Butterfat Content

[mrose]

In Schott's book he says to use 82% butterfat butter. This is a value used by most chocolatiers. Is this just the value used as the percentage of fat in the nutritional breakdown? This is about 17% on most butters I have seen. If so where do you find 83% butter & how expensive is it?

[annachan]

I had the same question before and someone told me about Plugra, which I was told is 82% butter fat. At about $2.69 a lb at Trader Joe's, it's a great price. I used it in my truffles this past holiday season and they turned out great.

[aguynamedrobert]

82% is pretty much the standard for butter in the USA...If you want something with a little higher butterfat then you can melt it down and skim off the milk solids or you can buy European butter which has a higher fat content to it if I remember right....

Robert

Chocolate Forum

[mrose]

Robert

Thanks, do you hapen to know the same info on heavy cream?

Mark

[aguynamedrobert]

Heavy cream by law has to be at least 36% butterfat....any good heavy cream will have 40% which is standard for GOOD heavy cream. There are things like double cream in Europe that have 48% but we do not have that available here in the USA...

The only cream with higher than 40% butterfat is something called "manufacturers cream"....it doesn't have a specific amount (legally) that it has to be but is usually in the low 40%'s...40-45%.

Have a good one,

Robert

Chocolate Forum

p.s. - Light cream is 30-35% Butterfat