Irish Butter

[annaland]

Not sure what is so special about it. Is there any particular use for it above and beyond the regular? I see it in the store and I am not sure what sets it apart.

[cheesemaestro]

Two other points. First, cows that eat lush grass produce superior milk vs. cows that are fed dry grain. Such milk will make better quality butter and cheese. Ireland has some of the lushest pasture land. Second, there are two kinds of butter. What Americans eat is sweet butter made from fresh cream. Most Europeans prefer cultured butter made from slightly aged and fermented cream, which gives a richer flavor. Kerrygold makes both kinds. I believe that their salted butter is sweet and their unsalted butter is cultured.

[BobB]

I'm a big fan of Kerrygold salted butter on toast, it has so much more flavor than American butter, and spreads more easily even when cold. I also use it in cooking vegetables and other preparations where I want a little flavor boost.

[thursday]

Huge difference in taste. I started out using Kerrygold only for spreading on bread where I'd really taste it, and now use it for everything except massive quantities of holiday baking - and even then, I use it for the house cookies; my guests at parties can eat the cheaper stuff!

I can't eat regular butter anymore. It just tastes...blah. I eat my toast dry at restaurants. Irish butter is just that good.

[Foodie in Friedberg]

There is quite a difference between decent and excellent butter. Really good butter for a reasonable price is just one of the many things I miss about living in Europe.

[MsDiPesto]

I keep a bar of KerryGold around as well for non-cooking uses, the price is not bad and I can make it last a long time.

Back in 2001, I was on vacation in Scotland, staying just outside of Inverness. While rummaging around in the fridge to make breakfast one day, I was fascinated to see that there was butter from Scotland as well as butter from Ireland! I meant to do a taste comparison, but that was the days when I was on vacation with my then in-laws which was more of a forced march than a vacation.

[Harters]

"I was fascinated to see that there was butter from Scotland as well as butter from Ireland"

Yes, indeed. We make butter throughout Britain.

Kerrygold is obviously a foreign import here. I'm unsure whether it,or Danish Lurpack, is our best selling branded import.

[boogiebaby]

I buy the Kerrygold Irish butter at Costco! It's great to spread on toast and bread -- it's got more flavor and it's much richer. For baking and cooking, I use regular "american" butter as it's more cost effective.

[coastsider2]

In the August Oprah magazine, Walter Mosley lists a recipe for brussel sprouts and shallots, minced and sauted in Irish butter with a splash of soy sauce at the end. Maybe there are some occasional times when it makes sense to use it in cooking.

[skittlesj526]

The Kerrygold Irish butter is amazing! I tried it for the first time today and as a baker and chef, I find the texture creamier and the flavor superb. I agree with glazebrookgirl in that I use it more so for an "eating" butter but also for flakier pastries. Try combining some softened kerrygold butter with a few cloves of slow roasted garlic and a tablespoon of freshly grated parmesan cheese(the real stuff) and spread on freshly toasted Italian bread. You'll see the difference!!!

[Full tummy]

Yum! Yes, Kerrygold is my favourite too. Alas, I live in Canada and haven't seen it here for sale, though I do buy it whenever I'm in the U.S. and lug some pounds home.

My recommendation to the OP: Try it on baguette, with nothing else, against the butter you usually buy, and see if it tastes different to you.

[Natalie A.]

Thank you skittlesj526. . I noticed it in a small store with the cheeses and wondered if this could be used in the croissants i make weekly.. You answered my question and i thank you

[glazebrookgirl]

Are you talking about the Kerrygold Irish Butter? I really like it because it is such a good price at Trader Joe's and I keep it around as an "eating" butter. It has a richer taste than supermarket butter and is good on toast, biscuits, etc. I tend to use something cheaper for lining casserole dishes, or sauteeing veggies, i.e. "cooking" butter. The Irish butters, as well as other premium butters, have a much brighter yellow color (not a fake added color) that I like as well.

[lunchbox]

Irish butter, as well as Danish and several other European style butters- have a higher butterfat content thatn amreican butters. they are creamier, have a smoother moughfeel, and sometimes even a slightly cheesy charachter to their taste.
The butters are made from mik from different breeds of cow that are fed in different climates eating different fodder- all factors that influence the final product. American butter, by contrast is waxier, blander, and especially when salted, saltier.
That's not to say I don't use American myself- I dont think the cost is worth the extra 3-5% butterfat. But it is delicous when someone else is paying!