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A golden butter slides into first

By KATHY SAUNDERS
Published February 28, 2007

Rarely does a food make the Hall of Fame for Taster's Choice. The exclusive club is reserved for foods that score 90 or more points in our surveys. Believe it or not, butter made the list.

We tasted 13 varieties of sweet, unsalted butter. Several scored high among our panelists. One, the European style Plugra $2 for an 8-ounce slab, scored a whopping 93 out of 100 possible points.

Judges described the butter as velvety, with bright, yellow coloring.

"It's almost like a soft brie cheese from the south of France," said one judge. "It's a great greeting on the tongue."

The Plugra butter's firm texture pleased the panelists as well. All four said they would buy this butter.

According to the manufacturers, the texture comes from a slower churning process. Plugra also boasts more butterfat (80 percent) than do some of its competitors.

Overall, panelists were a bit disappointed in the butters' flavor because they craved the salt. Unsalted butter is better for baking because it allows chefs to control the amount of salt in recipes. Salted butter jolts the taste buds by producing saliva.

While still craving salt, panelists liked the creamy texture and firmness of Breakstone's butter ($1.67 for 8 ounces at Publix). They gave the Breakstone sample 78 points.

"It's sweet with a twist," said one judge. She and her three fellow panelists said they would buy the Breakstone's butter too.

Publix brand butter ($1.59 for 8 ounces) was their next choice. Judges gave the Publix butter 72 points; three of the four said they currently buy the store brand and would continue to do so.

The Publix butter was described as creamy, almost white, with a slightly tangy taste.

"It whispers on the palate," said one panelist. "It's silk like a soprano at the Met Opera - yum!"

Also sampled were butters from: Lurpak ($2.99 for 8 ounces at Publix); Kerrygold ($3.29 for 8 ounces from Publix); Organic Valley ($4.59 for 1 pound from Publix); Land O'Lakes ($4.99 for 1 pound at Publix); Mid-America ($2.29 for 1 pound from Sam's Club); Winn-Dixie ($2.79 for 1 pound); Great Value ($2.24 for 1 pound at Wal-Mart); Albertsons ($2.69 for 1 pound); Hannaford ($2.50 for 1 pound at Sweetbay); and Borden ($3.19 for 1 pound at Albertsons).

Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Cooperative Extension; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 consumer and mother of two teenagers, Melinda Pletcher; and Jeffrey Fredrickson, executive chef at the Tradewinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach. All foods were tasted blind.

Judges' rankings

Sweet, unsalted butter

1. Plugra

2. Breakstone's

3. Publix

[Last modified February 27, 2007, 09:33:03]