The Best Butter

[k43]

In 1998, the NY Times had a butter tasting and picked Echiré as the best, saying it had a strong, sweet, nutty aroma and flavor. They rated Plugra second.

I tried some Echiré from Zabar's and thought it was excellent but not worth the very high price.

I like Plugra and President, but recently I've been using Beurremont 83%, which has excellent taste and texture. Zabar's sells in 1-pound blocks.

Corby Kummer had an article in the June 1998 issue of The Atlantic, "Better Butter," which won a 1999 Beard Foundation award. I cut it out but can't find it, and I'm not going to pay to access The Atlantic's archives. He waxed eloquent about a particular European cultured butter that is occasionally imported in 1/4 pound blocks moulded with a flower on top. I think I found some at Zabar's a few years ago, and it was wonderful, but they've never had it since. If anyone has the article, I'd love a copy.

Edited July 8, 2005 by k43 (log)

[fiftydollars]

Chucking double cream into an ice-cream machine for ten mins gets you a pat of lovely creamy-tasting butter

Not quite as good texture as commercial (a temperature thing I guess), but at least you know what went into it!

J

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You can make butter in an ice cream machine?

I am curious!

[chefcyn]

Anyone have any good butter recommendations? For both salted and unsalted.

I've only tried the supermarket variety, the one with the native American, the deer, and the Albertson's generic brand. But I'm still searching for one that's equivalent to the types you get at fancy restaurants.

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hmmm...butter you get in fancy restaurants? One place I worked in took generic Sysco unsalted butter pound-blocks and whipped it almost 50:50 with heavy cream to make a "fancy" butter for the tables. We piped it into little ramekins and kept it in the fridge until the servers needed to reset the tables. I have no idea if this was a money-saving exercise at one point, or just something they liked the taste of. They'd done it forever.

[kiliki]

So no one ever has freshness issues with their favorite imported butters? After buying two slightly rancid Plugras in a row 5 or 6 years ago, I've stuck to the butters made (at least somewhat) locally. Europe seems like a long way for a fresh dairy product to come.

[KarenS]

Plugra is American.

[KarenS]

I grew up on Land o' Lakes but I stopped using it when someone told me at contains growth hormones (Is this really true? Obviously I haven't been affected by it, but do I really NEED growth hormones in my butter?)

Based on the publicity around milk, I'd guess just about any US butter has growth hormones in it unless it is organic or specifically says it doesn't contain hormones.

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Actually, ALL milk has hormones in it, regardless of where it comes from and whether or not it is 'organic.' All milk has bovine growth hormone (BGH) in it specifically. Some cows, however, are given a supplement of rBGH, or recombinant BGH, that is identical to natural BGH, except that it is produced by recombinant organisms and then given to cows as a supplement to increase milk production 10-20%. Whether a cow is given supplementary rBGH or not, the level of total BGH in the milk is still about the same, because the supplemented cows use the excess BGH. It should be pointed out that neither BGH or rBGH are enzymatically active in humans because its protein structure is very different from its human growth hormone analogue.

There are other issues here, for instance rBGH treated cows are more likely to develop mastitis due to their increase milk production, but personally I have very little concern about hormones in milk or butter, and would not pay more to get milk from cows that have not been given rBGH.

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I actually DO care and will pay more. I don't think that anyone needs to ingest extra hormones. I can't- I have a type of cancer that affects my endocrine system, I need to keep my body as hormone free as possible. People are ingesting huge amounts of hormones as they are added to livestock feed very generally in the US.

[bushey]

Just the other day I picked up a pound of Kate's Homemade Butter at Whole Foods, for $4.59. Really delicious.

[Patrick S]

I actually DO care and will pay more. I don't think that anyone needs to ingest extra hormones. I can't- I have a type of cancer that affects my endocrine system, I need to keep my body as hormone free as possible. People are ingesting huge amounts of hormones as they are added to livestock feed very generally in the US.

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As I pointed out, there is little or no "extra hormones" in milk from cows supplemented rBGH, and even if there were, it would be irrelevant, since BGH is not hormonally active in humans. So, pay more for milk if you like, but be aware that you are paying for a placebo that confers absolutely no advantage as far as your cancer goes.

EDIT to add the following brief summary from the FDA on rBGH supplementation. Note that BGH is referred to as BST, or bovine somatotropin, which is a synonym for BGH. Emphasis is mine.

1) BST is a protein, not a steroid hormone, and proteins such as BST when consumed orally are broken down into inactive fragments in the gastrointestinal tract during digestion.  Studies have demonstrated that while BST is active in rats when injected, it is inactive orally in these  test animals at doses equivalent to 100 times that administered to cattle. And, in fact, cows are injected with BST, not given it orally, to keep it from being broken down in their digestive tracts.

