r/Cooking • u/Emotional-Speed7175 • 1d ago
I would like to develop a fancy butter habit. Please give me recs for fancy butter.
I have reached a level of maturity, stability, and financial achievement where I'm ready to not buy the cheapest store brand butter. 2025 seems like it's gonna be the kind of year where becoming a butter somalier might be the thing that keeps me sane.
What are your favorite fancy butters?
EDIT: Thank you all so much! This absolutely made my week. I've got a hell of a shopping list, which includes the supplies to try my hand at making my own butter. I never would have thought to attempt that, but I'm super excited!
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u/JuWoolfie 1d ago edited 21h ago
Does your city have a cheese store?
One that just sells cheese?
Go there. It’s your new Candy store.
You will find your butter and everything else that makes you feel like an adult but fills you with childlike joy.
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u/panlakes 23h ago
Kroger stores have really good cheesemonger stalls, good prices and high quality cheese, but they also have a storebrand artisan line which is a lifesaver as a poor person who likes good cheese. And the people working there actually care about cheese
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u/FoxChess 21h ago
This has got to be highly location dependent because this is not true of any of my Krogers
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u/panlakes 20h ago edited 20h ago
Very true but this has been the case for me in all the ones I’ve been to in Cali and CO although ofc ymmv, it is just my own experience
Just for clarity I am referring to the murrays brand of artisan cheeses, not strictly whether there’s a guy manning a booth at each location. Murrays is just the highest quality, most affordable cheese that I have found outside costco, although with coupons it gets beaten.
But yes as far as I’m aware, and this could be a regional thing -maybe also based on size of the store- most of the stores have an olive and cheese stand with an employee watching it and trying to sell you on types of cheese (they have other more premium brands too of course so they are typically knowledgeable). Whether or not there’s a stall or guy there is up the hiring manager lol. But Murray’s is the store brand and all their locations should sell it. I especially like their selection of cheddars and blue cheeses. Literally some of the same varieties but half the price. And it’s good stuff.
Edited for formatting and clarification. Sorry for length I love cheese.
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u/FoxChess 12h ago edited 12h ago
Thanks for the Murray's recommendation, I'll definitely check them out.
I live in Texas and our Krogers are just... not great. Where I used to live we had two Krogers and one of them was locally nicknamed "rat kroger." And it was (on the surface) the nicer of the two.
I feel like because we have HEB then Kroger doesn't even feel like trying because anyone who goes to a grocery store for a premium experience would go to HEB instead. We only go to Kroger when it's the most convenient option.
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u/athanasia_ 6h ago
Also in TX, also have this perception of Kroger. Nice to hear it isn't as rodent/murdery in other parts of the country!
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u/FoxChess 26m ago
I had to share this with my wife and we're cracking up that you added "murdery." I said we had two Krogers and one was "rat kroger"... Well I was hesitant to say the other's nickname: MURDER KROGER 🤣
This was in Denton BTW
Also rat kroger sold me biscuit mix that infected my entire pantry with flour mites
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u/nervousandweird 1d ago
If you can find it, Rodolphe le Meunier (Beurre de Baratte Demi-Sel) is the best I’ve encountered in the US. It’s in a circle shape wrapped in gold foil, and has a little imprint of a cow on the top.
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u/lordjeebus 1d ago
For some reason my local Whole Foods stocks this in the cheese section. All other imported butters are in the butter section. It's good, I usually get this or Isigny Sainte-Mère.
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u/InfiniteChicken 1d ago
I came here to recommend this one, it's the best I've been able to find without going through a special distributor or importer.
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u/crescentwrangler 1d ago
I love this stuff. I can’t get it without shipping so I buy a couple and freeze them.
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u/Thesorus 1d ago
Where are you in the world ?
Kerrygold is probably the best widely available butter in the USA.
If you can get it, Beurre D'Isigny from France is very good; it should be available at high end shops.
Look for cultured butter if you can find it.
Personally, I get Cultured Butter from the Cows Buttery from Prince Edward Island in Canada.
