What are the Types of Butter and Which One is Right for You?

All butters come salted or unsalted. The unsalted varieties are going to be sweeter and are often labeled as such as well. In the Dutch Meadows store, you’ll see we use the term “unsalted” exclusively. In fact, if you ever see the word “sweet” in a description, or perhaps in any of the personal messages we send to our customers, you can rest assured this NEVER means we added any sugar or other additives to alter the deliciously natural flavor of our butter. In fact, we perform the minimal amount of processing necessary to make sure our products are safe and healthy for consumption while being as close to their organic state as possible, as mother nature intended.

Salted & Unsalted Butter

So the two parent categories are salted and unsalted. Many die hard culinary professionals will say if you’re serious in the kitchen then you probably want to reach for the “unsalted” variety. This is due to the fact that the amount of salt can actually vary from butter to butter, so if you use unsalted, you can add as much salt as you’d like to each dish. This is especially critical for bakers, as precise measurements and ingredient content is very important in creating perfect baked goods.

Cultured Butter

More recently, mainstream grocery stores and food retail outlets have also started to carry cultured or uncultured butters. Heck, you may have even started to see A2A2 varieties. As you likely know, butter is made from cream. Since our cream is made from raw organic milk, the good dairy bacteria, or cultures, are still alive and well in there. When you use a cream that contains cultures to make butter, you then have cultured butter. Pretty simple stuff, right? This butter will be a little tangy and has a slightly higher acidity than other butters. It’s good for cooking but we’re fond of using this one as a spread on fresh baked bread, in/as a dip or sauce, or drizzled on a freshly roasted chicken or vegetables, like potatoes, right out of the oven. Feel free to let us know your favorite uses in the comments!

A2A2 Butter

Last, but not least, we have A2A2 butter. If you read our blog on A2A2 milk, then you can probably guess what A2A2 butter is - butter made using A2A2 milk. Tada! For those who want a quick briefing on A2A2, this type of milk refers to the A2 type beta-casein proteins in the milk. Most cows in the country will produce milk with a mixture of A1 and A2 proteins. Milk from cows that produce milk containing a higher content of A2 proteins can be easier to digest, which has been known to prove beneficial for those who are lactose intolerant and have milk allergies. We now offer this butter in a salted and unsalted variety.

Cream

We also offer our raw cream for culinary purposes in quart and pint sizes. If you’re a DIYer, this can be purchased to make your own butter at home. If you have kids, consider trying this mason jar butter activity at home. We’re sure they’ll love it!

Please share your butter stories and love for butter in the comments below. Or you can always call or email us directly to get questions answered and talk to your farmer. Yes, the actual farmer (imagine that?!).

Have a blessed day and thank you for supporting us, our family farmers, the community, economy, and mother nature.