Which butter is better?

Mountain Cat said:
I tried KerryGold, and I'd have that again, but it isn't entirely as great as many people say.
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my own experiences with KerryGold are less than good. multiple times; not a one-off opinion.
'as bought' it has had off flavors/tastes - which I attribute to poor handling somewhere between me and the cow.....

and, without personal evidence, I don't have any disagreement with the % of butter fat being not a prime taste driver.
(a) the taste of butter as a result of what cows eat is likely totally seriously a known factor.
(b) fresh (home made) butter out tastes any of the store/high end butters.
homemade gets a week on top, then it (too) starts to "degrade"

the regulations of how much butter fat must be there to be called "butter" is one issue - largely artificial.
methinks "really good butter taste" is more related to freshness, feed, and good handling during distribution.
 
51111


I've always used Land o Lakes butter. Salted & unsalted Regular & spreadable.
 
CookieMonster said:
my own experiences with KerryGold are less than good. multiple times; not a one-off opinion.
'as bought' it has had off flavors/tastes - which I attribute to poor handling somewhere between me and the cow.....

and, without personal evidence, I don't have any disagreement with the % of butter fat being not a prime taste driver.
(a) the taste of butter as a result of what cows eat is likely totally seriously a known factor.
(b) fresh (home made) butter out tastes any of the store/high end butters.
homemade gets a week on top, then it (too) starts to "degrade"

the regulations of how much butter fat must be there to be called "butter" is one issue - largely artificial.
methinks "really good butter taste" is more related to freshness, feed, and good handling during distribution.
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You don't include the breed of cow or it's husbandry.
Jersey cows produce the highest amount of butterfat and protein content of all dairy breeds. butterfat content of 4.9%, total protein 3.7%.
The most common breed is the Holstein. Holsteins are large black and white cows that produce the most milk of all the dairy breeds. Originally from the Netherlands, the first cow was brought to America in 1621. 2.5-3.6% butterfat, 3.2% total protein.
Homemade butter's shelf life depends on how thoroughly you extract the buttermilk. If a substantial amount of buttermilk remains, it will sour within a week, otherwise homemade butter can keep for up to 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
My mother (Austro/Hungarian) bought her first Jersey "house" cow when we were all below five years. They were looked after like pets. Because they lived a solitary life (artificial insemination) there was no need to pasteurize the milk. Until we were old enough the gardener milked her. Mum gave the spare milk to the primary school we went to.
The raw milk they produce varied from summer to winter because of diet. My Mum summer butter was golden, the winter butter was lemon.
A happy cow is the prime taste driver. Next is breed then husbandry.There aint much grass in Qatar. Dairymaster is a very successful American firm
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMq5jpF7pWI&ab_channel=Dairymaster
 
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I use salted or unsalted for spreading - it varies depending on what's available and what I fancy. But always unsalted for cooking and baking. I usually just buy the supermarket's own brand, or Country Life, Anchor or Lurpak if they're on offer....yes there are small taste differences between them, but I like variety :wink:

But can anyone of the Americans try to clear something up for me? When I've travelled to the US I've often found the butter tastes very sweet compared to what I'm used to, and sometimes in restaurants and hotels the butter pats seem to be kind of whipped up into a moussy consistency. Does anyone know what is this very sweet butter is?
 
MrsDangermouse said:
But can anyone of the Americans try to clear something up for me? When I've travelled to the US I've often found the butter tastes very sweet compared to what I'm used to, and sometimes in restaurants and hotels the butter pats seem to be kind of whipped up into a moussy consistency. Does anyone know what is this very sweet butter is?
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I think flyinglentris mentioned this above: here, though I don't think anyone explained what it was.
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I use salted or unsalted for spreading - it varies depending on what's available and what I fancy. But always unsalted for cooking and baking. I usually just buy the supermarket's own brand, or Country Life, Anchor or Lurpak if they're on offer....yes there are small taste differences between them, but I like variety :wink:

But can anyone of the Americans try to clear something up for me? When I've travelled to the US I've often found the butter tastes very sweet compared to what I'm used to, and sometimes in restaurants and hotels the butter pats seem to be kind of whipped up into a moussy consistency. Does anyone know what is this very sweet butter is?
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Matter of taste, I only ate a Mcdonalds burger once in America the bun tasted sweet like donuts. I don't know if they are the same in the UK McDonald's insists its sugar decision is a big deal. It's wrong.
 
MrsDangermouse said:
I use salted or unsalted for spreading - it varies depending on what's available and what I fancy. But always unsalted for cooking and baking. I usually just buy the supermarket's own brand, or Country Life, Anchor or Lurpak if they're on offer....yes there are small taste differences between them, but I like variety :wink:

But can anyone of the Americans try to clear something up for me? When I've travelled to the US I've often found the butter tastes very sweet compared to what I'm used to, and sometimes in restaurants and hotels the butter pats seem to be kind of whipped up into a moussy consistency. Does anyone know what is this very sweet butter is?
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...een-european-and-american-butter-229135?amp=1
 
Morning Glory said:
I think flyinglentris mentioned this above: here, though I don't think anyone explained what it was.
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JAS_OH1 said:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-european-and-american-butter-229135?amp=1
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Yes I'd already read both of those, but I don't think that's the answer. I also thought it was at first, but actually all resources seem to agree that despite the name, "sweet cream" butter does not actually taste sweet - the name relates to the fact that cream is not cultured or left to sour before being made into butter. Many UK butters are also sweet cream butters (despite us not actually using that description): this isn't the only resource I've found describing the difference, but it is a nice clear explanation.

The butter I'm referring to that I've had in the US had a definite sweet taste and tasted very weird to me....not something I really wanted to spread on my bread! I also remember it being more of a moussy consistency rather than being a solid block. I've always wondered if this is just something that you get in some restaurants or if its a common product.....its a while ago now so I can't remember exactly where I had it (definitely a few places in Florida, I can't remember if I was served it in other places though). My main aim here is to try to find out what its called so I can try to avoid it in the future! :wink:
 
MrsDangermouse said:
Yes I'd already read both of those, but I don't think that's the answer. I also thought it was at first, but actually all resources seem to agree that despite the name, "sweet cream" butter does not actually taste sweet - the name relates to the fact that cream is not cultured or left to sour before being made into butter. Many UK butters are also sweet cream butters (despite us not actually using that description): this isn't the only resource I've found describing the difference, but it is a nice clear explanation.

The butter I'm referring to that I've had in the US had a definite sweet taste and tasted very weird to me....not something I really wanted to spread on my bread! I also remember it being more of a moussy consistency rather than being a solid block. I've always wondered if this is just something that you get in some restaurants or if its a common product.....its a while ago now so I can't remember exactly where I had it (definitely a few places in Florida, I can't remember if I was served it in other places though). My main aim here is to try to find out what its called so I can try to avoid it in the future! :wink:
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I don't eat out often, but I do know that some fine dining restaurants whip butter to make it easier to spread. As far as sweet taste goes, maybe they are using a buttery spread that isn't real butter? Or maybe they are adding honey or sugar? I couldn't say. The butter I use at home doesn't seem overly sweet to me, but quite normal.
 
I presume something is added. This shocked me, if you want your butter yellow add coloring. " The level of the natural pigment carotene in milk, derived from the diet of cows, is the strongest determinant in whether butter appears yellow. For areas preferring butter that is more on the yellow side, coloring can be used. At Idaho Milk Products, IdaPro Cream is pasteurized and shipped on the very day of milking.
 
I also think some restaurants serve margarine. In the south US (I lived in Florida for many years), some people call margarine "butter". If you ask for butter in a restaurant, you might be given margarine instead.
 
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