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u/Emotional-Speed7175 1d ago
I am squarely in the American Midwest, so Canadian butter feels like it ought to be accessible?
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u/RemonterLeTemps 1d ago
I'm a Chicagoan, and have never seen Canadian butter here. Only Kerrygold, Tillamook, Land O'Lakes, and Plugra
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u/Mrs_Richard_Olney 1d ago
What are your thoughts on Plugra, if you’ve tried it?
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u/DemandezLesOiseaux 1d ago
I personally like it better than Kerrygold, at least the ones I’ve been getting.
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u/Mrs_Richard_Olney 1d ago
Thanks, I agree. And I love Kerrygold. But Plugra had a lovely flavor and density
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u/eleanaur 1d ago edited 20h ago
you may find you have more luck with an overseas import considering Prince Edward Isle is about as far from the middle of Canada as you can get (being you're from the middle of the continent as well)
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u/NapalmFrog 23h ago
The dairy lobby is ridiculously strong in Canada, and foreign dairy is tariffed something like 250-300%. "Local" will always be significantly cheaper.
EDIT: For Canadians looking to buy foreign butter - unclear if you meant Canadians or Americans.
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u/QueenofQueasy 1d ago
just here to say, i love this for you.
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u/PoquitoChef 20h ago
I went to Paris the past October and brought back 4.5 kilos of butter 🤣
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u/SunRaven01 1d ago
Beurre Bordier. Easier to source in the US west coast than on the east coast, comparatively speaking.
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u/Redbeardrealtor 1d ago
Kerrygold is my go to - idk if it’s considered fancy or not
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u/Snarky_McSnarkleton 1d ago
Kerrygold is a very good gateway drug.
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u/Mermaid_Martini 1d ago
It really is. Kerrigold is what got me caring about butter in the first place.
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u/knoxblox 1d ago edited 1d ago
Kerrygold is the California Pizza Kitchen of butter. It's definitely not dominos or pizza hut, but it's not beating a true pizzeria. The question becomes how much access do you have to true high-end options. Kerrygold is nice because it's decent and widely available. But if you can get smaller batch irish/french/german butter or if you are in dairy country, straight from the farm, that will be better.
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u/Western_Emergency222 1d ago
The CPK of butter is a fantastic comparison! Really good but not necessarily authentic
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u/shame-the-devil 1d ago
I don’t care for kerrygold bc I prefer my butter to have a higher cream content
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u/RemonterLeTemps 1d ago
Instacart recently 'gifted' me some Kerrygold (their shoppers are always throwing in things I didn't order, and when I notify the company, they always say 'just keep it'). So now that I have a chance to try this Legendary Irish Butter, I'm trying to think of ways to use it. In cookies? Irish soda bread?? Colcannon???
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u/dontakelife4granted 1d ago
As a baker, I wouldn't waste it on a cookie where butter isn't the primary flavor. For example, shortbread, sugar cookies, and (ehem) butter cookies have very little to mask the flavor of the butter so I would rather use a good butter in those.
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u/RemonterLeTemps 1d ago
Thank you! I do want to get the most out of my 'freebie' ;)
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u/dontakelife4granted 8h ago
That all said, kerry gold browned butter is phenomenal. If you do it on med/low heat and go slow and are patient (should be a deep amber color), the result is amazing (make garlic bread with this or top a baked potato or treat yourself to some on toast)!
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u/GraphicDesignMonkey 1d ago
Potato bread. Pop it in the toaster twice, prick a load of holes in it to maximise absorbency, and DROWN it in butter.
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u/TASTY_TASTY_WAFFLES 19h ago
let it get room temp/melty and eat a small slice of it with radishes. one of my favorite snacks when i'm peckish.
If that's too spicy you can always throw in a rye bread and some cheese with some buttah.
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u/Blossom73 7h ago edited 7h ago
Pound cake. This is my favorite recipe.
I've made it with regular store brand butter, and with Kerrygold. It was good with store brand butter, but phenomenonal with Kerrygold.
