Where is the good butter?

[sandra]

I've been here almost a year now, and I haven't been able to find really good butter other than the Danish Lurpak or sometimes a few of the French butters, which is great, but for everyday butter it's a bit OTT

In London we used to get Anchor butter form New Zealand, but I can't find it here?

What butters does everyone buy?

[ChefZ]

I've been here almost a year now, and I haven't been able to find really good butter other than the Danish Lurpak or sometimes a few of the French butters, which is great, but for everyday butter it's a bit OTT

In London we used to get Anchor butter form New Zealand, but I can't find it here?

What butters does everyone buy?

←

Sandra

I assume with "you've been here for a year" you mean here in the US. I feel for you personally I miss the Austrian butters. As a chef I normally use Plurga, sold also at Trader's Joe, when my does not look I sneak in a pound for at home .

Plugra is european style but not made in Europe, it is made in the US by Keller's Creamery.

Kerrygold Irish butter (salted or unsalted) is a pretty good everyday butter.

Z

[helenjp]

Hi Sandra,

You are in New Zealand, aren't you?

One of the big companies used to make cultured butter, but I haven't seen it when I've been in NZ recently. I did see one product "flavored" with lactic acid rather than actually fermented with the culture, but that was a while ago.

I'll ask a friend who should know, but why don't you contact (=nag) some of them about better butter products for eating/baking and low-water-content butters for baking yourself? They do tend to focus on exports and let the domestic market fade into the background, so it's worth stirring things up a bit!

Seems that Karikaas is the most popular small-manufacturer cultured butter at present.

I believe that Atalanta is NZ-made, but have not seen it.

Anchor butter...I'm not sure whether it's "Fonterra" or "Anchor" when it's at home in NZ! I also noticed that dairy products in NZ are quite regional - if you contact manufacturers or ask around at delicatessens (even if they don't have what you want in stock), you may find out about alternatives.

When I first saw Lurpak, I was astounded at how pale and "mild" (to me, back then, bland) it was - cows grassfed almost all year produce yellower, stronger-flavored butter.

I hope that somebody in NZ can give you better information!

[lamington]

From your profile location I assume you're in fact in Sydney:) I can't help with local producers, but I know in Melbourne many people like to buy butter sold at the Queen Victoria Market, produced down Warrnambool way. I'd suggest calling one of the small NSW cheesemakers and asking if they can give you a friendly recommendation.

[helenjp]

My mistake, I "remembered" her as a double expat!

I think there are quite a few European-style butters made in Australia, aren't there?

[sandra]

helenjp, I'm a triple expat! Mexico-New York-London-Melbourne/Sydney!

I haven't found the European-style butters here, the ones I have tried are very watery ... also they're sooo salty and unsalted ones are pretty tasteless... and thanks for the NZ butter info, maybe I should start a business bringing in butter!!

ChefZ, I really like Irish Kerry Gold, but they don't sell it here... oh.. and I wish that my old kitchen in London had not been so stingy and allowed me to use something like Plugra, I really like it, but unfortunately, also not sold here...

Lamington (aka Sherlock Holmes!), we were in Melbourne for a few months before Sydney and yes, the local butters were very good, and here I have bought some a the local markets, but I save them for "special" food, not for scrambling eggs, for example...

I'll have to do some more tasting and searching, I suppose... I see lots of buttered toast in my future!

Thanks all

[helenjp]

Let us know what you find - and don't hesitate to nag! You never know what you might bring about...a bit of a shake-up wouldn't hurt the dairy world.

I always suspected that in NZ it was a Scottish fondness for salt that led to salty butter (I admit, I often do prefer salted butter even where unsalted butter "should" be used). Isn't the water content related to salt content???

Tastelessness = not cultured. I bet you'd be happier with a cultured butter! It was a big mistake buying my first pack of cultured butter, because I didn't want to use fresh-cream butter for anything after that.

I use a lot more oil in Japan than I ever did in NZ, because the butter here tends to sit in the shops and get stale. Maybe as well as buttered toast in your future, there are chiffon cakes and exotic nut butters?

[helenjp]

I met my friend with dairy connections incognito in a dark corner of the Internet...and she confirmed that the big manufacturers are not at present making cultured butters.

I asked her where she bought her cultured butter, but I should have known better: she makes her own. I plan to ask more about that, but meanwhile, look at this tempting step-by-step on the process!

Making Cultured Butter

[sandra]

Wow, maybe that's what I will have to do to get good butter?!?!?

I wonder if I can make any money churning butter

[lamington]

Churn, baby, churn! Cultured butter certainly makes the difference, doesn't it! (But I don't think salt is related to water content -- no obvious reason springs to mind.)

[sandra]

Ok, well I did one experiment today, I clarified some of the supemarket butter then re-chilled and it tasted much better...

I'm thinking maybe too may solids in the supermarket butters here?

I have to say I have forgotten everything we learned abot butters at school, Ijust took it for granted for so long...

By the way, the reason I'm mentioning supermarket butters is that in the UK all the yummy Euro butters were supermarket butters...

[Poots]

I've bought some wonderful cultured butter(salted and unsalted) at the Good Living Grower's Market in Pyrmont(just blocks from Darling Harbor). It's only on the first saturday of every month with March 1st being the next date. They also have tons of great stuff like free range/organic goat/duck/venison/lamb, fresh bread, produce, olive oil, etc etc. it's only open for a few hours 7 to 11 but well worth a trip.

regards,

Brian

Here's the link:

http://events.smh.com.au/view_event.asp?intid=11

[sandra]

thanks Brian, will go on the 1st and stock up!

[Shalmanese]

For everyday use, I know there was a Western Star cultured butter that is sold at Coles. Harris Farm market has Lurpak and a wide selection of european brands and the Ocello cheese stall at Fox Studios Farmers Market has imported butter from Italy which is pricy but good.

[sandra]

Shalmanese, I have seen the Lurpak, and I have bought it, it's just that it kills me to pay triple the price for a bar of butter, you know?

The Western Star is not too bad, but it has been on the edge of rancid a few times Ihave bought it

I just bought Allowrie butter and you can actually bits of water or solids as you shave it off the block... hmph!