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Trying to sort out Keller's/Plugra issues


Fat Guy

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A number of people have told me that the butters from Keller's and Plugra are one and the same, and that both are European-style cultured butters with high fat. I was looking at the Keller's site and -- I'm not sure I knew this -- saw the same company makes Keller's, Plugra, Hotel Bar, and Breakstone's. The product specifications are a bit unclear. Does anybody know the lowdown?

http://www.butter1.com/main.html

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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I believe they are all owned by a huge French Dairy cooperative called Sodiaal. It is possible these were independent brands and were bought up by the coop. one at a time. According to their website, Plugras is their "gourmet" and professional chef brand, Kellers is their upscale consumer brand and I think Hotel Bar is their mass brand. It is not unlike Lexus and Toyota, you know. We like to think of these as small artisanal products, but in many cases they are owned or created by huge corporations that keep a low profile.

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By the way, the Plugras website shows a packaged clarified buter. That is the first I've ever seen of a commercially prepared clarified butter. It would be great to keep in the fridge. Has anyone tried it? Are there others anyone knows of?

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I've seen Ghee at my natural foods co-op. It's in a glass jar with a blue label, but I don't know the brand. Cheapest way to get good clarified butter that I know of is to buy Plugra for $3 a pound at Trader Joe's and clarify it at home. I do think of Plugra as a major, national, mass produced product, but it's still pretty good and an excellent value.

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I took a course in butter several years ago.

Among other features, items were cooked in the various sampled butters and tasted. One observation was the season in which the cow is milked has an impact on butter flavor (and milk flavor) due to the moisture content and type of feed consumed.

Other than two or three extra pounds on me, I discovered that most butters in the US have 80% to 82% butterfat, and about 20% to 18% water. Solids were negligible, as I recall, but it's been a while.

Premium butters like Plugra are designed with 84% to 85% butterfat, and 16% or 15% water. The reduction in water content is about 20% (20 to 16, 4/20 in my example). When we melted a selection of butter pounds and let everything settle, you could see the difference.

Apparently it's easier still to dictate the conversation and in effect, kill the conversation.

rancho gordo

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I knew they made Breakstones, but I have not heard of this Hotel Bar. This is a very, very important matter.  :shock:

You dont know hotel bar?? thats in almost every supermarket in NYC & NJ :shock: My mom loves that stuff

editied to add: But you do have one up on me....WHat the heck is Trader Joe's???? Ive never seen one.. :blink:

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I took a course in butter several years ago.

Among other features, items were cooked in the various sampled butters and tasted.  One observation was the season in which the cow is milked has an impact on butter flavor (and milk flavor) due to the moisture content and type of feed consumed.

Other than two or three extra pounds on me, I discovered that most butters in the US have 80% to 82% butterfat, and about 20% to 18% water. Solids were negligible, as I recall, but it's been a while.

Premium butters like Plugra are designed with 84% to 85% butterfat, and 16% or 15% water. The reduction in water content is about 20% (20 to 16, 4/20 in my example). When we melted a selection of butter pounds and let everything settle, you could see the difference.

What was the best butter you tasted and where can someone buy some??

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Shawty--as Malawry noted, Trader Joe's is where you can get Plugra for $3 a pound year-round. It's the place you go--if you are lucky to live near one--when Fresh Fields/Whole Foods Markets decides to screw you by charging $4 a pound for their butters. I believe they're California-based--somewhat of a blend of Price Club/Costco with gourmet supermarkets like Whole Foods--very fairly priced, limited selection but what they have is usually at least pretty good. Besides Plugra, we regularly buy their cream, high quality frozen items like burritos and dim sum dumplings, some wines, beers and water and occasional other gems.

In our area--DC and VA--I'd rate their customer service and staff pleasantness at least as good, if not better than Whole Foods.

Steve Klc

Pastry chef-Restaurant Consultant

Oyamel : Zaytinya : Cafe Atlantico : Jaleo

chef@pastryarts.com

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I took a course in butter several years ago.

You don't hear that one every day.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Thanks RPerlow...I see there is one in Wayne...never been there and will prob consult a map later. There is a Costco in Hackensack though....but I usually shop at Restaurant Depot in Hackensack. How do you rate Restaurant Depot?? Against Costco and Trader Joes??

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Don't you need a reseller's certificate to shop at RD?

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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Don't you need a reseller's certificate to shop at RD?

My in-laws own a diner in NJ and we (my hubby and I) use the Restaurant Depot card very infrequently. Like if I need to buy cooking equipment, utensils or bulk spices. Even those frozen corn fritters my kids like so much. :rolleyes::wink:

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I've never been to Restaurant Depot. Please tell us about it.

Well first off...it aint very pretty to look at. Its like a big warehouse with long rows of merchandise stacked to the celing. There is also a freezer section with all the frozen food some restaurants need (like chicken fingers and jalapeno poppers) and long rows of meats. The carts suck if you are only getting a few things. Usually they have those long carts that look like something a trucker would use to offload his semi.

Other than that ,....its ok. Only place I can get ramekins for 14.99 for 6.

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Visit any Indian grocery.

I don’t think that ghee (assuming that’s what you’re referring to) is quite the same as western clarified butter. Clarified butter is decanted as soon as the milk solids separate. Ghee is cooked until the solids turn golden, imparting a slight nutty flavor.

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Damn, I've been outed again! :blink:

More on TJs: It's not a warehouse, it's a relatively small supermarket. They sell their own label on most of their merchandise. Many items have an organic and vegetarian bent, but I understand their meats and such are pretty good quality as well. There have been other threads on TJs, do a search and you will surely find them. It's not much like Restaurant Depot sounds, nor is it much like Costco. Almost everything is sold in normal quantities.

I want to take a course in butter. Guess I'll just have to give one to myself. :raz:

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To address the original question, it's my understanding that Kellers brand butter does not contain the lactobacillus cultures that Plugra does.

Kellers is right down the street from my company's main office. Maybe I'll drop in next time I'm over that way.

Lurpak is good too, and easier to find (for me) than Plugra.

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