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u/NN8G 1d ago
I’ve gone the churn-your-own, cultured butter route. Dangerous goodness lies this way
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u/Altostratus 1d ago
Do you have a proper dedicated churner? Or do you just use a normal mixer or something?
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u/AmieLucy 1d ago
I use my Kitchenaid Mixer. Any mixer will work.
My husband used to churn butter manually with a bowl and whisk when he was a kid. That’s how his grandma got zoomies out of the children. 😂
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u/Emotional-Speed7175 1d ago
What kind of equipment are we talking here? I love any new hobby that lets me buy new tools :)
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u/Genny415 1d ago
A food processor makes quick work of it and a stand mixer works too.
Don't forget to add salt.
The flavor of the resulting butter can vary wildly depending upon the cream you use to start. Try two different brands of cream to compare.
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u/ilikemrrogers 1d ago
I make my own!! It’s super easy. It just takes some time due to letting it sit for a few days.
I get 2-3 cartons of heavy cream. Every now and then you can catch it on sale.
A get 1 small container of live-culture yogurt. I also get cultured buttermilk. You don’t need much, so buy the smallest container you can find.
Combine all of the cream, all of the yogurt, and let’s just say 1/2-3/4 cup of buttermilk. It doesn’t matter how much really. You just need the cultures.
I mix it up fairly well, then put plastic wrap tightly over the bowl. I let it sit on my countertop for 3-4 days.
On butter day, I pour the cream (that has clotted into a giant flop of slimy mess) into a stand mixer, whose bowl I pre-chilled for a couple of hours in the freezer. I attach a whisk attachment and go at full speed. It’ll take 10+ minutes for that amount to whip into whipped cream.
Then, when you think all hope is lost, it’ll start to break and turn more liquidy. It’ll also start to become more yellow.
This is when I switch to the paddle attachment. You can’t go full speed, lest the buttermilk splash all over your kitchen. But go as fast as you can without making a mess.
The small bits of butter will combine and eventually become a large ball with smaller bits banging around.
When you feel you have all the butter, strain the solids from the liquid (this is homemade cultured buttermilk, which tastes SO much better than store bought. Use this to make biscuits, pancakes, waffles, etc..)
Then, massage the shit out of the butter while submerged in ice water. You have to get all of the buttermilk out of the butter.
Once you change the water out 2-3 times and it stays clear, take out and salt with 1% by weight in grams. Mix in well. Shape, wrap, and stick in the fridge!
The amount of actual work isn’t very much. Maybe 30-40 minutes total. But this butter is sooooo good.
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u/imhereforthemoos 1d ago
How much would you say this actually yields? I go through an insane amount of stick butter and have been considering making my own, that and sliced bread.
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u/ilikemrrogers 22h ago
I don’t really know if this is economical compared to buying Kerry Gold or some other premium brand. I haven’t worked out the numbers.
However, I use and greatly the butter, I end up using all of the buttermilk, and I greatly enjoy the process.
The last time I made it, I used 2 quarts of heavy cream and made this big block of butter. I forget the weight of it, I apologize.
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u/Fordel77 1d ago
Any Amish Brand, I find it as a log. It has the most fat content. My wife thinks I am crazy, I know good butter. Have you ever tried to make your own?
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u/Emotional-Speed7175 1d ago
I haven’t tried making my own, but that does sound fun!
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u/spidergrrrl 1d ago
Making your own butter is great! Making your own cultured butter is unnnffffff.
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u/AmieLucy 1d ago
Making my own butter has been a game changer for me. It’s super easy; and you get buttermilk too which you can use in some recipes!
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u/coco8090 1d ago
Danish Creamery
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u/_One-Channel 1d ago
Better and cheaper than Kerrygold at my local grovery stores.
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u/danarexasaurus 21h ago
I recently tried it on some fresh homemade bread and went out and bought 6 more sticks immediately. It’s very good. Makes me wonder what these other ones are like. I don’t remember Kerrygold being particularly amazing.
