ATK tests butters…

[aaronatthedoublef]

I received this in my inbox yesterday.

America's Test Kitchen tested sweet cream and cultured butters both for eating and baking. I won't spoil it by giving you the results. Interesting information about the amount of fat in different butters.

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[Mike Nolan]

My instructor at pastry school said that she preferred the cultured/European butters at the table, but in the kitchen she tended to use ordinary sweet-cream butter, with one exception. She thought the cultured/European butter made better tasting croissants so she recommended using it in laminated doughs. She didn't think it made much difference in pie crusts, and having done some testing with both Pflugra and Kerrygold, I agree with her.

The percentage of fat is a function of how heavily the butter is pressed after it has been churned. Obviously, the more liquid (mostly water) they press out, the higher the butterfat. Of course, this reduces the yield somewhat, so it affects the price.

Another option is to make your own cultured butter, which has other advantages, as you also get creme fraiche and true buttermilk. (The challenge is coming up with a culture innoculant.)

[BakerAunt]

Most of my baking is done with the Walmart or a store brand. I buy that second place butter when there is a special, but that does not happen very often. Butter prices have gotten very high.

[Italiancook]

BakerAunt, I think I read that you have a Kroger near you. The Kroger near me has Land o Lakes butter on sale 3 or 4 times a year. Usually priced at 2 - 1 lb. boxes for $5.00. I freeze it, and by the time I need more, they have another sale. But I don't do as much baking as you do. I've never thought the quality of the butter was harmed by freezing, but others are welcome to disagree with me.

Of course, Kroger & Land o Lakes might not run this special in all areas. A call to customer service will tell you if they do it in your area.

[Mike Nolan]

After butter has been frozen, it doesn't seem like it sheets as well, which is important when making things like puff pastry and pie dough. Otherwise, I see no problems freezing it. I have some in the freezer as well, I just don't use it for pastry.

$2.99/pound for butter was the budget brands price here for a while, but it seems to be creeping up. I still see it below that as a sale item from time to time.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Like Mike's pastry instructor my pastry chefs that I worked for did not use the European butters.They referred to the European brands as "finish" butter. They liked it for sauces and such but less so for baking. We did not make any laminated pastry when I was there so they might have liked it for that.

The place with the lowest cost and highest quality combination here is actually Whole Foods. Amazon is supposed to be lowering prices on some staples so we'll see how that goes. I buy and freeze LoL when it is 2-4-1. If I'm making pies I'll buy fresh. And if I ever get to making croissants I'll buy fresh for that.

[BakerAunt]

I broke down and tried the salted butter that can be bought in bulk. I tried an 8 oz. roll in the cookies I baked this week (I omitted the salt in the recipe), and since it worked well, I bought a 2 pound roll for $5.99 and popped the wrapped butter into a sealed plastic container in the refrigerator. It will be some hassle to weigh it out each time I use some, but to save the money, I'm willing to do it.

I'll still look for unsalted butter on sale, since I do need it for some recipes.

Those dairy cows must have a great union negotiator.

[Joan Simpson]

I always use salted butter in all my baking and rarely omit the salt and I really can't tell any difference.I have used the unsalted a few times but since I use more salted that's what I buy.

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