    2) Even if it were injected in humans, BST is inactive in people and would not affect a person given it.  While there is a human somatotropin, its molecular structure and that of bovine somatotropin, or BST, are very different.  That is one of the reasons for BST's inactivity in humans, as was shown in the 1950s when attempts were made to treat human dwarfism in children by injecting them with BST.  It had no effect.

    3) BST has ALWAYS been present in the milk of all cows because it is produced naturally in the cows' pituitary.  The treatment enhances the amount of BST to which the cows are exposed, but no more reaches the milk than the upper limits of what occurs naturally.

From: FDA REVIEWING BST FOR COWS, SAFETY DATA BEING PUBLISHED (August 4, 1989)

Edited July 11, 2005 by Patrick S (log)

[donk79]

What defines your butter enjoyment? If flavor and health you experience are all you are, worried about, than there is no reason to give preference to dairy products from animals not treated with BST.

ON THE OTHER HAND... If you are also concerned about the wellbeing of the animals who produce the food you eat, I would strongly encourage you to boycott the products of BST herds. I have worked/been on a number of different dairy farms both using BST and not. In my judgement, BST can have severe impacts on the health of a diary herd, especially in individual animals. I have definitely seen an increase in the incidents of mastitis when cows are treated with BST. I have also seen healthy young animals waste away to nearly nothing after being treated with BST. BST does increase the overall herd milk production, but I'm not necessarily certain it is worth the additional cost to the farmer. I'm also not certain it is worth whatever small decreased cost there is to the consumer. I'm absolutely certain it isn't worth it for the cow.

Don't think that this mean you shouldn't drink mass produced milk, however. Many dairy producers have drawn the same conclusions that I have, and I know that some milk producing cooperatives forbid the use of BST by their members. But if you have the means to do so, it might be worth your while to buy your milk directly from the farm. Its the only way that I could be confident that the animals producing the milk are well treated. That is, I like to be able to see the cows and facilities myself. Not to mention that with most dairy products other than cheese, fresher is better!

[Patrick S]

ON THE OTHER HAND...  If you are also concerned about the wellbeing of the animals who produce the food you eat, I would strongly encourage you to boycott the products of BST herds.  I have worked/been on a number of different dairy farms both using BST and not.  In my judgement, BST can have severe impacts on the health of a diary herd, especially in individual animals. I have also seen healthy young animals waste away to nearly nothing after being treated with BST.

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I hate to disagree with you, but growth hormones themselves clearly do not cause animals to become malnourished, so I would suspect that some other factor was involved in what you observed. BST supplementation can cause cows to become a bit more lean over the first few weeks of supplementation (though not to the extent that it is an adverse health effect), as milk output increases and feed intake stays about the same. In fact, most studies I've seen have shown that after a few weeks, BST supplemented cows increase feed intake (Oldenbroek and Gansen, 1990), and that by the end of lactaction, actually weigh more than nonsupplemented cows (Chilliard et al, 1991).

Chilliard et al, 1991. Body composition of dairy cows according to lactation stage, somatotropin treatment and concentrate supplementation. J.Dairy. Sc. 74: 3103-3116

Oldenbroek and Gansen, 1990. The effect of the administration of BST on the milk yield and metabolism of dairy cows in IVO trials during three successive years T.v.D.115(13):613-624.

And though most sources agree that there is a small increase in mastitis incidence with BST treatment, there continues to be debate about how significant the increase really is. For instance, Collier et al (2001) reported on the effects of BST supplementation on cow health in 1128 cows from 28 commercial herds, making it "the largest single study of bST and herd health ever conducted" (p. 1098). Cows were observed at every milking for signs of mastitis, throughout one lactation. Half the cows recieved bST supplements, and the other half did not.

The result they reported was that, in the primiparous (meaning having one offspring) bST group, there were 55,704 mastitis days, while in the non-bST primiparous group there was 53,961 mastitis days. In the multiparous (meaning having more than one offspring) bST group, the value was 88,590, compared to 87,075 in the control group (p. 1101). These are very small differences in incidence. And these numbers come from the largest study to date.

Collier et al, 2001. Effects of Sustained Release Bovine Somatotropin (Sometribove)

on Animal Health in Commercial Dairy Herds. Journal of Dairy Science 84, 1098–1108.

It is important to point out in passing that BST does not cause mastitis directly. It increases mastitis risk simply by increasing milk production. All high-producing cows are at risk for mastitis, whether they are high producing by virtue of good genes, good environment, BST supplementation, or combinations of these factors.

BST does increase the overall herd milk production, but I'm not necessarily certain it is worth the additional cost to the farmer.

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Well, the farmers themselves seem pretty certain that it is worth it, as evidenced by their rapid and widespread adoption of BST supplementation. Farmers do not pay for supplements year after year that are not worth it.

