619444 Tue May 12 23:40:10 -0700 2009 45 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4678894 Now that Trader Joe's no longer carries Plugra, I need some suggestions for butter that has that same depth of flavor. Less than $5/lb, or slightly more for a high-quality product. Any brands and stores come to mind? I'm in the North Bay, but suggestions of any brands found at chains (Whole Foods, etc.) are welcome! Thanks. Tue May 12 23:40:10 -0700 2009 18222 maria lorraine 1 4678897 Los Angeles hounds are reporting finding Plugra for under $3/lb at the Smart & Final chain, but not every store carries it. Tue May 12 23:47:47 -0700 2009 4678894 10039 Melanie Wong 1 4678974 I would guess Trader Joe's will actually come up with a substitute with their own branding just as they did with the King Arthur flour....which may still be King Arthur flour. Wed May 13 03:28:17 -0700 2009 4678894 145096 sugartoof 2 4681368 Once Trader Joe's gets a product that people like, they have this annoying tendency of contract manufacturing it and selling it in place of the real product (makes TJs a boatload of money). The trouble is, their contract manufactured food is generally substandard, to say the least. Wed May 13 16:03:04 -0700 2009 4678974 20470 LarryW 3 4681573 Agreed. And there's another thread out there where someone contacted King Arthur and they say the do not produce TJ's house brand. They are still a good store, but I find the number of items I buy routinely is decreasing. No more KA flour, Plugra butter, picholine olives, Tasty Bite curries. Wed May 13 17:16:14 -0700 2009 4681368 53530 Zeldog 3 4682194 In the case of Plugra, the situation was a little different. I checked with Trader Joe's management about the reason for the discontinuation of Plugra, and, instead of Plugra being greatly liked by folks like you (Larry) or Zeldog or me, it turns out Plugra was not liked *enough.* There wasn't enough demand for the product for the chain to continue to carry it. Which amazes and saddens me. I thought Plugra was wonderful and a great buy for the money. Had I known of it's demise at TJ's, I would've loaded up my freezer! So, ideas of alternatives would be helpful. Or where to find Plugra elsewhere. Thanks. Wed May 13 20:48:23 -0700 2009 4681368 18222 maria lorraine 4 4683475 Yeah, that's been what people have said, but I'm not sure about that -- I know a lot of people who bought it all the time, and it's surprising that they would continue to sell Kerrygold, which I think of as more as a specialty butter, if that's the case. I did send TJ's an email about it, though, in the hopes that it will come back. I'm glad that there are some other good options in this thread, though! Thu May 14 10:14:33 -0700 2009 4682194 13525 JasmineG 4 4683752 TJ's also discontinued my favorite brand of French Madrange ham - they told me due to low demand. Which was kind of hard to believe because it actually used to sell out every few weeks - so much so that I would buy 4-5 packs at a time. I wonder if that's their standard reason... Thu May 14 11:22:59 -0700 2009 4682194 29095 Pinkster 5 4684097 I kind of suspect that is their pro-forma excuse. I used to be obsessed with the Mario Batali basic sugo for convenience and it was always really hard to find in stock because people were buying it like crazy. Then they completely discontinued it and told me "not enough people were buying it." I think that they wanted people to switch to their TJ brand sauce. Thu May 14 12:51:16 -0700 2009 4683752 237172 sfbing 4 4684336 I'm not going to say it's the same as Plugra, but I actually really like the Trader Joe's branded bar butter. Much better then the brand name bar butter. If you must have European high end butter, you'll probably start to notice it's not too hard to find. Adronicos, Molly Stones, Whole Foods, and many neighborhood markets are carrying Plugra or equivalent. TJ's just had really good pricing on it. Thu May 14 13:57:23 -0700 2009 4682194 145096 sugartoof 5 4688504 Yeah, that's why I didn't mention Mollie Stone which carries Plugra, but the price is not inexpensive. Also Greebrae might be out of ML's territory. I figured the many other nearby upscale markets in the North Bay must carry it but the price might not be as good. Fri May 15 20:46:55 -0700 2009 4684336 10264 rworange 6 4690680 For those in the peninsula, I was just at the Mollie Stones in San Mateo and they did not have Plugra. Sat May 16 21:49:05 -0700 2009 4688504 15457 peppatty 4 4684852 People have mentioned that they've seen it at Smart & Final, so if you really want a freezer full, you might try going to your local Smart & Final, and if they don't carry it, ask them if they'll order a case if you promise to buy a large quantity. Who knows, you might even talk them into carrying on a regular basis. Thu May 14 16:33:17 -0700 2009 4682194 10159 