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You can make your own cultured buttermilk-if you've got a day or two (we'll get to that). And, finally, the complexity of buttermilk's flavor profile can take dishes to the next level.

In breads and cakes, the acid breaks down gluten strands and interacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide, yielding a tender, fluffy texture-hello, buttermilk pancakes. As a marinade, buttermilk tenderizes meat thanks its acidity. The fermentation process is what transforms buttermilk into a game-changer in the kitchen, thickening it and adding valuable compounds like lactic acid (responsible for the tang) and diacetyl (which lends a buttery flavor and aroma). Then the mixture is heated and allowed to ferment for approximately 12 hours. To make cultured buttermilk, active bacteria cultures (good ones!) are added to milk, either whole or low-fat. Today, however, what you find in most grocery stores-and what most recipes use-is cultured buttermilk, which is not a byproduct of butter-making. If fresh cream is used, sweet cream buttermilk is the result-and it may also be fermented after butter-making. If the butter-making process begins with cultured (fermented or ripened) cream, sour cream buttermilk is produced. Well, first, there's more than one type: Traditional buttermilk is the low-fat, high-protein liquid left over after churning butter.

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But what is buttermilk, exactly, and if you find yourself staring down a recipe that calls for it, can you make it at home? We break it down, share some easy buttermilk substitutes, and for the DIY enthusiasts among you, provide tips for how to make homemade buttermilk. The power of buttermilk helps us achieve tenderness in meats and baked goods, and in the latter, it also contributes to a higher rise. But the magic is not only in buttermilk's flavor but in its chemistry too. It's the secret to favorites like buttermilk pie and buttermilk ranch dressing, which is so tasty with fried pickles (er, salad). Is it possible for one humble ingredient to be the key to the fluffiest biscuits and the juiciest fried chicken you ever had? Yes, meet buttermilk, all-star of the country kitchen.