Butter (What do you use?)
 

Betty Crocker I'm not but over the years I've never really found a decent butter I like until today.

I was at Food Lion and decided to try some Plugra, European Style butter. It comes in one flat piece wrapped in a aluminum colored wrapper. This is the closest thing I have found that tastes like butter when I was a kid. I grilled some corn on the cob (in the husks) on the grill today and used this butter and man was it delicious. It tasted great on the Barbeque Bread as well. So far this is the best I've found.

I've tried churning my own from heavy cream but it just doesn't taste the same.

I was wondering what most use.

Actually I've use Land o Lakes forever, for different flavors I use it as a base an then blend.

I will say you've got me thinking about experimenting now. I grew up on home churned then Land
O Lakes.

I churned some last year in my food processor that came out pretty good but still didn't taste the same. Of course my memory may be failing me also but we won't go there. :) Churned butter sure gets hard in the refrigerator.

I too, like Lands O Lakes butter. I use various styles depending on what I want to falvor. I have grown a fondness for the Olive Oil based butter by them though. :)

Same here; LOL (salted)

Butter w/o salt is just not natural!!! :D

Nor is "butter" that didn't originate in a cow...

TRUE THAT!!! :D

I've always viewed butter as a fungible commodity and don't care what brand it is. Usually buy Land O Lakes or Challenge, but only because that's what the stores around me carry.

I use Country Crock instead of butter for most things.

Would be interested in what Penn and TS have to say on this topic.

Can't say I know much about cooking, but we still make butter at home.

Secret is, there is no secret, just make sure the kids do all the churning. But do start with room temp cream, don't just go at it after removing the cream from the refrig.

Salt to flavor, ask grandma, said amount is somewhere betweeen a "pinch" or a "dab".

As for hardness, you gotta plan ahead. We make butter in 5 lb. blocks, we freeze most, but go through it rather quickly so a 5 lb. block does not last long. You've got to manage the freezer, to frig., to cubbard scenario. It sucks having to use frozen butter on perfectly toasted bread.

-----------BT-------------

I did witness TS prepare dinner by reducing butter before a grill session, perfect. It was the same night I cut my finger slicing tomatoes.

Blue SpongBob bandages are gay, it was quite embarrassing.

Don't say that in front of my boys, they'll beat your ass. ;)

Plugra is high end gourmet butter with a butterfat content in the 82% range. I've never bought it. It was to expensive for a product of marginal utility. Instead, I purchased churn sweet a product produced in upper New York state.
Lately I've been using butter produced by the Amish in Lanchester Pa, it has a deep yellow color and a butterfat content in the 89-92% range. It's perfect for pastry work, I've only tasted it once due to CV issues. Olive oil is my mantra.

Too funny.

A thought just occured to me, 2/3 of the worlds population drinks raw milk. I read recently, that in CA, (and several others states), it is illegal to sell raw milk to your neighbors, in fact, it is illegal to sell farm fresh eggs, but you can give them away, the milk also.

How sad, looking for an explanation, anyone care to enlighted me.

I understand that pastuerization made it possible to transport milk further distances for larger population bases to offer milk, but why make it illegal?

Think of it. Raw milk only forces one to have land, raise livestock, perhaps chickens, raise a hog, vegatable garden. One might attempt making butter, cheese and canning produce. Some might even call that independance.

:D:D:D

Starting a new trend???
 

Drinking raw milk can only lead to independance.

So very true.

Watch "Food Inc"

BTW: In the fridge "Hillendale Farms" butter. Ingredients: Cream, salt.

(It does have the line "Contains milk" following the ingredients list...which I find hilarious)

Pasturization, I believe ended bovine TB spread as well as other milk borne diseases. TB of the eyeball is ugly. Homogenization, I believe made it easier to ship all over, as it stopped seperation of butter fat from the skim.

I'm probably wrong but it sounded good. :D

The liberals probably are thinking they are preventing a resurgence of TB. :D

Actually they are only confused fools.

Trailer looks interesting, I'll be sure to watch it, thanks.

Content label reminds me of the beach sign that read, "Sign has sharp edges".

R.L.- Over the last 20 years, there have been breakouts of Listeria here in So Cal. The most common sources for Listeria are raw dairy products. Listeria is fatal about 20% of the time. It is especially hard on pregnant women and their babies.