Ruth Lafler 4 4804120 Having finally finished my Pacific Market tri-fecta today, I can say all three markets, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa carry it. Although only Rohnert Park had both types that I noticed ... regular (?) and European style. They were $3.99, but I forgot about looking at the weight ... standard Plugra size, I guess. Wed Jun 24 22:31:14 -0700 2009 4682194 10264 rworange 5 4804163 Nope. Not "standard Plugra size" -- the Plugra TJ's has been selling in the red and white wax paper comes in a one-pound block. But it's more commonly sold in 8 ounce gold or silver (salted/unsalted) foil packages. So size does matter. Wed Jun 24 23:10:14 -0700 2009 4804120 10159 Ruth Lafler 5 4804167 Was the Plugra butter in gold or silver foil-wrapped blocks? Those are the half-pound blocks. The 1-lb. blocks of Plugra come in a red-and-white wax paper wrapper. And, and, luckily, last week I found the 1-lb. blocks at Whole Foods for $3.99! Just 20 cents more than Trader Joe's. I'm jubilant! I'll still continue my tasting of other Euro or Euro-style butters. Wed Jun 24 23:12:30 -0700 2009 4804120 18222 maria lorraine 6 4804178 yep foil-wrapped Wed Jun 24 23:29:11 -0700 2009 4804167 10264 rworange 2 4684807 sugar, It is emphatically NOT rebranded KA @ Trader Joe's. See other threads on this or the chains or home cooking boards. adam Thu May 14 16:10:59 -0700 2009 4678974 154787 adamshoe 3 4685731 I've read the KA blog page denying it already, so I get that, but they've since produced a substitute with similar TJ packaging. Thu May 14 23:16:36 -0700 2009 4684807 145096 sugartoof 4 4688478 And last week, King Arthur sued Trader Joe's in federal court for trademark infringement re the packaging of TJ's new flours. http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=8535.0 Fri May 15 20:34:19 -0700 2009 4685731 10644 Nancy Berry 1 4682192 Whole Foods carries Jana Valley -- IIRC it's less then $5/lb (comes in half-pound blocks) and it's delicious. Wed May 13 20:47:33 -0700 2009 4678894 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 4683389 Isn't Jana Valley a sweet cream butter? It's my go-to baking butter for sweet items, since the price is the same or cheaper than standard clover but the flavor is very clean and sweet. Doesn't Plugra have more of a cultured flavor? Thu May 14 09:49:46 -0700 2009 4682192 17221 SteveG 3 4684297 Yes, Jana Valley is as you say, clean and sweet, and so is Plugra -- despite some people's misperceptions, Plugra is *not* cultured. Thu May 14 13:50:24 -0700 2009 4683389 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 4684686 Have you tried the Cabot butter? Grocery Outlet (locations in Novato, Vallejo, Santa Rosa) has one-pound blocks for $1.99. Thu May 14 15:25:18 -0700 2009 4682192 10039 Melanie Wong 3 4684747 I think I have bought it at GO in the past. IIRC isn't not a European-style high-butterfat content butter, just a good-quality "regular" butter. Thu May 14 15:42:19 -0700 2009 4684686 10159 Ruth Lafler 4 4684776 The Challenge European-style butter is also at GO now, but its not as high fat as Plugra. Thu May 14 15:58:29 -0700 2009 4684747 10039 Melanie Wong 4 4760786 Cabot 83 is a better comparison to plugra, I thought that Restaurant Depot was offering it nationwide but if they don't have it in SF they would probably have another substitute. Don't think they have any North Bay locations. Wed Jun 10 13:40:21 -0700 2009 4684747 12962 itaunas 1 4683549 Maria, what is your opinion of Straus Creamery Butter? I am a committed user of their sweet butter. Its taste changes with the seasons, a good and interesting attribute to me, but I realize some may find it almost too cheesy for some uses. Allan Thu May 14 10:30:55 -0700 2009 4678894 10927 alfairfax 2 4687870 I certainly like the Straus Dairy, and have enjoyed the Straus butter at a few restos in the Bay Area. But I cannot recall its flavor precisely. I do remember liking it. What I think I need to do...and CHs please feel free to join me...is to arrange a butter tasting. Wackier things have been done. Plugra, Jana Valley, Cabot, Kerrygold, Straus, Luvpak Danish, Cremerie Classique, Land O’ Lakes, Berkeley Farms, Celles sur Belle, Challenge European, Beurre President and other domestic and European brands. Ideas are welcome on other brands. Unsalted, tasted blind, all at the same temp. Perhaps I'll separate the cultured butters from the uncultured. I may blow $100 bucks or so on this, but I'll have my answer. I'll judge for taste but also can do a quality-price ratio analysis and see what's the best buy. At least for my palate. Here's a NY Times article on butter that explains how the Straus butter is made with its 85-86% butterfat, comparable to European butters in fat content. Straus makes butter in batches, using a churn similar to a centrifuge, in contrast to big commercial operations that use a "continuous" churn in which the fat molecules from cream are extruded through a filter and collected, and then re-infused with buttermilk to obtain 80% butterfat. