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Better Butter
Gail asks: What brands of butter do the upper end restaurants use? I would like to put it into my pound cakes. Tom sez: Most restaurants buy butter from institutional distributors who don't market the same brands at retail. However, most of the butter that comes into this market--regardless of the brand--is actually made by Land 'O' Lakes. A taste test I did of a dozen salted butters with different brands showed no detectable difference in flavor. In general, unsalted butter is better than salted butter. The salt masks flaws, and also preserves the better. Unsalted ("sweet") butter has to be the best quality available, because it shows every problem. You can find some premium butters in the stores, particularly those with a gourmet tilt. The most widely-distributed brand is Plugra, an American-made butter that imitates French butter. The name is a respelling of "plus gras," which means "more fat." It's very good. However, whether this will make a dramatic difference in a pound cake is something I'd have to taste to believe. Although it just might! Revised 3/10/08 Copyright © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. |
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