I have a French butter keeper to keep the butter on the counter and just right for spreading. Lots of potters make these things, but here's the one I bought:

http://classiclinespottery.com/store...=index&cPath=1

My doctor made me switch to Smart Balance... I still use butter for baking and sauteeing.

Correct, some of it started in the illegal immigrant communities. A friend from high school is a dairy inspector for the state and works side by side with code enforcement officials. Their is mucho illegal food trade going on in California between the Julios.

When I was younger I used to buy tamales from the street vendors but not anymore. The state has cracked down on all of that.

Food vendors across the world is a dangerous game, got sick once in Cario, Egypt.

I think education has alot to do with it. But to make all food transfers illegal is well, un-American, why can't I obtain food from my neighbor?

After getting tired of eating MREs for several weeks while on Operation Bright Star in Alexandria, Egypt in '85 I became violently ill after eating a pita sandwich that I ate in an Egyptian Army kitchen. It hit me while we were traveling in a convoy to Cairo West Airbase. I was in the back of a two and a half and while moving had to drop my pants and hang my rear off the back of the truck and let fly. I had diarrhea so bad that I had to go to the field hospital for a few days. I learned a valuable lesson after that experience.

The problem with the immigrants and illegal transfer of food here also involves meat.

Do you think it was the food from the messhall or the water from your canteen? For me, food that is bad, comes up quickly. With the diarrhea thing, I'm betting it was the water.

Sorry to hear the story, makes my stomach ache thinking about it. I've never gotten sick when I was able to vet a vendor by asking a local woman with small children, "...if this place is safe?"

In Lima, Peru - I ate a cooked seafood salad with dinner. The fish was ok., but it was washed in bad water, (i.e., the lettuce). I got the runs 12-18 hours later on my return flight home.

Painful and inconvenient for those sitting beside me. Lima to Miami was fine, the connecting flight stateside sucked. Once I landed, I checked into a hotel for 3 days before I made it home.

Five Star Butter....

http://www.fivestarbutter.com/Five_S..../Welcome.html

Years ago while traveling down I-75 to Miami, I stopped at a McDonalds near Bradenton, and had a burger and fries. After driving south for about 30 minutes, I began suffering from extremely painful cramps and sweating like a race horse. I had to quickly pull over, drop my pants, and fire for effect while cars were whizzing by at 75 mph six feet away. I was so wet that I had to towel off, and change my shirt before continuing on my way to South Beach.

Soak your butter in Listerine for 30 minutes prior to use. :D

Land O Lakes, so I can show future generations of boys the "cut the knees out and put them behind the flapped package" trick. Bewbies.

ETA: Link

LOL! Wow, the things I don't know. :D

Just bought one in a little pottery shop in Kennebunkport, ME. She said that they were very popular. I can now spread butter on perfectly toasted bread without, a, waitingnfor it to soften, or b, destroying perfectly good toast. Thank you for the info! :)

Cut out the butter box so that it makes doors. Then fold the lid so the knees can be seen in the cut out when the little doors are opened. Cripes, learned that one in the 60s?? :D

Amish butter made in Ohio by legal workers.

European butter has a higher fat content, fat = flavor.

I'm sure there are butter purists out there that insist on certain types of butter.

If you want to try something cool learn to make clarified butter. Great for sauting.

Good for camping/RVing/sailing, also, since it won't go rancid if not refrigerated. ;)

Pat

Hazelnut butter? :D

Hey! I used to watch Graham Kerr, "The Galloping Gourmet"! I know about clarified butter... I'm just too lazy to use it!

I use unsalted for baking and popcorn, salted for toast, etc. I have been buying the 4# bulk pack at Sam's or Costco. No complaints so far.

He was recently on The Rachel Ray Show (air date 2 March 2011) <<LINK>>. To my disappointment, he said that he now cooks as healthily as possible.

Um. Er.:o I was watching the show to see Zoe Saldana.:)

Unsalted Darigold is my general preference for baking, unless I'm doing something especially decadent, then I'll lay my hands on a European style.

I'm experimenting with Smart Balance 50/50 nowadays, for a little more healthy cooking, though Chocolate Chip Cookies for cookie boxes OCONUS should not by definition be any way construed as nothing less than decadent. ;)

Just an FYI, don't use salted butter for baking, recipes are generally designed for butter without salt. The added salt in the butter can affect the rising properties of what you're making. Chemistry can be fun... :lifter

LL