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/24/dining/24BUTT.html The SF Chronicle rated a variety of artisan and commercial butters for flavor and use in a variety of applications from baking to pie crust to beurre blanc. The results were surprising to me: When Put to the Test, Here's How Butter Brands Stack Up http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/12/13/FD88681.DTL&hw=butter+tasting+panel&sn=002&sc=736 And another article from SF Chron on artisan butters: Butter's Back: Markets are filled with more brands than ever -- and yes, there is a difference http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/12/13/FD150777.DTL&hw=butter+tasting+panel&sn=001&sc=1000 Maybe I'll find a butter better than Plugra for the price. And actually, I don't need a freezer full of butter. In all honesty, I use very little of the stuff. But perhaps that makes it all the more important that when I do use it, that it really has lots of butter flavor. Fri May 15 16:02:16 -0700 2009 4683549 18222 maria lorraine 3 4687932 My cookbook club did a butter tasting a few months ago, actually, with most of the butters listed above. We did unsalted and blind, and Plugra and Kerrygold were the favorites. I think that we didn't get Straus, though, so that would be interesting to try. Fri May 15 16:23:12 -0700 2009 4687870 13525 JasmineG 4 4690709 I'm pretty sure TJ's currently carries Kerrygold, if that's any help to anyone. Sat May 16 22:22:23 -0700 2009 4687932 145096 sugartoof 3 4688002 You might also add Organic Valley pasture butter to your testing. It's cultured with a pretty interesting flavor. Fri May 15 16:47:21 -0700 2009 4687870 237172 sfbing 4 4688111 Organic Valley is on my radar, but I didn't list it above. Thanks for the lead. Fri May 15 17:35:43 -0700 2009 4688002 18222 maria lorraine 5 4688127 I think they sell more than one type of butter and the pasture butter is definitely the way to go. Fri May 15 17:40:03 -0700 2009 4688111 237172 sfbing 6 4688241 Good deal, thanks. I'll be on the lookout. Where do you buy it? Fri May 15 18:35:54 -0700 2009 4688127 18222 maria lorraine 7 4688675 Actually, bought some at Andronico's when they were out of Strauss. It is more of a spreading on bread butter than a baking butter. Fri May 15 22:56:35 -0700 2009 4688241 237172 sfbing 1 4683624 Costco is currently selling Kerrygold at a very reasonable price. What are folks' opinions of Kerrygold vs. Plugra? Thu May 14 10:52:41 -0700 2009 4678894 11277 Paul H 1 4688706 This won't help the anyone in the North Bay, but for those in the Peninsula or even the South Bay who used to buy Plugra at TJ's (like me), the Milk Pail market in MV has Plugra. I normally don't shop there because the produce is more miss than hit, but I guess I'm going to have to start (at least when I need butter). Fri May 15 23:39:46 -0700 2009 4678894 287373 lrealml 2 4688750 Maybe I'll have to make a butter run! Sort of reminds me of the oleomargarine runs folks would make across the state line when its sale was outlawed in Wisconsin. Sat May 16 01:09:02 -0700 2009 4688706 18222 maria lorraine 1 4750681 I found the red-wrapped, pound packages of Plugra (unsalted) at Whole Foods on Stevens Creek in Cupertino. I think I paid $3.99. Sun Jun 07 13:44:01 -0700 2009 4678894 10775 California Sunshine 2 4751504 Oooooh. Good lead. Many thanks, M. Sun Jun 07 19:20:40 -0700 2009 4750681 18222 maria lorraine 1 4765044 Did you try the store finder on the Plugra website? http://www.kellerscreamery.com/our-brands/plugra/store-finder/ It tells me I should check Ralph's. Thu Jun 11 18:07:56 -0700 2009 4678894 1082728 FiveWorkingStomachs 2 4765616 Love. That. Screen. Name. Ruminator, that's a dandy tool you linked to. Narrowed in on a likely store. M. Thu Jun 11 23:15:08 -0700 2009 4765044 18222 maria lorraine 1 4770240 The new West Berkeley Bowl had the familiar red and white wax bricks of Plugra for $4.19. They also had Challenge "european style" butter (83 percent butterfat, according to their website) in one-pound paper-wrapped blocks for $3-something (the also had it in sticks in boxes for more). Sat Jun 13 15:59:26 -0700 2009 4678894 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 4999295 I saw the red-and-white wax bricks of Plugra at Dubai Market in Oakland yesterday for $2.49. Wed Sep 02 10:54:46 -0700 2009 4770240 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 4772314 If you don't mind traveling down to central San Rafael, United Market on Third Street carries Plugra, both sweet and salted. I'm not sure of the price but it is less than Andronico's or Mollie Stone's. Sun Jun 14 15:18:43 -0700 2009 4678894 102410 AntarcticWidow