The French are the biggest consumers of butter in the world. On average, each of us consumes 8 kg/year! With breads, in pastries or other recipes, butter comes in many varieties. Raw, pasteurized, salted, neutral, there is something for everyone. To the point of complicating the choice of the product according to the needs of the moment. In any case, the new butters seem to seduce more and more consumers to the detriment of classic butters. Read this guide to find out more.
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Our selection
"Reflets de France's sweet Isigny churn butter is one of the best butters with the Protected Designation of Origin label. A soft and extra-fine butter,…"
"We use President's gourmet soft butter for cooking. It will bring out the flavors of your ingredients thanks to its pleasantly smooth cream. However, there…"
"Echiré Beurre de France satisfies its customers with this refined product from La Motte, which benefits from the PDO certification. You can buy it in…"
"Elle & Vire's Noisy Gourmet Butter is a classic butter that continues to seduce professional testers and consumers alike. It will be your best ally…"
Reflets de France's sweet Isigny churn butter is one of the best butters with the Protected Designation of Origin label. A soft and extra-fine butter, it is also available in semi-salt.
1,80 £ on CarrefourThis PDO sweet churned butter signed Reflets de France is characterized by its pronounced hazelnut taste, which will enhance the authentic flavor of your bread. The milk used for its production is extracted in a Normandy area to obtain cream formed in the churn. From milking to kneading, traditional methods are at the heart of the butter-making process. These methods are implemented with a high quality standard. This product contains 82% fat and can be stored at a temperature of 2 to 6°C.
We use President's gourmet soft butter for cooking. It will bring out the flavors of your ingredients thanks to its pleasantly smooth cream. However, there are better ways to spread it.
1,54 £ on CarrefourThis President butter brings sweetness to your sweet and savory preparations. It is available in 125 g or 250 g packs to meet the needs of all consumers in terms of quantity and price. Its freshness will not fail to bring an exceptional flavor to dishes prepared by chefs and lovers of good home cooking. Then, we love its texture when cut, just perfect for a fluid and versatile use. For spreading breads, it is better to prefer other butters to this one because of its somewhat bland taste with bread.
Echiré Beurre de France satisfies its customers with this refined product from La Motte, which benefits from the PDO certification. You can buy it in 250 g or 5 kg packaging.
4,60 £ on Le panier de FloDo you like to bake? Are you looking for butter with the right texture and taste for your preparations? The Echiré PDO butter in Motte will meet your expectations. Its homogeneous appearance is an asset for your pastry and dessert recipes. Apart from its appetizing pale yellow color, it has an easy to handle texture. Supple, this butter in the Var department is also very fine. It is not surprising that this top-of-the-range product finds its place in the kitchens of the great French chefs. Mild or semi-salted, it will amaze your taste buds and is distinguished by a more traditional presentation.
Elle & Vire's Noisy Gourmet Butter is a classic butter that continues to seduce professional testers and consumers alike. It will be your best ally for all types of uses.
1,65 £ on LabellevieLight on the palate and particularly fresh, Elle & Vire's Noisy gourmet butter has nothing to envy to other butters, old and new, found on the market. It is produced with good quality French milk which gives it this soft texture. Moreover, it is one of the best spreadable butters. On the other hand, its rather pale texture leaves something to be desired. However, this does not change its versatile flavor. This one impresses as well in cooking as in pastry making. Sold in 250 g packs, this butter is ready to be one of your favorite breakfast products.
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The unsurpassed traditional butter
Your guide :
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| TOP OF THE TOP | CHEAP | TOP OF THE LINE | EXCELLENT | |
In accordance with our commitment, this buying guide does not contain any sponsored products. |
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| OUR SELECTION |
Reflets de France - Mild Isigny churned butter
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President - Gastronomic soft butter
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Echiré Butter - PDO in Motte
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Elle & Vire - Gourmet butter Noisy
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Reflets de France's sweet Isigny churn butter is one of the best butters with the Protected Designation of Origin label. A soft and extra-fine butter, it is also available in semi-salt.
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We use President's gourmet soft butter for cooking. It will bring out the flavors of your ingredients thanks to its pleasantly smooth cream. However, there are better ways to spread it.
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Echiré Beurre de France satisfies its customers with this refined product from La Motte, which benefits from the PDO certification. You can buy it in 250 g or 5 kg packaging.
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Elle & Vire's Noisy Gourmet Butter is a classic butter that continues to seduce professional testers and consumers alike. It will be your best ally for all types of uses.
