I think the first I learned of transfats was an article in Gourmet magazine.
My aunt lived on a farm in Mississippi her whole life … I watched her make butter from milk from her cows. Later in life, no more cows, she bought margarine from the local store. I thought: how could she eat margarine after eating that delicious butter all her life.
The butter from Laiterie Chagnon is quite nice. Available in Ontario at Sobeys. I believe it is 8.99 a pound.
Fleischmann’s margarine here, dad was on a low cholesterol diet and so were the rest of us.
I don’t remember any connection with healthiness! I don’t recall seeing butter in any kitchens (outer boroughs NYC sixties and seventies) until I moved away and was an adult.
Margarine was promoted heavily as being healthier than butter. Lies.
I splurged and bought Beurre D’Isigny cultured butter with sea salt crystals from Brittany, $7 at WF 250 g.
So far, I don’t think it’s superior to the New Zealand salted butter from Costco.
Their beurre de baratte with sel de Guerande is better, and quite distinctive. It is in the dark blue package and is good for table and finishing use.
I splurged too, on something similar, but my local fancy supermarket own brand:
It was £3.50 for the 250 gram block. To me, it’s been a treat having it on sourdough toast sometimes with honey on top. But that might be because my husband buys Lurpak Danish spread (butter mixed with rapeseed oil) as our everyday butter. I use supermarket own brand non-fancy salted butter for baking.
Echire for toast and some cookimg
Cabot for baking
This was the only one … I’ll be on the lookout elsewhere for blue wrapper one!
We have a very small selection of butter in Ontario, relative to what’s available in Michigan, Ohio, or upstate New York.
I mostly buy Lactantia unsalted sticks. That’s available at most grocery stores. I have been paying $8.99 CAD/lb for around a year.
I occasionally will splurge on Stirling unsalted
or Cow’s unsalted.
I’ve never purchased the Polish or French butter, which a few specialty grocers sell in Toronto and London, Ontario.
Kerrygold and other Irish butter is not sold in Canada.
I have enjoyed Kerrygold butter when I’ve been in Pittsburgh, and Cabot Creamery butter when I’ve visited Killington.
Me too, or Gay Lea. Sterling is now owned by one of them.
I’ve been meaning to try the high butterfat Sterling in baked goods, especially in buttercream; one of these days. It would be interesting to try it in puff pastry, which I haven’t made in years (decades?).
As I buy only unsalted butter for baking, that’s the only stuff we eat, so I find butter in restaurants too salty.
I’ve never seen the blue wrapper. Only yellow in my store.
This stuff from Costco is pretty good.
I also never or rarely saw real butter as a kid. My mom bought into the supposed health benefits…went to butter after it was found to be a lie, long after I left home.
We had margarine for many years when I was growing up. Health benefits. Oops. Oh well. At least the commercials were fun.
I agree totally. I’ve done time with lots of European butters. I can’t get them here in Palm Coast, FL so I have to order them and the shipping costs more than the butter. Totally worth it!
It’s just butter. As you allude, butter of a different shape. Oh boy
Not a big fan of grass fed butters. Kerrygold is good.
Just had a former student from France bring me some Comte cheese. That was an eye opener. Seems every time I go to Mexico, they have amazing butter.
Certain butters are not all created equal, terroir aside. The cultured butters have a distinct taste from the fermentation and the buffer fat content and residual liquid also makes a taste difference. There are also claims that the kneading also contributes to oxidation and flavor development. Bordier is probably the most famous maker, but it is difficult to find in the US. I prefer Isigny Ste Mere to Echire, and both are more widely distributed in the US.
I am fortunate that my local specialty store (about a mile away) carries four types of Isigny Ste Mere (sweet, salted, crystal and spring time) and the dark blue (salt crystal) is the first to sell out. (they also offer various types of US, Irish, Polish, and Italian butters). Here’s a Isigny Ste Mer link.
Now inspired by the butter thread, I am going to fetch some Bordier tomorrow.
I love salted Kerrygold. Since I salt pretty much everything I cook, I can easily adjust around not keeping unsalted on hand. Salt also makes room temperature butter save better, and the glass container lives on the counter.
I grew up on Fleischmann’s in the tub, butter was forbidden. Grandmother, 400 miles away, had butter that sat on a butter dish safely in a cupboard. It was so soft snd spreadible! It made the perfect puddle in a bowl of cream of wheat. As soon as I was on my own, only butter was in my home. Nowadays, I use plain old salted and unsalted butter from Costco and Natural Grocer’s plant based buttery sticks. Sometimes a higher end butter will be used in a finishing a dish.
I’m happy with this arrangement.
