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Ahhhh Wonderful butter ... different foods / different butter?


CatIsHungry

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I love butter - I love cooking with it, baking with it, I loved eating it (not by itself, though I did see a guy once 😲) ... I almost live to make the world a butter place ... 

 

As much as I love it - I do not, however, make my own ... I am quite happy right now to buy butter. I do find in my fridge about 4 different kinds / brands of butter for different cooking needs. And then of course, I will mix my own seasoned butter, so there’s that. And I have a lot of butter on hand - in the last 2.5 - 3 weeks, I guess I went through about 12lbs - (that was baking - my preferred butter for baking is Plugra) ... 

 

Surely I am not the only one who keeps various brands / types of butter on hand? Right? RIGHT?! 😲😳

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I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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I generally have multiple brands on hand, but usually just because they've all been on sale for a really good price at some point in the recent past.

 

I'll occasionally buy the butter from a local couple I know, if I happen to be near a store that carries it (it's hard to find, and I don't often drive out to Sussex to buy it in person). I also watch for sales on Lactantia, a quasi-premium supermarket brand which generally commands a higher price. It's "better enough" to be reserved for table use, while I use the regular stuff for baking or cooking with.

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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2 hours ago, CatIsHungry said:

Surely I am not the only one who keeps various brands / types of butter on hand? Right? RIGHT?! 😲😳

 

Right. Although it can vary depending on how much we've used and what's been on sale recently. It's usually Challenge for less critical applications (fried eggs, panckes, polenta, etc.) and Kerrygold, or sometimes Plugra, for everything else (toast, most baked goods, etc.) Unsalted, natch.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

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2 hours ago, kayb said:

I buy the Aldi brand butter to bake/cook with, and Kerrygold to spread on breads, etc.

 

I have heard good things about Aldi butter - I will have to try some! 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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2 hours ago, weinoo said:

I probably have 4 or 5 kinds/brands of butter on hand most of the time. It's fun.

 

It is for me! Mr Cat can tell a difference in his food, but not in baked goods, but I have used Plugra for so long - that may be why ... Cat Son has a pretty discernible butter palate - he has definite likes and dislikes of particular brands and won’t use some at all ... When I was able to eat butter - I would be very poker face (put it on a slice of bread and go about my business) when getting Cat Son to try a new one because I didn’t want my tastes to influence his ... we have very similar tastes ... 

 

i do do find some butters pair better with meats, etc - that’s why i keep them. 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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2 hours ago, chromedome said:

I generally have multiple brands on hand, but usually just because they've all been on sale for a really good price at some point in the recent past.

 

I'll occasionally buy the butter from a local couple I know, if I happen to be near a store that carries it (it's hard to find, and I don't often drive out to Sussex to buy it in person). I also watch for sales on Lactantia, a quasi-premium supermarket brand which generally commands a higher price. It's "better enough" to be reserved for table use, while I use the regular stuff for baking or cooking with.

 

I think I need to find some local butter people ... 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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2 hours ago, Alex said:

 

Right. Although it can vary depending on how much we've used and what's been on sale recently. It's usually Challenge for less critical applications (fried eggs, panckes, polenta, etc.) and Kerrygold, or sometimes Plugra, for everything else (toast, most baked goods, etc.) Unsalted, natch.

 

Of course unsalted! 😁 Well, there is one exception (isn’t there always? 😂) ... Colliers with sea salt - the only salted butter I buy ... I think it’s wonderful with meats! 

 

I am not a Kerrygold fan - to me it has a strong and distinct earthy flavor and I can’t get behind that ... I’ve tried it several times but - I can’t get past it. Cat Son feels the same way ... however, I can use it for MrCat’s eggs, venison steaks etc and he loves it 🤷🏻‍♀️

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I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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I've had poor luck buying any of the imported plugras/hi-fats types in our area - the taste is off even tho it's "in date" I suspect it has not been stored properly somewhere along the supply chain.

now and then I see domestic plugra brands but they are typically going 'out of date' shortly.

apparently the stuff simple does not sell well here - right next to "Amish butter roll" Lancaster county....

for holiday meals I crank up the Kitchenaid and make my own (fresh) butter - saving the buttermilk for follow-on pancakes/waffles.

we find a noticeable difference with fresh home churned vs. store bought.

butterball_s.jpg

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I seldom use butter for much beyond eggs and omelets.  And of course my mashed potatoes.  Typically I buy Shoprite unsalted on sale.

 

However a recent baking project was a batch of aebleskiver...

 

Aebleskiver10262019.png

 

 

...for which I needed butter.  But what butter?  I pored through the butter topic.  I searched the web.

