While I have experimented with different butters in baking, I'm not sure that I'd want to participate in a butter taste test - particularly not when one of the tastings involves eating butters plain to "experience their melting properties directly on the tongue." That being said, I do appreciate the efforts of the tasters from Cooks Illustrated who participated in a premium butter tasting, eating butter both plain and on baguettes to try to pick out the top butter.
The butters tested all had butterfat contents of at least 82%, higher than the standard 80%, with the exception of Land O'Lakes, which was included as a benchmark. Every single butter tested - seven unsalted and six salted - were recommended including the non-premium benchmark butter, so it sounds like you can't go wrong by choosing a name-brand butter or a butter that is "european-style." The butters were ultimately ranked by preference, but not one was a loser:
Unsalted:
- Land O'Lakes Ultra Creamy butter
- Presidente Unsalted butter
- Celles Sur Belle Premium Churn
- Land O'Lakes Unsalted Sweet butter (benchmark)
- Organic Valley European-style butter
- Plugra European-style butter
- Jana Valley Imported Sweet Cream Butter
Salted:
- Land O'Lakes Ultra creamy salted butter
- Land O'Lakes regular salted butter
- Lurpak Slightly Salted Danish butter
- Le Gall Beurre de Baratte de Bretagne
- Vermont Butter and Cheese Company Salted butter
- Kerrygold Irish Butter
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-20-2006 @ 9:04AM
Vince said...
I know America's test kitchen did something like this for olive oils a while back. Anyone remember the results?
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12-20-2006 @ 11:15AM
Jeremy said...
Hastings Whey butter from Stirling creamery is fantastic - (if you're in Ontario)
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12-20-2006 @ 3:14PM
boss sauce said...
Seems to be butter season-- there was an evaluation of "European style" butters in the SF Chronicle last week:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/13/FDGASMT5PD1.DTL
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12-20-2006 @ 7:13PM
Gary said...
Disappointed that they didn't consider a cultured butter. This stuff is great and hard to find in this country. This place has it. Maybe others do as well, but I don't know of them. http://www.vtbutterandcheeseco.com/culturedButter.html
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12-21-2006 @ 8:40AM
Colin said...
Lurpack is definitely of our favorite. We used to buy it exclusively but its vastly more expensive then buying 4 lbs of bulk no-brand butter at Costco! Now it's just a treat.
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12-21-2006 @ 8:40AM
MJ said...
I have had the european butter from a speciality food shop and it is heavenly/ Always loved bread and butter as a child and it took me back. Is it me or does butter lack something these days! Land o lakes is good, but so darn expensive. Since I mostly use buttter to bake and cook with, I buy the store brands. Hate unsalted butter!! taste like vaseline......LOL
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12-21-2006 @ 8:41AM
Carolyn said...
Does anyone know where you can get Presidente butter? I've never seen it here on the west coast United States.
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12-21-2006 @ 2:34PM
Jason said...
Carolyn: I got Presidente at a Trader Joe's in Boston, MA. I know that's far away, but I think you guys have TJ's out there.
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12-21-2006 @ 10:52PM
Carolyn said...
Thanks Jason. lol Yeah I think Boston is a bit far for me. I'll have to check different Trader Joes around here as I haven't seen it in the ones local to me.
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