Cheap butter

[Gary]

I made sandies tonight... those powder sugar covered treats usually made around Christmas time. They are sometimes called Mexican wedding cakes or Russian Tea cakes or Pecan Sandies.

Anyway, I used grocery store brand butter instead of Land Of Lakes butter... to save a few bucks.

The dough never mixed that well. The batter is usually stiff and sticky. Tonight's dough was the texture of raw oatmeal. I packed it into balls and baked them anyway. The cookie taste/texture was OK but I suspect the butter was to blame for the difference in the dough.

Are there big differences in butter? Should I stay away from off-brand butter and go back to Land Of Lakes?

[Sarah Phillips]

Gary,

I've noticed that there is a big difference in butter brands. When I use a lesser-name brand of butter (IE: a grocery store brand and not Land O'Lakes) that my recipes didn't turn out as successfully as before.

[Wolfert]

try clarifiying different brands of butter. You'll be amazed by the amount of water some of them contain.

I remember teaching a sauce that used butter at the end to thicken it. I could never get the same name brand to work when I taught it in the midwest when it worked perfectly fine with the same brand on the west and east coast.

The reason I was told is the dairy councils in some of the the midwest states are very strong and can dictate just how much water butter can hold.

[Sarah Phillips]

The reason I was told is the dairy councils in some of the the midwest states are very strong and can dictate just how much water butter can hold.

←

Thanks, Paula! Interesting....

Edited March 8, 2005 by Sarah Phillips (log)

[arc]

I've definitely noticed differences in texture and flavor with grocery store butter vs. L of L, Cabot, etc, especially in recipes that showcase the butter flavor like mexican wedding cakes (mmm... I can put those away).

However, as a person that goes through an embarressing amount of butter on a weekly basis, I would be interested in hearing what kinds of baked goods egulleters think store butter can serve adequately. For instance, what about butter in crusts? Butter in cakes with strong other flavors like chocolate, especially with a good buttercream? Butter in scone recipes that also include a strong showing of cream?

And while we are on the topic, what about the L of L European double cream butter? Any reviews on that, as I am gearing up for a croissant-making extravaganza?

At $4+/lb, it would be nice to know a few places that corners could be cut without compromising the quality of the final product.

Best,

A

[jayt90]

Two brands noted so far: Land o'Lakes, and Cabot.

Are they superior for baking and cooking?

In my neck of the woods, Lactantia from P.Q. is a superior product for cooking and baking. A lot has to do with the culturing of the cream. The major dairies' butter does not come close in flavour.

[Trishiad]

I asked a friend who works at land o lakes about butter brands and prices last year and he said this, "As for the quality of butter, two types are marketed under the Darigold label: salted and unsalted. Salted butter contains only cream and salt. Unsalted butter contains cream, lactic acid and starter distillate. The last two ingredients are added to prolong the shelf life of the butter, as does salt in the salted type of butter. The fat content is equal to or greater than 80.20% butterfat. That is a USDA standard for butter. Manufacturers try to keep the level as close to 80.20 as possible for monetary reasons. With regard to moisture, the standard is no more than 17% for salted, 18% for unsalted. And finally, the salt level in salted butter is 1.6% as a rule in California. I have had salted butter manufactured in Wisconsin; it is saltier than the California butter. "

[Eden]

After some truly tragic wastes of time & ingredients, my toffee recipe now has written in big letters at the top "Good butter only!!!"

I had multiple rounds where it just would not combine, I'd have way to much liquid/oil somehow that the sugar would not combine with and end up with a nasty crystalized gunk I had to throw out. Took me a couple of times, including pathetic calls home to mom, who wasn't sure what was going on either, to figure out that the common denominator was the butter...

I am also fussy now about what brand I use in shortbread where it's all about the butter, but haven't had problems with any other baking applications (that I've realized were due to butter at least )

[Sarah Phillips]

I would be interested in hearing what kinds of baked goods egulleters think store butter can serve adequately. For instance, what about butter in crusts? Butter in cakes with strong other flavors like chocolate, especially with a good buttercream? Butter in scone recipes that also include a strong showing of cream?