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Appearance
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Taste
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Place of origin
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Normandie
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Isigny-le-Buat
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Echiré
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Normandy
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Quantity available
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250 g
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125 g and 250 g
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250 g and 5 kg
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250 g
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Packaging
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Plastique
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Paper, aluminum
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Commune de la Motte
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Plastic film
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Butter can be tasteless or salty. The addition of salt allows for a certain flavor for those who do not like the greasy side of butter. For 100 g of butter, the amount of salt varies from 0.8 to 3 g. However, the salted type of butter contains more salt. It brings more taste to your recipes.
Moulded butter, butter in plate or butter in lump... many are the alternatives that one meets on the market for the conditioning of this product. In all cases, this does not alter its taste. On the other hand, the packaging affects the price, because it is a marketing parameter. The butters in the lump cost more, only because they recall the traditional molding, the soil.
Just like salted butter, flavored butter seduces by the difference in taste. Spices, mushrooms, seaweed or fine herbs are added. This type of butter is available for purchase, but you can also add your own seasonings. You will save a lot of money.
Butters, like other consumer products, are subject to certifications and labels. The most common are AB butter and AOC butter. With the first one, you are assured to have a product respecting the standards of organic agricultural production. However, this label does not certify the quality of the product, especially in terms of taste.
As far as AOC butters are concerned, they are classified by 3 categories, namely Charentes-Poitou, Isigny and Bresse. The butters that are certified by the Appellation d'origine contrôlée respect a traditional and typical manufacturing process of its place of origin. The standards are stricter especially with the label of Bresse butters.
The use you want to make of your butter is a fundamental criterion. The products do not have the same taste and texture. This is the main reason why this parameter is so important. If you are buying a butter to garnish or to accompany grilled vegetables, the salted or semi-salted version is perfect. The same is true for recipes in which this product acts as a flavor enhancer. On the other hand, the unsalted butter is essential in pastry making. It brings a certain sweetness to your sweet preparations.
There are 3 ways to store butter: at room temperature, in the refrigerator and in the freezer. You can consume this product even without a refrigerator. To do this, simply store it in a butter dish with a lid at room temperature. The problem is that it can only be kept for a few days. But if you have a very cool room, it can be kept for more than 3 days. In the summer, you can only use this method to preserve the amount of butter you need for one day.
When storing in the refrigerator, it is best to keep the butter packaging. It protects the product from light and air. Once it is in contact with it, the shelf life is reduced. In the refrigerator, your butter can last for 3 weeks at most. If you have purchased a larger quantity that you cannot consume in that time, use cling film or aluminum foil as a second layer of protection before placing the butter block in the butter dish.
This product can also be stored in the freezer, ideally when it is not yet opened. Butter needs even more foil or aluminum foil with this method. Shelf life varies depending on the type of product. While salted butter retains its texture and flavour after a year in the freezer, other categories only last 3 months. If you choose this solution, leave the butter for 6 to 7 hours in the refrigerator or 4 hours at room temperature before consumption.
Raw cream is used to make this type of butter. Very rich in flavor, it is ideally used without cooking to not alter its original flavor. Note that not all raw butters have the same flavor. They vary according to the region of manufacture. But the conservation is similar, regardless of the place of origin. After milking, the milk is put in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4°C. If not pasteurized, raw butter is less durable. It can be kept for 15 days to 3 weeks. Beyond that time, it becomes rancid.
In this case, the cream used goes through pasteurization. Two kinds of butter are obtained with this technique: fine and extra-fine butter. At the level of the use, they ensure the same roles. Only, they differ with regard to the treatment of the milk in order to obtain the cream.
Extra-fine butter must be kept for 72 hours after milking and the milk must not be frozen. As for the fine butter, it can contain 30% of frozen cream. In either case, you get soft butter that can be used for up to 2 or 3 months. Then, pasteurized butter is quite versatile. It is as good in cooking as it is in baking.
We add 0.5 to 3% salt in semi-salted butter and 3% salt in salted butter. Today, this ingredient is no longer used to preserve the cream, but rather to enhance a more delicious and pronounced flavor. Besides, this type of butter is essential to prepare the most succulent Breton recipes, both for dishes and desserts.
Spreading butter is the favorite of those who eat buttered bread in the morning. We love it for its soft texture despite being stored in the refrigerator. It contains more fat. This explains its shape. On the other hand, it should be avoided in pastry because of its unstable character. It is the result of a mechanical process to control the melting and cooling temperature. During production, the soft part of the cream is recovered and mixed with conventional butter. This is why the butter obtained melts more easily even with the temperature of the fridge.
Light butter is less fatty compared to other butters. It contains pasteurized and light cream. For products in this category, the fat content is estimated to be 60 or 62% less compared to standard butters. Some contain 39 to 41% less. These are the light butter category. While no additives are used in the processing of these products, water is used to reduce the fat. These butters are more expensive.
A cow produces 20 liters of milk per day on average. And to make 1 kg of butter, you have to use the production of a day of a cow that gives 3 liters of cream.