[jennahan]

I second Echire as THE butter for bread. Comes in unsalted or demi-sel. For just spreading butter on bread, I go for the demi-sel. For a tartine with jam, unsalted.

Second would be proper Devon clotted cream butter. My in laws from Brittany loved it (couldn't actually believe the Brits could make great butter!).

[Raj Banerjee]

Burro Occelli (sp?), an Italian butter that comes neatly wrapped in cream paper. It tastes creamy...real creamy...better than the D'Isigny stuff in my opinion.

Haven't had the oppurtunity to try much USA butter other than the stuff you get served in fancy restaurants...which seems really light in flavour compared to the Burro Occelli. I recall reading in one of Anthony Bourdain's books that whilst playing the Death Row meal game, one famous French chef had said "really good bread with good butter". For me, it would have to be Poilane bread (sourdough or pain de campagne or even the walnut loaf) and this butter...gonna have to go get some tomororw now!

Raj

[tpogue@comcast.net]

Do any folks here prefer the flavor of butter that has been held at room temperature for a day or three?<p>

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Yes, I keep my butter in a covered dish, NOT a butter bell, on the island. I think it not only tastes better after a few days it's lovely to spread.

terry

[fiftydollars]

I need to give a shout out to churning your own butter.

If you’ve never tried it (and have a food processor handy), you must. It is very interesting and pretty simple. Now there are a lot of intricacies to butter making. But it’s, in essence, quite a simple process. Just take butter and agitate it to the point where the fats stick together and expel the liquid from suspension. You can do this easily enough without equipment, but with a food processor it’s a snap.

Just fill the bowl of your favorite food processor to its liquid capacity with cold cream and start the machine. Not much will happen for a few minutes, but then, suddenly, when it reaches just the right point, the cream separates in sudden and dramatic fashion. You will actually hear a “wooosh” sound as the liquid suddenly strikes the sides of your food processor’s work bowl.

Once you reach this point, stop the machine. It’s time to decide if you want to go further, or just stop and eat the butter. If you decide on the later, just sort of knead the water (whey, I think they call it) out of the butter with a couple of forks. At this point you can add some salt. I, because I’m fancy-pantsed and whatnot, add fleur de sal, but you can add whatever salt brings happiness in your life.

If you want to keep going, you can wash the butter to remove as much remaining whey as possible. This helps keep the butter longer, I think, and does make for a nicer product. To do this add about a cup or so of ice water to the food processor and start it up again. Pulse it a few times and then pour out the water. I actually keep the water initially dispelled in the process, call it buttermilk, and use it as such. But this subsequent washing water I just strain, to keep from throwing away the perfectly good butter floating on it, and toss it. I repeat this process until I am satisfied with the clarity of the water, which usually takes at least 2-3 times. Once the butter is washed I knead and salt it in the usual fashion.

Now there are exact temperatures, additional processes, and many more things to the butter making process, but for my humble purposes I try to keep it simple. However, I do regularly culture the butter, homemade crème fraiche style, before churning.

It’s not practical in the least for me to churn a substantial portion of what I use, but once in a while as a special treat I greatly enjoy serving my own freshly churned cultured butter in tiny little crocks.

So if you haven’t before, give it a try.

[BarbaraY]

If you can get unpasteurized cream, it will make even better butter. It may not keep as well but will taste lovely. I grew up on butter like this and still have my grandma's churn which use when I get a taste for home made.

[Alinka]

fiftydollars, thanks for the interesting post! I really want to give it a try. Can you tell more about this, though? -

However, I do regularly culture the butter, homemade crème fraiche style, before churning.

When I lived in Russia, my parents had a cow, and I it was my job to make butter. What we did was take a 3-liter jar, fill it about 2/3 full with soured cream (not sour cream per se, but the cream that got slightly curdled), cover the jar with a lid and just shake, shake, shake (usually while watching TV). Just like fiftydollars says, at first nothing would happen, and then suddenly you realize that it's not the liquid you are shaking, but something firm beating against the walls of the jar. It took forever.

We did not have a food processor .

But I never really liked the taste of that butter: it was sour compared to the store-bought. And, it was softer and more pale. Also, when you tried to spread it on your bread, the liquid would ooze out of it.

Edited August 31, 2005 by Alinka (log)

[fiftydollars]

I’ve also tried making butter by agitating cream in a jar. I first did it as part of a really lame science lesson in 2nd grade. Then a few years ago, I needed just a little bit of butter for my steak and I didn’t have any, but I had a lot of heavy cream. So I churned my own butter in a jar. It worked alright, but it was definitely not very firm and had a lot of excess moisture. I think kind of like you are describing.

The food processor works a lot better because it packs the little fat molecules pretty tightly and makes it so a lot more of the water is removed than I was able to do using the jar method. It's also much faster and doesn't require you to shake a jar until you are tired and dizzy.

I didn’t emphasize this, but it is important to start with cold cream.