←

I use a lot of butter, too (I have a freezer filled to the gills with butter) because I develop recipes....sometimes baking the same recipe over and over again for weeks on end in order to perfect it...

I tried to save money by purchasing grocery store brands, but discovered that I didn't get the same results (flavor, texture, color, etc.) than if I used Land O'Lakes (I try to write recipes for an audience that uses all-natural, readily available ingredients.) ....no matter what type of recipe....chocolate cakes, pie crusts, scones, buttercream, candy.... even if I use a small amount of butter for flavor in a highly spiced recipe. So, I no longer use butter store brands in my baking and cooking....

Edited March 8, 2005 by Sarah Phillips (log)

[Gary]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I guess that I'll go back to Land Of Lakes and use up my last stick of "Roundys" brand butter for something else besides baking.

Now I'm tempted to go the other way and try the super premium butters. They are nearly double the price. I wonder if they are double the taste.

[JSkilling]

I generally find LOL to be the best but I've had fine success with Giant butter and Kirkland, Costco's brand. Sugar cookies and cakes have been just fine with both of these but I made a warm ganache cake once with some off brand and could not figure out what that strange flavor was until I broke it down to the butter. So now I almost always choose LOL since the price difference is not great but when it's on sale at Giant, in goes the store brand!

[Eden]

Now I'm tempted to go the other way and try the super premium butters.  They are nearly double the price.  I wonder if they are double the taste. 

Now you're definitely in subjective territory. For me, the premium european (and european style) butters are my favorites. (Though I usually only use them for spreading on bread, not for baking, to keep the budget sane) but I have friends who can't tell the difference and I even have a few friends who don't like the difference (freaks!) Consider just trying one or two see what you think, but you might want to think first about whether you want to know you really prefer the expensive stuff. I was much more content with life before I know that I liked good champagne

[jgarner53]

I have generally good results with Trader Joe's butter. Though if I were doing shortbread, I might get out the more expensive butter.

[Shalmanese]

Slightly OT: but what about clarified butter, butter for cooking or any other purpose where it has been subjected to considerable amounts of heat? I would assume that the flavour is really in the milk solids and it should taste identical.

[Fernwood]

try clarifiying different brands of butter. You'll be amazed by the amount of water some of them contain.

I remember teaching a sauce that used  butter at the end to thicken it. I could never get the same name brand to work when I taught it in the midwest when it worked perfectly fine with the same brand on the west and east coast.

The reason I was told is the dairy councils in some of the the midwest states are very strong and can dictate just how much water butter can hold.

←

We have a local Italian market that has a cheese-making business in the back. They sell their own butter and I buy the salted version for toast. I have not tried baking with their butter because I wonder whether it might differ significantly in fat/water content from what I am used to. I occasionally notice droplets of water in the butter and, at refrigerator temperature, it is significantly softer and smoother than LOL or Stop & Shop label.

Does anyone know if the texture is an indication of the moisture content? Or are there mysterious properties of butterfat (like the different forms of cocoa butter crystals) that affect its firmness? I think I have already read the butter section in the new edition of McGee and I didn't pick up anything about this. I guess I should take Wolfert's advice and try a clarification-comparison!

Thanks, Fern

Edited March 9, 2005 by Fernwood (log)

[Catherine Nash]

I just finished doing a ton of research on butter. What I found, and what an independent tasting panel found, was that for the money, the best tasting butter is Challenge Dairy's European style, unsalted. Now that's mainly a West coast brand, with LOL being something you can find anywhere.

That said, for baking I have to recommend the European or European-style butters. Those have a minimum of 82% butterfat, which means even less water than the regular stuff. And you can tell a big difference. There are some premium butters, like one made by Vermont Butter & Cheese Co., that have up to 86% butterfat! If you're a serious baker and you're making something where the butter flavor is showcased, you might think about giving that a go. But it does get expensive.

[duckduck]

Here in the NW, a local chef friend swears by Mother's Choice, a less expensive brand, for all her baking.

Edited March 9, 2005 by duckduck (log)