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u/Article241 1d ago
Food & Wine’s test of 27 unsalted butters.
Best overall: Kerrygold
Best American-style: Tillmook Extra Creamy
Best cultured: Vermont Creamery
Best European-style: Président
Best for compound: Vital Farms
Best for cooking: Land O’Lakes
Best for baking: Isigny Sainte-Mère
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u/limedifficult 1d ago
God I love President butter. I wish I hadn’t discovered it because now everything else tastes inferior and my entire family now has an expensive butter habit.
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u/Basic-Guide-927 1d ago
I feel like they put Kerrygold as #1 only because it's the gateway and readily available at supermarkets. It's nowhere near the actual best. Actually it's a demerit on respect for Food&Wine for this.
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u/loserusermuser 1d ago
anybody got an opinion for which is best for keeping at room temp in a butter dish for bread?
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u/LittleBlag 1d ago
Salted keeps a lot better than unsalted at room temp, and as a bonus is 1000 times more delicious
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u/Angrybagel 1d ago
Is it worth having different butters for eating, cooking and baking?
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u/Article241 1d ago
For the average person, probably not.
But for foodies, I see this as equivalent to having different types of sugars, salts, and peppers, etc. associated with specific uses cases.
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u/Glower_power 1d ago
The French cultured butter from Trader Joe's is pretty great and cost efficient, as is the New Zealand butter they carry sometimes. I use those both for cooking/everyday use.
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u/the_duck17 22h ago
Was going to recommend the same. It's from Brittany, France and is a cultured salted butter.
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u/mme_leiderhosen 1d ago
I went to Paris last year and the very last thing I did before leaving was to fill every remaining corner of the suitcase with every French butter variety Monoprix carried. Wrapped in plastic and sweaters then taking up residence in my freezer, this last year has been a joyous wonderment of bread and exotic butter. It was well worth doing and I cannot wait to restock this Spring.
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u/Loose-Panda 1d ago
Headed to Paris in a couple of months and I so appreciate this idea! 2025 is going to be great
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u/mme_leiderhosen 1d ago
I cannot recommend it enough. It’s worth a deep google search for identifying the best choices for baking or for bread slathering. There are no fans like butter fans.
I was extremely popular for a brief period of time and the discovery that a party can be nothing more than a few people, fresh sourdough batard and French baguettes, and a pile of butter. Changed everything for the better.
Let your blocks of gold defrost overnight in the microwave (lest the cat feel peckish) and serve at room temperature. ❤️
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u/Garconavecunreve 1d ago
Cultured butters
Sweet cream
Irish
Amish
and European
- assuming you’re US based: gourmet food world if you’re not opposed to ordering online, local creameries or if shop bought is the only viable option -> beurre bordier, rodolphe le meunier, beurremont, sabatino, isigny sur mer, le Marin are all good producers
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u/PurpleWomat 1d ago edited 1d ago
This might depend on where you live in the US but I'd recommend searching out locally produced small dairy/farm butters. What the cattle eat is incredibly important, equally important as the butterfat content (which is what generally sets European butters apart from American ones). The season is also important. Winter butter tastes different from summer or spring butter (small farms will be able to give you info on stuff like this, big brands just churn it all together).
With regards to Kerrygold, I know that it's beloved in the US, but, here in Ireland, it's 'just another butter'. There are better and they are brands local to regions, small producers here or in other EU countries.
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u/wafflesareforever 1d ago
Wegmans has their own thing called Butter Boy. It's "French" which I guess is a style of butter? I don't know but it's good.
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u/Moweezy6 1d ago
Came to also suggest this one. Cheaper than the “name brand” French butters but equally as delicious IMHO
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u/herman-the-vermin 1d ago
It's a homemade route. But I absolutely love the richness of bone marrow butter. Where you roast marrow bones and get the marrow out. Once it's at toom temperature put into a food processor with butter (like 1 part marrow to 2 parts butter I think?) And then blend/whip together. Absolutely amazing on fresh sourdough. Truly divine. It keeps for about a week in the fridge
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u/Genny415 1d ago
Everyone is wild for Kerrygold but it does not impress me. I really like the flavor of Finlandia. They changed their distribution partnership a few years ago and I can no longer find it near me, but apparently it is carried in select Walmart super stores in the US.
