In Australia butter has a requirement to have a minimum of 80% butterfat. In France the minimum is 82% and some European butters have as much as 84% butterfat. Although this seems like a small variation it makes for a significant difference in taste and performance in various baking and cooking recipes.
How is European Style Butter different from the Butter I usually buy? The difference between European Style Butter, such as our Extra Creamy Butter, and traditional Butter is that it is churned to produce a higher milk fat content of 82%, resulting in a creamier texture and richer flavor.
European Butter
The standards for the minimum amount of butterfat in butter are different in Europe and America. Abroad, the minimum is 82 percent; here, it's 80 percent; everywhere, it's lower for salted butter. So, whenever you use European butter, you're likely to have a richer dish.
European butter is often fermented, given it a tangy, slightly sour taste. These butters are often richer (more butterfat), making it ideal for baking since it melts quicker. American butter is monitored and regulated by the USDA, which states that a butter must contain at least 80 percent butterfat to make the cut.
This type of butter is usually more nutritious and higher in beta carotene and omega-3 fatty acids, too. European versus American butter - European-style butter contains more butterfat than American-style butter, 82 percent versus 80.
Bottom Line: If You Have to Eat Butter, Choose Grass-Fed
“Grass-fed butter has the nutritional edge in that it offers more heart-healthy nutrients than regular butter in a less-processed product than margarine,” Malkani says. You can typically find grass-fed butter at the grocery store or natural foods market.
Bordier. France's Bordier is often considered by many in the culinary world to be among the best butter brands on the market. This is because of Bordier's determination to return to traditional methods, where the butter is kneaded by hand on a wooden table instead of being processed with factory equipment.
“In Australia and New Zealand, the cows are fed on pasture, so their milk contains a yellow-orange pigment called beta-carotene, which makes the butter yellow. In many other countries, especially Europe, the cows are fed on grain, so the colour of the butter is a pale, cream colour.”
European-style butters have less water and are higher in fat, ranging from 82% to 86% butterfat. If used in a recipe not calling for it specifically, European-style butter can create a greasy, sometimes drier result than grade AA butter.
More butterfat also means a softer texture, faster melt, and often, a saturated yellow hue. With less water, European-style butters are often the preferred butter for baking — especially when the flavor of butter is just as important as its function.
The butterfat is then collected and molded into blocks or rolls, and is often aged for a few days to a few weeks to develop its flavor. Spain is known for producing high-quality butter, and the country's butter is considered to be among the best in the world.
Many professional chefs and bakers will recommend using unsalted butter no matter what you're making, so that you have better control over seasoning and since the salt content varies among salted butters.
The most valuable and flavoursome part of the milk – the cream – is carefully "ripened" before the butter making process. Lactic cultures are added, giving a fresh and slightly aromatic note with the unmistakable creaminess that creates the characteristic Lurpak® flavour. That's it.
In the United States, the diet of cows varies from those in Europe and Oceania, and there are also breed differences. The level of the natural pigment carotene in milk, derived from the diet of cows, is the strongest determinant in whether butter appears yellow.
Cakes, pies, and cookies made with European butter will have a fuller flavor. In general, European butter tends to be preferred for baking because it has less water.
French- or European-style butter is considered the highest quality; it contains a bit more fat, thus less water than what we Americans call “regular” butter and often made from cultured cream, which may make it taste divine.
Best American-Style Butter: Cabot
This slightly higher amount of water (compared to European-style butter) steams in the heat of the oven, puffing up flaky pie crusts, plush cakes, and crispy-edged cookies, making them light, fluffy, and tender.
Most baking recipes tend to call for unsalted butter. This is because there is no standard salt content in butter, so it varies from brand to brand and country to country.
Salt not only adds flavour, but it acts as a preservative giving butter a longer shelf life of about 3 months. Using salted butter is ideal for all types of cooking and is a great way to add extra flavour, with no need to add extra salt. However, using salted butter in baking is not always so straight forward.
Why is lurpak white? Lurpak uses a Lactic culture as opposed to sweet cream. Lactic culture is very pale, giving Lurpak it's creamy white colour.
CopperTree Farms naturally cultured butter is known for it's almost white colour and creamy taste. Perfect for achieving a crisp white buttercream without the need for a whitening agent. Made in Australia with only the best, fresh and natural ingredients.
The price of butter in Australia has been on the rise in recent years, due to a number of factors. The cost of production has increased, as the price of milk has risen and the cost of feed and other inputs has also gone up. The Australian dollar has also fallen in value, making imports more expensive.
There, chefs baste the meat with Devonshire Butter, like you would a turkey on Thanksgiving day. You don't have to babysit the meat on the grill like that to take the technique to the next level, though.
Unsalted Butter or “Sweet Cream Butter” (Real)
It's probably your go-to, and for good reason. Containing around 80% milkfat, this butter is the most versatile in cooking from baking to sautéing.
Lurpak is a Danish brand of butter owned by Arla Foods. It is sold in over 75 countries worldwide, and is known for its distinctive silver packaging.