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Comment by barrkel | Hacker News Reader

Butter also lasts longer when it's covered, as long as the ambient temperature doesn't get too high.

We generally keep at least 100g of butter in our butter dish (i.e. under a cover) on the kitchen countertop, more if it's not summer.

As a child in the west of Ireland, we'd go through a pound of butter a week. I can't even find butter sold by the pound (or 500g - I'm not fussy) in the UK, blocks are generally 250g.

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as a fan of Kerrygold, I respect Irish butter. For some reason American butter doesn’t even come close. French, perhaps.

Mass-market American butter is designed for shareholder profits, not taste.

In the 70s and 80s margarine was all the rage. Butter, even boring butter, is a step up from that. But I do love some great french butter.

Not to mention margarine is full of omega 6 oil (linoleic acid) which is horrendously bad for your mitochondria. Incredibly people think it's the healthier choice.

Honest question: is it any different elsewhere? If so, why exactly and how do you know?

Swiss milk is also mass-market for shareholder profits, but the demand curve differs.

    CH: 3,5% 2,5% fat
    US: 3,25% 2% 1% 0% fat

I think I can taste the extra fat in the "full" and "drink" grades, but maybe it's better cow welfare and not just the fat? (direct from a farmer the fat content is over 4%)

European butter is 82% butterfat; most American brands are 80%.

American milk can't be sold in Europe because of how adulterated it is with hormones and antibiotics. Meanwhile, European dairy products intended for export to the states still have to satisfy European dairy standards.

I bake a lot and I can taste the difference.

If you're in the northeastern US, you might be able to find Amish butter. By mass it's cheaper than Irish, and I can't tell a difference in taste or texture between the two. I definitely can between either and regular stick butter, though - I won't use that in sauces any more.

I'd love that but am in the west coast. Do they have a brand, or are they OEM? :)

On the west coast, Straus butter (and other dairy products) are pretty easy to find and I think they are quite good. Their butter is high-fat, but it isn't cultured - locally made, cultured butter seems to be a niche for small craft producers and is harder to find than the European imports like Kerrygold.

I love Straus yogurt. I didn’t know they had butter too.

If you're in San Francisco, try buying a block of butter from Daily Driver on 3rd St in the Dogpatch. https://dailydriver.com/

The owners own a creamery up in Marin, and they make their own cultured butter in house. At $14 for an 8 oz block it is much more expensive than the stuff at Safeway, but it has a totally different taste.

https://sf.eater.com/2019/5/29/18643503/daily-driver-san-fra...

I’m in SF! Thanks.

Andronico's on Irving St in SF sells Amish butter in a giant roll. I've never tried it though.

Got great suggestions here, thanks!

It's also available in more upscale grocery stores in the Northwest -- possibly other locations as well.

I'm in the northeast and I've seen this in grocery stores and bought lots of it. I'm not convinced it's 'Amish' in any real sense, though: I switched from Kerrygold to it, and found it basically good but really salty. Ended up switching to Cabot, which is also regional. Maybe I'll go back around to Kerrygold for good measure :)

Pretty much all I use butter for is omelets, but that's every breakfast.

Plugra is a European style butter made in the states that is pretty good and widely distributed

Thanks, I’ll try it out.

Kerry gold is glorious. Last time I was in France, all 20 types of butter In the local supermarket were disappointing because they were all unsalted.

You were probably not in Northern or Western France then. Salted or unsalted butter is highly dependent on the region you are in.

If you ever go in France again, look for "demi-sel" on the package, this is the term used to indicate butter is salty. I think it’s available in most big supermarket.

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