Once I get that clump of butter and stop the machine. I pour out the buttermilk into a container and save it for a later use. Then I push together as much of the fat as I can. Then I start washing the butter with ice water. This firms up the fats considerably. To wash I just pour in a cup of ice water into the processor and pulse it a few times. Then I throw out this water, but make sure to strain off the butter floating on top, which I normally just eat on the spot with a dash of salt (quality control). I repeat this process about 2-3 times or until the water is clear after washing.

Since it was just washed in ice water, the butter should be nicely firm when you start kneading it. Just squeeze the butter with two forks to release the remaining water and pour out the liquid. If you have what cake decorators call “cold hands,” or just terrible circulation, you might be able to knead the butter by hand. I can’t. It just melts immediately into a mess, so I use the forks. I squeeze until no water squeezes out of the butter. Of course water is emulsified into the butter, which will not be squeezed out, but I try to get as much of the un-emulsified water out as possible.

Now for a cultured butter… I start with the freshest extra heavy whipping cream and buttermilk I can find. I place the cream into a clean glass jar and thoroughly combine it with buttermilk at a ratio of 8:1 ( 2 tablespoons of buttermilk per cup of cream). I place this jar at room temperature for about 8-24 hours. After about 8 hours it starts to thicken and at around 16-20 hours it is usually quite thick. For me it’s a judgment call. As it sits it gets more acidic, develops flavor, and thickens, but how long it takes varies.

Once I am satisfied with the cream’s culturing, I open the jar, make sure I like what I’m smelling and seeing (you don’t want nasty smells or off colors, or frothing, which can be signs of contamination) and place it into the refrigerator to get nice and cold before churning in the usual fashion.

[Eden]

But I never really liked the taste of that butter: it was sour compared to the store-bought. And, it was softer and more pale. Also, when you tried to spread it on your bread, the liquid would ooze out of it.

whether you like "sour" i.e. cultured butter or not is purely a matter of taste, but the water oozing out sounds like you didn't press your butter after initial churning. Traditionally this is done with wooden butter paddles. The grooves in the paddles allow the water to run out away from the butter as you work it.

[therese]

I churned a lot of butter as a child in my grandmother's churn (which I still have but no longer use), also using clabbered/soured cream to start. We didn't chill it before churning, and had no problem getting the butter to "come".

The butter had to be worked a fair amount after churning to get all the whey out. The final product was at least as hard as commercial butter after it had been chilled.

[BarbaraY]

My grandmother had a wooden bowl and paddle to work the butter. It was always washed which helped keep it from souring. I still crave freshly made butter and saltines.

[Alinka]

Well, now I really want to make some butter. Just out of curiosity whether I will be able to obtain the results that would be much more satisfactory than what I used to get 10 years ago, taking into account all your advice.

I start with the freshest extra heavy whipping cream and buttermilk I can find. I place the cream into a clean glass jar and thoroughly combine it with buttermilk at a ratio of 8:1 ( 2 tablespoons of buttermilk per cup of cream). I place this jar at room temperature for about 8-24 hours. After about 8 hours it starts to thicken and at around 16-20 hours it is usually quite thick. For me it’s a judgment call. As it sits it gets more acidic, develops flavor, and thickens, but how long it takes varies.

That sounds like creme fraiche to me .

whether you like "sour" i.e. cultured butter or not is purely a matter of taste, but the water oozing out sounds like you didn't press your butter after initial churning.  Traditionally this is done with wooden butter paddles.  The grooves in the paddles allow the water to run out away from the butter as you work it.

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What a nifty paddle!

[fiftydollars]

That sounds like creme fraiche to me .

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That's exactly what you're going for when culturing cream for butter. So if you're familiar with a certain method, go for it and churn.

[JohnL]

I really like "Kate's" butter (salted and unsalted) available at Wholefoods.

Kate's is from Maine and it has a nice fresh cream taste.

[fiftydollars]

I recently saw an Italian butter at Andronico's that says it is created in the process of making parmigiano reggiano. There was only one left, and the paper wrap was damaged, so I didn't spend the $5 to find out what it was. It smelled like parmesan. Anyone try it? I'll be going back soon to see if they restocked, but I'm curious what others think.

Edited September 1, 2005 by fiftydollars (log)

[Nathan P.]

I recently saw an Italian butter at Andronico's that says it is created in the process of making parmigiano reggiano. There was only one left, and the paper wrap was damaged, so I didn't spend the $5 to find out what it was. It smelled like parmesan. Anyone try it? I'll be going back soon to see if they restocked, but I'm curious what others think.

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I just finished a block and thought it was rich and tasty. Don't know if if tasted like parmesan but I did think it had a complex flavor and the tasty richness that comes from a high fat content. Got mine at the Cheeseboard in Berkeley if that is close enough to you or Andronicos is slow to restock.