The next time you find yourself in the dairy aisle, take a closer look: There’s way better butter out there now. There are also more good, cultured butters on the market than ever before, which is a very good thing. So what is cultured butter? Also known as Euro-style, it gets its subtle tang from good bacteria and has at least 82 percent fat content. Think crème fraîche in butter form. Here are seven small-batch butters we love for spreading on everything with abandon.
Chefs like Mozza’s Nancy Silverton insist on this creamy French beurre. $9 for 250 g.
A sea salt–laced Vermont cultured butter. $15 for 1 lb. Call 802-496-7047.
Allison Hooper brings the cultured butter she learned to make in France to the U.S. mainstream. $10 for two 8-oz. logs.
The high fat content of this sweet-cream butter from upstate New York makes for tender and flaky pastries. $9 for 1 lb.
Rich, grassy small-batch Sonoma butter is tumble-churned for flavor akin to fresh cream. $8 for 8 oz. Call 707-664-0452.
