When it comes to butter, cheaper is not always better. While many great deals abound at Aldi,
budget shoppers beware: Butter is not one of them.
For starters, butter is not much of a bargain at Aldi. Due to an all-time high of butter
consumption, and a global butter production bottleneck, butter prices are on the rise.
Then there is quality to consider. With Aldi brand butter so close in price to brand name butters,
it may be worth cutting costs elsewhere and sticking with the glorious, golden spread
produced by your favorite brand. And chances are, your go-to might be imported from Ireland.
The Kitchn affirms that Kerrygold is one of the most popular butter brands consumed in the U.S.
with good reason — it's also the best, in their opinion.
Ireland has long been known for its decadent butter. In fact,
Irish butter has been tantalizing palettes for as long as 3,000 years. While Kerrygold pure
Irish butter is no longer churned by hand, it is still a product of pastoral tradition.
"It took years of expertise to create a butter as rich and creamy as Kerrygold.
And over the years, our recipe has remained the same."
Kerrygold's cows are raised on pasture, and that makes a huge difference. Kerrygold also tops
Extra Crispy's list of the best butters from the grocery store. Among its praises, Kerrygold is
heralded for a sweet-salty flavor and luscious taste. Kerrygold even holds its own when paired
against fancy and much pricier butters — the kind that might require a special shopping trip.
So what makes Kerrygold so unarguably, and downright delicious? Well,
the biggest difference boils down to butterfat. European butter contains 82 percent butterfat,
while American butter batches typically top out at 80 percent.
This may seem like a negligible difference, but American butter's higher water content
contributes to a different flavor and texture. Notably, Irish butter is touted as being much
more spreadable than American butter. Its higher fat content also contributes to
superb baked goods, from extra flaky pie crusts, to delectably buttery biscuits.
Another distinction is apparent to the naked eye. Irish butter is known for its vibrant,
golden hue. The sunny yellow color is attributed to Ireland's lush pastures.
"Because of Ireland's mild weather, our grass grows lush and green,
and our cows are free to graze most of the year."
Cows that graze on grass will produce milk with higher levels of beta-carotene. This milk,
when used in butter production, imparts the butter's now-signature yellow tone.
American butter, in comparison, can often look a little pale. The bland color is attributed to
the fact that most American creameries source their milk from grain-fed cows,
rather than grass-fed. But get this: American butter from corn-fed cows actually
has a history of being dyed for cosmetic reasons. Some commercial dairy producers,
according to The New York Times, use annatto to amp up the yellow in their butter. No stranger
to the dairy industry, annatto is also used to impart a yellow-orange glow to certain cheeses.
Aldi diehards might remember the days of Kerrygold butter, which Aldi once stocked as a seasonal item
at reportedly-low prices. The grocery giant began to phase out Kerrygold from
its dairy cooler in 2018. In its place, they rolled out their own brand of Irish butter:
Countryside Creamery Pure Irish Butter. According to the label, it is indeed a product of Ireland,
and does not contain any added coloring to masquerade as grass-fed butter.
It's worth noting, though, that it only contains 80 percent butterfat.
You can find this soft spread consistently at Aldi stores for a very reasonable price.
Even The Aldi Nerd gives higher flavor marks to Kerrygold over Aldi Countryside Creamery standard
spreadable and stick butter, though, saying the difference is unexplainable but also undeniable.
To be fair, Aldi Reviewer says the house brand costs a bit less than what
Aldi sold Kerrygold for previously. They report that it looks and tastes
a lot like Kerrygold — with bonus points for containing less sodium.
Their opinion is that it's a decent substitute. Some may say, however, there is no substitute.
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