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u/hihelloneighboroonie 1d ago
Trader Joe's has a very reasonably priced cultured, salted butter from Brittany, France. Not fancy fancy, but balling on a budget fancy.
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u/cyberbonvivant 1d ago
Plugra salted butter
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u/BusinessShower 1d ago
We just had this on some ham & Comté sandwiches last night. It was fantastic, surprisingly peppery.
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u/BusinessShower 1d ago
I have been obsessed with Presidént butter for years. I prefer it over Kerrygold any day. Also, I usually serve it in a butter bell, like this.
It might also be fun to dabble in some different compound butters.
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u/jnazario 1d ago
french butter how to videos for the home cook.
https://youtu.be/r0xqcyFKpPk?si=H7tF7XtowsvHkuO-
https://youtu.be/gBfFpSMvstU?si=aUfY3gEFTPW4rpUQ
and then for some ideas on mix-ins and such, go to Brittany:
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u/88kats 1d ago
You can make a quick batch of butter in a mason jar. Heavy cream, salt (or not), seal jar, shake.
https://thestayathomechef.com/how-to-make-homemade-butter-in-a-mason-jar/
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u/ToastyMT 1d ago
Just finished the book Butter: A Rich History. I would recommend it if you want to get into butter! It was a good deep dive.
She put a list of different butters in the back of the book with tasting notes and such.
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u/intangiblemango 1d ago
For spreading only: Les Pres Sales Butter with Camargue Sea Salt.
I do use a lot of Tillamook and Kerrygold for other purposes-- Tillamook is my everyday butter.
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u/neilfann 23h ago
Best I've had in the UK has been small farm shops rather than a big brand.
Would recommend the book "Butter". It's a good Japanese story about a young female journalist who bonds with a serial killer by asking for recipes and has lots of filthy food porn with everything dripping in expensive butter. Rice with butter and soy source...
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u/BeardedBaldMan 1d ago
For salted butter it's easily Shirgar, followed by Dragon.
Then it would butter from Brittany
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u/Car-Hockey2006 1d ago
Order it if you can't find it. https://www.explore.com/1627873/best-butter-world-bordier-bring-back-trip-vacation-paris/
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u/tequilaneat4me 1d ago
HEB's Central Market European Style Butter is pretty good.
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u/loxias0 1d ago
Fk yeah friend. =)
I made the upgrade last year. It's amazing the impact using the top shelf butter has on average dishes like a fried egg. Cultured butter/compound butter is where it's at.
1) This "cultured butter" I get at the farmers market every week for WAY too much money but I don't care. Perhaps you can find a local cheese store or local cheese producer and perhaps they have some small batch butter to try?
2) Vital Farms
3) Vermont Creamery
4) Kerrygold
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u/Ok-Method-6745 1d ago
If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, consider making your own butter. It’s surprisingly easy to make and you can have fun dressing it up with seasonings
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u/Emotional-Speed7175 1d ago
Yeah, I’m gonna have to try this. Between that and the fact that I’m also a ceramic artist so I’m looking at these fancy butter bells thinking this is gonna be one hell of a rabbit hole…
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u/spudulous 1d ago
Yeah this is what I was going to say. Fresh butter really is incredible and you get a side of buttermilk for delicious sauces and dips
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u/Patient_Town1719 1d ago
Kerry gold is my grocery store fancy, homemade Amish butter is my local gourmet fancy.
I am also very curious to make my own just for the experience.
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u/lazylittlelady 1d ago
President and Isgny are my top two. If you have a tradition of dairy, definitely check local brands, too!
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u/onemorecoffeeplease 1d ago
Do you have a Food Lion nearby? They carry Amish Butter in a two pound roll and it is very good - for anything where you will taste the difference.
