A large selection of butter on the shelves of stores allows each buyer to choose something different. And on the other hand, dishonest producers under the guise of a dairy product sell a completely different product. How to understand which butter is good with such an assortment? By what criteria should you choose a product so that it delivers only benefit and pleasure.
What should be a natural butter
The manufacturer offers a huge range of butter. Bright packaging and enticing names have ceased to seduce. The consumer wants to eat a quality, tasty and at the same time inexpensive product. But which butter is good and how to choose among a large abundance? In order to answer this question, you need to figure out what should be the product that falls under this definition.
Butter is a product made from cream (hence the name) of cow's milk, rarely from milk from other cattle. The composition of the oil must necessarily include everything that is contained in milk: proteins, saturated fats, calcium, potassium, vitamins A and D.
The color of the butter should be uniform, from light yellow to yellow. If the product is made from summer milk, its shade will be more saturated due to the yellow-orange pigment carotene in it. The mass should be homogeneous, dense or not too dense, ductile.
The butter should smell like cream and taste the same. The presence of odors and taste is unacceptable.
Which butter is better to buy
According to various examinations, every second pack of dairy product is a fake. Unscrupulous manufacturers use insufficient competence of the buyer and put low-quality goods on the market.
In Russia, good butter, whatever its name, should meet state standards. One of its criteria is packaging. When choosing a dairy product from cream, it is necessary to pay due attention to it. The packaging material must be free from defects in the seal, without dents or other damage. According to the state standard, a product in a “container” that does not meet the requirements is not subject to sale.
On the pack should be written "Oil". The inscriptions “Butter”, “Breakfast oil” and others indicate that the product is made with deviations from the requirements of GOST. Such names are misleading, although not considered a violation.
Marking must be clear. If the oil is made with the use of sourdough, table salt or with the addition of vitamins, the corresponding inscriptions are applied: “sour and cream”, “salty”, “enriched with vitamins”. The type of oil must also be indicated: top or first - there are no others.
In order to produce a kilogram of oil that complies with state standards, at least 19 liters of milk with normal fat content will be needed. Based on this, oil cannot be cheap. Low cost indicates that the product is made from low quality raw materials and may not be good.
How to determine the quality of oil at home
Oil that meets all of the above requirements, without exception, is not always of high quality. Only laboratory tests can give an absolutely accurate conclusion. But a certain degree of authenticity and quality can be determined at home independently. To determine for yourself which brand of butter is the best, you can check it in the following ways:
- A small piece of the product is placed in the refrigerator. After an hour, they take it out and cut it. If the mass is smoothly cut, this indicates that it is a spread. Quality oil should crumble.
- A little oil is added to hot water and allowed to settle. A quality product does not precipitate, but is evenly distributed on the surface of the water.
- After the product has stood in the refrigerator for some time without packaging, its surface should remain unchanged. The presence of water droplets indicates a poor quality product.
A small part of the product is placed in a container, covered with a lid and placed in a microwave oven at the highest temperature. Fake oil will start to shoot in a few seconds, and the lower the quality, the stronger the sound.
Butter classification
A dairy product has several types of systematization. All of them depend on the composition and method of preparation.
In accordance with the type of cream used in the manufacture of oil, it is divided into types:
- Sweet cream is made from fresh cream that has been pasteurized. It has a characteristic taste of milk, which was subjected to heat treatment.
- Sour cream is made from pasteurized cream, fermented with a lactic inoculum. It has a sour-milk flavor and a specific aroma.
Depending on whether the manufacturer added table salt to the oil or not, it is divided into salted and unsalted.
Oil classification by fat content
Oil is an emulsion in which microscopic drops of water are evenly distributed in milk fat. Depending on the mass fraction of fat, oil is classified as follows:
- "Traditional" should contain not less than 82.5% of the mass fraction of fat and not more than 16% of moisture. Calorie content 748 kcal.
- "Amateur" - 80% fat, not more than 18% moisture, energy value 3044 kJ.
- "Peasant" - 72.5% fat, not higher than 25% moisture, calorie content 662 kcal.
It is impossible to answer unequivocally which butter is better - 72.5% or 82.5%, each one can choose according to his taste. These types of oils are subject to special supervision. If the manufacturer uses these names on the package, the product must comply with the technical conditions developed for each type. It is allowed to use table salt, carotene, concentrates of lactic acid bacteria in the manufacture of "Traditional", "Peasant" or "Amateur" oil.
Also emit “Sandwich” (milk fat content of 61%) and “Tea” (50%) oil. They may include flavorings, vitamins A (retinol), D (cholecalciferol), E (alpha-tocopherol), stabilizers, emulsifiers, preservatives.
Who and how to deceive the buyer
One indicator of which butter is good is its fat content. A large amount of fat is not only calorie content, it is also a large number of useful trace elements in the product: calcium, vitamins A, E, D. With a decrease in fat content, the beneficial properties of the oil are reduced.
You can check the exact fat content only with the help of special equipment in the laboratory, or you can purchase a device for home use. It is clear that few people will be engaged in such things, here are unscrupulous manufacturers and do not hesitate to reduce fat content.
