LIFE

Is Kerrygold butter road-trip worthy?

Daniel Higgins

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

A lawsuit was filed this week over a Wisconsin law that bars the sale of Kerrygold butter and other brands that haven't been graded by the state or federal government.

Recent stories report that some Wisconsinites drive across state lines to get their fix of Kerrygold butter. Seriously?

Nevermind that we live in America's Dairyland — where Wisconsin producers know a thing or two about dairy products — we are talking about butter.

Butter.

A dairy product that by industry standards has a flavor profile so mild that the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest assigns its most experienced judges to score the category.

"It's the most difficult (to judge) because the flavor profile is very, very light," says judge Bob Bradley, a University of Wisconsin food science emeritus professor.

If anyone knows how difficult it is to evaluate butter, Bradley is the man. He's been training UW dairy product evaluation teams since 1978.

Differences are slight, says Bradley, but not completely undetectable. Everything from using the wrong pump at the plant to odors in storage coolers can impact flavor.

I've never really noticed a big difference in butters at home. Admittedly, our family butter buying is driven more by cost than flavor, so, no, I've never spent more than $7 for a pound of butter (two sticks of Kerrygold will set you back $3.69). At that price, it must be euphoria-inducing butter. Time to try Kerrygold.

Not really wanting to drive to Michigan's Upper Peninsula or Illinois for butter, I turned to Facebook friends who pointed me to a local Kerrygold source. I also grabbed a pair of respectably priced butters ($3-$4 per pound) and two from Organic Valley ($6-$7 per pound). All made in Wisconsin.

Next, I conducted some unscientific research with a sample size too small to draw conclusions that would pass peer reviews.

As you can see, I spared no expense to conduct my butter research

I started with a blind taste test at work using buttered bread. Each person was asked to rank the butters 1-5. Nine co-workers ranked them. Not only did Kerrygold get the most first place votes, nobody ranked it lower than third.

Yeah, I was more than a little surprised.

After tasting Kerrygold, not so surprised. I thought Organic Valley, which got mostly third-place votes, was a close second. Both were creamier and, for lack of a better word, had more depth.

Typically I put butter in food, as an ingredient, more than on food. So, I took the testing into the kitchen.

Making grilled cheese sandwiches, Kerrygold rose to the top again, but not so much for flavor. It spread across the cheap, easy-to-tear white bread as easily as the M-word. (Margarine.)

Fact: Regardless of the butter you use, all of your chocolate chip cookies will get eaten.

Chocolate chip cookies had less spread and — dang it — I liked the taste texture in the Kerrygold butter cookies best. As did two family members and one co-worker.

Again, none of this is scientifically sound research-based evidence — it's more anecdotal — but there's no denying Kerrygold is excellent butter.

Good enough to double my butter budget?

Maybe.

Someday.

Probably the same day I stop buying cheap, mass-produced bread, which will most likely coincide with the day our last child moves out of the house.

However, I draw the line at crossing the state line to buy butter. Plus, I'm a homer. I'd feel better buying Wisconsin butter. Organic Valley was a close second on all counts. I'll keep scouring the state for better butter. Send your Wisconsin butter suggestions my way.

As the research continues, I take solace that nobody spit out any of the butter-slathered bread, and all the chocolate chip cookies (regardless of the butter) disappeared without any arm twisting.

Organic Valley butter costs about $1 less per pound than Kerrygold and the flavor is comparable.

Regardless of your butter budget, Bradley has some advice to maximize flavor.

In the refrigerator, store butter in a drawer away from odorous foods. The butter wrapper around individual sticks was developed in 1896, said Bradley, and is not impermeable. Butter is a fat and "sucks up odors like a sponge."
To freeze butter, seal it in a plastic bag then wrap with tinfoil then tape the foil shut.
Serve butter at room temperature, but cover between servings. (Remember odors are bad.)

Keep in mind that the more butter Americans eat, the better the quality.

"The turnover of butter in grocery stores is pretty fast these days," said Bradley. "Because of that turnover, more is being produced. The cream is fresher. You aren't finding so many defects. It's a win-win situation."

Daniel Higgins writes about food and drink for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Email: daniel.higgins@gannettwisconsin.com,
Twitter and Instagram @HigginsEats, facebook.com/gwmdanhiggins.