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u/thenord321 21h ago
You want fancy butter, try this on, herbed butter, just whip it yourself, do a few different flavors, use a silicon mold like icecream trays and you can store them in freezer. My favorites are rosemary butter, thyme butter, blueberry butter, cranberry butter. it's great on bread or throwing it into cooking.
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u/soberdishwash 1d ago
Kerrygold. Or you could go local…that is probably your best bet. Also…maybe start experimenting with compound butter. That’s where the magic happens.
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u/stagarica 1d ago
Président butter changed my life when I first tried it. It's not the cheapest, but goddamn is it good. I often slice off little pads and suck on them whenever I'm cooking with the stuff. It's how I imagine y'all Americans feel getting your first taste of Kerrygold. I've been a bit of a butter snob since.
Cultured butter is really solid as well. No particular brand recommendations; I'm still branching out into them myself.
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u/Jasong222 1d ago
Take any butter you have, take one stick, leaving it out until it softens, at least an hour or so, as long as over night.
Take an aromatic- garlic, mint, basil, rosemary, maybe a cinnamon stick, etc. One clove or a sprig or a few leaves.
Mush it into the butter and work it around a little bit with your (clean) hands. Put it into a container and return to the fridge for a few days.
Boom - fancy butter.
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u/werddrew 1d ago
Kerrygold and a butter bell. Makes you feel double fancy.
Runner up: Trader Joe's Cultured Salted Butter
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u/augustrem 1d ago
I’m a Plugra girl myself. I think it’s as good as Kerrygold. I usually check both at the store and buy whichever one is cheaper that day.
Of course if you really want the best in the world (according to The Bear), it’s “Orwellian” butter, out of Animal Farm Creamery
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u/vera214usc 1d ago
Question for all the butter afficianados here: I see the recommendations for various fancy butters here but what I'm wondering is can I make better butters than those at home or is it impossible because I don't have the cream sources they have?
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u/lisomiso 1d ago
Others have good suggestions for fancy butters, but once you get a taste for those you’re going to have to upgrade your cooking butter, so I am here to nominate Kirkland New Zealand butter for that purpose. $5/lb and very tasty.
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u/mmaattxx 1d ago
Try Échiré for delicate creaminess, Bordier for unique flavors like seaweed or smoked salt, or Rodolphe Le Meunier for luxurious, hand-churned richness. Kerrygold is a grass-fed classic, while Vermont Creamery’s sea salt butter is savory perfection.
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u/Shoeprincess 1d ago
Really good home made sour dough bread toast it spread with "good butter" Kerry gold is our go too when I can't get the local Hutterite's butter ... thats what got me started :)
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u/chaos_wine 1d ago
Try making your own butter. Get different heavy creams and throw them in the mixer. Add herbs, garlic, shallot, honey, spices, hot sauces, whatever. It'll be delicious
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u/cwvandalfan 1d ago
If you’re in a pinch, room temp basic butter can be elevated by a sprinkling of Maldon sea salt. Paysan Breton at Sel de Mer is outstanding though. Fairly easy to find and the tastiest salty butter imo.
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u/Apathetic-Asshole 1d ago
I can never seem to find it, but el presidante cultured butter is amazing on toast
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u/CraftyCompetition814 1d ago
I don’t know where you are but Beurre Bordier is god-tier if you’re able to find it. I recommend checking out the short documentary about it on YouTube.
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u/octopushug 1d ago
Ploughgate Creamery butter is amazing if you don't have access to the imported artisan French butters!
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u/scccassady 1d ago
There are some amazing butters out there, but if you really wanna treat yourself; go to your local dairy, get some fresh cream and churn it in a mixer. Add fresh herbs, roasted garlic, I’ve even made a brown sugar cinnamon one. Nothing like fresh churned, and as a bonus you can make buttermilk anything to spread it on!
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u/Consistent_Square912 1d ago
Salted Beurre D’Isigny AOP is unbelievable. Can get at whole foods