While butter is popular with many consumers, excessive consumption of this product and its association with other inappropriate substances are believed to be the cause of certain cardiovascular diseases. Butter itself is not as unhealthy as one might think. It is the way we eat and live with it that increases the risk.
Margarine is made of vegetable fats. This is the main argument used by manufacturers to promote it over butter. Phytosterol is a component of this product. It contributes to lowering the cholesterol level once consumed.
It must be said that it is not by reducing the number of cholesterol that we fight against cardiovascular diseases. The consumption of butter and margarine does not change much. It is by reducing the oxidizing elements that we eliminate this risk. However, margarine is a good alternative for consumers who are lactose intolerant or vegan.
For fat supply
Compared to other sources of fat, butter does not have guaranteed effects on cholesterol and on subjects with stable blood lipid levels. This product is much better in relation to the risks associated with cardiovascular disease.
For its small amount of cholesterol
The cholesterol provided by butter does not act dangerously on blood lipids. In fact, it even promotes the production of good cholesterol (HDL).
To get a good dose of vitamin A
Vitamin A holds an important place among all the substances in this category. It is versatile and is involved in several organs and functions of the body. Consuming a fair and average amount of butter supplies the body with vitamin A.
To protect against some cancers
The raw material of butter contains butyric acid which has the capacity to prevent certain cancers. No other food to be consumed in everyday life contains this fatty acid.
A product used in various preparations
Butter has no limits. It is the product of choice for a varied and complete breakfast. It is used in savoury preparations and can be mixed with other ingredients. It is also a product to spread on other foods than bread, including grilled or steamed vegetables, grilled fish, shellfish and many others. Of course, it is an ideal source of fat for baking.
In our opinion, the best brands of butters in 2022 are :
This Norman manufacturer specializes in the production of butter, but also other milk-based products: creams, sauces, cheeses, mascarpone... Customers trust the brand for its transparency in the production, presentation and sale of its products.
Le Grand-Fermage adopts a production system that respects biodiversity whether it is for butter or cheese. All of the brand's butters are made from French milk, produced by breeders with a wealth of know-how.
This house is adept at the old-fashioned method for producing its butters. The barrel churning technique gives birth to an exceptional taste and texture. Pure, light and creamy, its butters, creams, milks and cheeses follow a strict manufacturing process.
The brand focuses on butter and cheese. Bordier butter is among the best on the market. It is the result of several steps ranging from milking the milk to churning and kneading the cream to salting and adding the flavor.
Echiré produces butters used by restaurant professionals and individuals. They are known for their unique taste personality. Not to mention its particular texture resulting from the teak barrel churning method.
The diagram below will help you to get an idea of the typical prices for each price range (entry-level, mid-range and high-end).
However, more expensive does not necessarily mean better.
We therefore advise you to always consult our ranking before deciding, rather than blindly relying on price ranges.
Butter is never good burned
Butter is eaten raw or melted, but never burned. It becomes less digestible because of the chemical reactions caused by the browning of enzymes. Therefore, one must be very careful when accompanying meals to be cooked.
What to do when your butter is rancid
Baking soda has the ability to get rid of the rancid taste of butter. For 125g of butter, you need a bowl of ice water with 3 tablespoons of it. Put the butter in it, then knead it to remove this unpleasant flavor. For preservation, it is better to put the container of butter in a bowl of salted water with a bay leaf.
Learn to make homemade butter
Homemade butter represents a good alternative that is not expensive and easy to prepare. Then, it is a good way to have flavored butter, because you are free to use all the ingredients you want to put taste in it. As for the base product, you need a liquid cream that you will prepare in a mixer. After whipping for 15 minutes, you will have the butter grains that are going to be molded into the shape you want.
Raw butter is best
If you want to exploit the unique taste of butter, use raw butter. It spreads and blends into your most scrumptious recipes.
Use dry butter to make your puff pastry successful
Dry butter is more elastic due to its higher melting temperature of 30°C. Its texture is just perfect for concocting a successful puff pastry.
The best butter depends on your needs and your budget. Read our buying guide for the best products out there.
Butter contains a lot of fat. Therefore, those with high blood lipid levels should reduce their consumption. Then, people with lactose allergy do not consume butter which is a milk-based product.
There is no right or wrong season to eat butter. It is available all year round and is consumed on a daily basis. Especially since this product can be stored for months or even a year with the right method and type of butter.
You can still consume butter even if the expiration date has passed, but with a few conditions. First, make sure the butter has always been kept cold. Then, do not exceed 3 weeks after this minimum durability date. The last condition is the absence of odor and acid taste.
Churning is the traditional technique used to make butter. Although all manufacturers go through this step for their production, some butters are specially labeled with this label. This emphasizes the nature of the method used and the authenticity of their cream.
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