Roskachestvo regularly examines both novelties and products that have long been in demand. The results of the checks are deplorable: for some manufacturers, the actual fat content of the product is reduced by 10%. The buyer pays for the "Traditional" oil, and eats "Peasant".
Oil is a product with a very short shelf life. To increase it, manufacturers add components that inhibit the growth of bacteria. Some significantly exceed the content of such substances. The best butter, whatever it may be, can be stored for 35 days. If the expiration date indicated on the pack is coming to an end, and the product has an impeccable appearance, then it contains a lot of preservatives.
Counterfeit
If the declared fat content in butter is 82.5, which is the best - it is determined by which particular fat. On some products, you can see that with high fat content they have a relatively low calorie content. Why does this happen?
Butter consists of milk fats and contains cholesterol. This organic substance is present in the cells of all living organisms, except for plants and fungi. It is cholesterol that makes the product high-calorie. But high fat content can be achieved with vegetable fats. Their addition significantly reduces the cost of production, but this is not oil, but a spread.
To detect vegetable fats, a test for the presence of phytosterols is used. A manufacturer who cares about the quality of his products regularly and fearlessly conducts this study, about which there is supporting documentation. According to the examination, one regularity was revealed: in new brands, counterfeit is found much less often than in popular ones.
Unsafe products
The easiest way to understand which butter is good is to buy it and try it. But it happens that the product does harm. To get to the table to the consumer, oil goes a long way. Violation of microbiological indicators can occur at any stage. Full compliance with sanitary conditions at the factory does not guarantee product safety.
Roskachestvo experts more often buy products where the regime necessary for storing oil is observed. Markets, small retail outlets often do not comply with the rules of storage of products, in addition, many do not give a sales receipt - recovering from them is problematic. Butter needs to be bought in the places equipped with refrigerators.
Microbiological deterioration is not always possible visually. Oil that is just starting to deteriorate often has a normal color and smell. When buying, you need to look at the conditions of sale and the expiration date
What is the best butter
In addition to the established GOST, there are other, more stringent requirements for the quality and safety of the dairy product. They are determined by the Standard of the Russian quality system, and products that comply with it can qualify for the state Quality Mark.
Oil awarded the Quality Mark:
- "Ruze".
- "Farm".
- "Lattesco."
Dairy Compliant Butter:
- "Brothers Cheburashkiny."
- "House in the village".
- "Brest-Litovsk."
- "The right oil."
- "Rovenki".
- "Savushkin."
- Ekomilk.
Also on the Internet, surveys are conducted on the subject of which butter is the best in Russia. True, their data is based solely on the opinions of consumers. But if you compare the ratings, the differences will be insignificant.
Most of the positive reviews receive grades of oil with the highest fat content. The product itself is not independent, it is not consumed to quench hunger. Oil is eaten slowly, evaluating the appearance, aroma and taste. Such ratings sort products and allow you to choose from quality products.
And what do the confectioners say?
Professional pastry chefs know exactly which butter is best for cream. The quality of the cake depends on the quality of the dairy product.
In order for the cream to turn out airy and not settle, the oil must fully comply with the requirements of GOST in terms of structure, consistency, and also heat resistance. The latter indicator depends on the method of production. If the product is produced by the classical method of churning, then the oil holds its shape better, but is poorly smeared on a sandwich. If the conversion method is applied, the oil is softer.
Heat resistance is important not only for the preparation of creams, first of all, it is necessary for the manufacturer to make the product look presentable. The indicator is not reflected in taste.
Consumer Reviews
Customer opinions are based on personal experience and are slightly different from the results of the Roskachestvo Standard. The list of brands of the best butter, according to consumers, is as follows:
- "Brest-Litovsk." Buyers note that the oil contains only natural ingredients. Its taste is creamy, soft. Many people believe that the fat content of the product is fully consistent with the declared, because you can’t eat a lot. Those who buy oil from this manufacturer claim that the taste has not changed over the years, which is still good.
- "Vkusnoteevo." Buyers claim that the name is absolutely consistent with the product. The price is also pleasing.
- Ekomilk. Consumers without laboratory tests are fully confident that the product is natural. This opinion is based on the fact that the oil at the end of the shelf life changes taste for the worse. But it is so tasty that it does not linger in the refrigerator for a long time.
- "Belarusian". Oil is produced in the Minsk region in the city of Kopyl. To transport to Russia is expensive. Buyers believe that this is the reason for the high cost, but it is fully justified.
- "Milava." Oil from the Belarusian manufacturer is equally good and with a fat content of 72.5 and 82.5. The taste is delicate, creamy.
- Valio The fat content of the product is 0.5% lower, but the manufacturer does not indicate that the oil is Traditional. Consumers claim that the product is very oily, and half a percent does not play a role. The only thing I don't like is very expensive.
- Anchor. In reviews of this oil, customers write that they have chosen a New Zealand manufacturer because they are tired of Russian fakes. Among the advantages, of course, is a rich creamy milk taste. Some housewives, despite the high cost, buy it for custard, because the oil holds its shape perfectly.
Conclusion
Butter is a nutritious and healthy product, provided that it is of high quality. Choosing the best, it is necessary to focus not only on packaging, consistency, but also to check the quality with various available methods, you must also trust your own taste. After all, oil should not only bring benefits, but also give pleasure.