutrition facts of butter.
How Much Is A Pat Of Butter?

Now that you have an idea of the health factors associated with butter, let’s get down to answering this pivotal question. “Pat” is actually a form of measurement that was used a long time ago when butter was actually sold in cardboard boxes.
Slabs of butter were separated by and packed in cardboard boxes that only covered the top and bottom part of the butter, the sides were left open to air the butter. The butter was also covered with a white translucent paper. Back then, a pat was probably more than the modern day derivative of the measurement.
Today a pat of butter refers to 1 tbsp. or 1 ½ tsp. of butter. This is the same amount as the butter that is packed in small rectangular foiled packaging and given to you at hotels or airplanes. Sometimes they are also packaged in little plastic cups with foil covers.

In order to simplify the conversion process for you, we have done some research and put together a small conversion table so that you can easily identify a pat of butter. According to our findings, a single pound of butter has 48 pats in it. Keeping that in mind, the following conversion ensues:
1 pat of butter:
- 1 or ½ Tbsp.
- 1 ½ tsp.
- 1/3 oz.
- 9 g
- 1 square slice from a ¼ pound butter stick
A single pat of butter has 36 calories, 4.06 g fat, and 0.04 g protein. This breaks down to 99% fat and 1% protein. A pat of butter is a good way to make sure you limit the number of calories intake when using butter. Since a pat of butter is easily available in individual packages now, you can get your hands on them from a store nearby and never worry about consuming too much butter.

Using butter this way is also beneficial in terms of storage and longevity. Though butter doesn’t go bad once it’s refrigerated, it does absorb flavors. This means that you have to make sure to cover the butter properly when you place it in the refrigerator, otherwise it may take on the flavor of any other food items that are already there. Buying a pat of butter eliminates that worry because then you only store butter that is already packaged.
While many recipes don’t call for you to use a pat of butter anymore, like we mentioned before, it is an archaic measurement unit, some quirky recipes do still use it. Try this sumptuous French Toast, delicious Roll Ups, and delectable Mushroom Pasta to take a stroll down memory lane.
Conclusion
Butter may be the most delicious staple you have lying around in your pantry, but too much of it can be harmful to your health as well. However, using a single pat of butter a day is actually good for you and enough to satisfy your cravings. The plastic packaging is easy to store and you can also carry them around with you to a picnic. They are also great for using while you are on a diet.
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