 

The aebleskiver recipe I used was from Magnus Nilsson's The Nordic Baking Book.  Nowhere I could find what type of butter Nilsson expects for baking.  (Nilsson is not a baker.)  Naturally I consulted several other aebleskiver sources.  Trine Hahnemann in Scandinavian Baking calls for salted butter, stating firmly:  "Home baking in Scandinavia has no tradition of using unsalted butter."

 

What I used was Finlandia salted butter in the aebleskiver batter and unsalted Kerry Gold to fry in.

 

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I haven't had that many premium butters --Plugra, KerryGold, President, Private Selection French Butter(Kroger), Danish Creamery(American despite the name) and probably a couple of others.  I'm not sure if I even have a favorite, maybe President.  I like them all better than regular butter but not hugely so.

 

 I've never had cultured butter.  Is it markedly different?  And what would be the best uses for that?

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I used to buy only Lanctantia cultured butter, which l loved.  Then the price went north of $6 a pound so I changed to regular unsalted Lanctantia.  It is sometimes on sale for less than $3 a pound and when it is, i buy a lot, wrap it and freeze it.  I have about 10 pounds in the freezer from my last buying trip.  I saw in today's flyers that some stores were selling it for $3.33 this week which is pretty good too.

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40 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

I used to buy only Lanctantia cultured butter, which l loved.  Then the price went north of $6 a pound so I changed to regular unsalted Lanctantia.  It is sometimes on sale for less than $3 a pound and when it is, i buy a lot, wrap it and freeze it.  I have about 10 pounds in the freezer from my last buying trip.  I saw in today's flyers that some stores were selling it for $3.33 this week which is pretty good too.

 

I just picked up a few for table use. Shopper's usually has butter on for $2.99 on the weekends (house brand or whatever) so that's what I load up on for baking purposes.

 

I keep a couple of pounds of unsalted in the freezer for when I make laminated doughs, but that's about all I use it for. It was always hard to find in my neck of the woods until this past decade or so, and always sold for about $1 more than salted, so I just always used salted. I guess that's what my palate is attuned to.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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4 hours ago, Chimayo Joe said:

 

 I've never had cultured butter.  Is it markedly different?  And what would be the best uses for that?

 

It’s very rich and cream and has a slight tang to it ... I dont bake with it, but i do put it on some baked goods - bread definitely, some snack cakes, use it for eggs, etc ... almost anywhere I’d use butter and the flavor is appreciated. 

 

I understand it is easy to make your own cultured butter (I haven’t) if that’s one way you want to with it.

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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5 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I seldom use butter for much beyond eggs and omelets.  And of course my mashed potatoes.  Typically I buy Shoprite unsalted on sale.

 

However a recent baking project was a batch of aebleskiver...

 

Aebleskiver10262019.png

 

 

...for which I needed butter.  But what butter?  I pored through the butter topic.  I searched the web.

 

The aebleskiver recipe I used was from Magnus Nilsson's The Nordic Baking Book.  Nowhere I could find what type of butter Nilsson expects for baking.  (Nilsson is not a baker.)  Naturally I consulted several other aebleskiver sources.  Trine Hahnemann in Scandinavian Baking calls for salted butter, stating firmly:  "Home baking in Scandinavia has no tradition of using unsalted butter."

 

What I used was Finlandia salted butter in the aebleskiver batter and unsalted Kerry Gold to fry in.

 

 

Very nice! 👏🏻 ... 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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5 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

I've had poor luck buying any of the imported plugras/hi-fats types in our area - the taste is off even tho it's "in date" I suspect it has not been stored properly somewhere along the supply chain.

now and then I see domestic plugra brands but they are typically going 'out of date' shortly.

apparently the stuff simple does not sell well here - right next to "Amish butter roll" Lancaster county....

for holiday meals I crank up the Kitchenaid and make my own (fresh) butter - saving the buttermilk for follow-on pancakes/waffles.

we find a noticeable difference with fresh home churned vs. store bought.

butterball_s.jpg

 

That is beautiful looking Butter ... I guess Amish Butter beats out (any other Butter every day of the week and twice on Sundays 😁 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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@ElsieD that is an excellent deal - glad you were able to stock up! 

 

@chromedome you and Elsie talking about this brand, I am going to see if I can find it and give it a go - 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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It's a Canadian brand, I don't know that you'd be able to find it where you live.

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“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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37 minutes ago, chromedome said:

It's a Canadian brand, I don't know that you'd be able to find it where you live.

 

Way to crush a girl, man 😔 

I have an EpiPen ... my friend gave it to me when he was dying ... it seemed very important to him that I have it ... 

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Butter is the bestest!!!!    LOL    I am trying to master the simple Tuscan chicken with brown butter (Pollo al Burro) using a cultured butter.   My first go round was okay, but there are some things I want to do differently.  

 

Can't wait to try this again during this next month.

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