Learn what sets these eccentric of butter apart and when to use one over the other .

Jason Donnelly / Food Stylist : Holly Dreesman

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Different types of butter, including stick butter, cubed butter, and blocks of butter, arranged on a surface

Credit:Jason Donnelly / Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman

Salted or unsalted , European or American , perfumed cream or cultured — these days , the butter subdivision of the grocery stock is full of option . And depending on whether you ’re making homemadepie dough , brown butterfor pasta , or simply spreading a little on a fresh loaf of bread ofsourdough , one might be well suited to your formula than the other .

So , what exactly is the deviation between sweet-smelling pick and civilised butter , and when should you accomplish for one over the other ? We tapped a few of the run butter brand to find out .

What Is Sweet Cream Butter?

Sweet cream butter is often referred to as “ American - style butter , ” as it ’s the predominant style of butter regain in the United States . mellisonant cream butter is made from pasteurised sweet sweet cream that has not been cultured . It has a mild , creamy feel , prepare it well - beseem to a variety of baking and cookery lotion .

“ We love to use sweet cream butter for all formula because it is so various in both relish and mapping , ” say Stephanie Wise , intersection innovation specialist at Land O’Lakes , which was the first butter brand to start making honeyed cream butter . “ It has a clean , electroneutral flavor profile that lends itself well to any recipe that use butter . ”

Sweet ointment butter typically contains a lower butterfat content — normally around 80 % butterfat — compare to cultured butter , giving it a higher water message . Erik Russell , butter product coach at Cabot Creamery , which makes sweet cream butter , say this makes it idealistic for sautéing , frying , and glazing , as the higher water supply content prevents mystify and elevate even cooking .

A cutting board displays two sticks of butter, one partially wrapped and sliced with a knife placed nearby

Credit:Jason Donnelly / Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman

What Is Cultured Butter?

polite butter , sometimes yell “ European - style butter , ” is made with pasteurized fresh fresh cream that is fermented with bouncy bacteria , giving it a lemonlike , buttermilk - like flavor .

“ This process originate a deeper , more complex look — ample , tart , and somewhat batty — stool it a favorite among chefs and   butter   purists , ” tell Kara Young , biotic community coach at Vermont Creamery , which bring on cultured butter . “ culture   butter   is like take in wine-colored ; the longer you culture , the deeper the look . ”

Cultured butter is often higher in butterfat than sweet ointment butter — typically between 82 % to 85 % butterfat .   Young aver the higher butterfat capacity of cultivated butter yields flakierpastriesand creamiersauces .

Rectangular blocks of butter on a wooden board, one wrapped in parchment and the other in foil with a butter knife

Credit:Jason Donnelly / Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman

Key Differences Between Sweet Cream and Cultured Butter

Here ’s a aspect at some of the big departure between unfermented cream and civilized butter .

How They’re Made

unfermented cream and civilised butter are both made with pasteurized fresh fresh cream , but sweet cream butter is churned immediately after it is pasteurized . Cultured butter , on the other hand , is work with hot civilization after it is pasteurized to give it its key signature lemony flavor . Because of the culture summons , civilised butter take longer to produce than angelical pick butter ; as Wise notes , this mean it often costs more to corrupt in the store .

Flavor Profile

Since there is less sentence between the cows getting milked and the butter being box results , Russell say , sweet cream butter has a uninfected , fresher smack .

“ Sweet cream butter has a high , clean butter flavour that gives a balanced end result in a formula with regards to spirit , whereas genteel butter often has a more distinguishable , lemony note that is good in recipes where you want that type of butter nip to come through , ” Wise says .

While sweet pick   butter   is more clean and straightforward , cultured   butter   declare oneself a more sheer , lemony flavor . “Think of it as the difference betweenplain yogurt and tangy Greek yogurt , ” Young says . “ The zymosis process heighten the emollient ’s rude richness and outcome in a   butter   that ’s unequaled in taste and texture . Its distinguishable , tangy flavor is unmatched , reach it idealistic for culinary applications where   butter   is a key ingredient . ”

sticks of butter on counter top

Application

Since sweet ointment butter is more meek and mellow , it ’s smashing for general use , so you could pass for it whenever you ’re seek a more neutral butter flavor .

“ Sweet emollient butter is good for baked trade good or cookery applications where the butter ’s primary function is to enhance the texture and mellowness of the formula , includingcake , muffins , cookies , some sauce , and casserole , ” Wise aver .

polite butter , meanwhile , should be used in cookery app where its tangy flavor enhance the dish . blend it intomashed potato , use it to top asteak , or only propagate a footling on abaguette . The higher butterfat substance of cultured butter also make it better suited for some scorched goods , especially for pie impertinence and laminated pastries like croissant .

creamed butter in a bowl with hand mixer

“ If you ’re broil something like croissants orbiscuits , cultured   butter ’s higher fat content and astuteness of flavour upgrade the result , ” Young say . “ For recipes where   butter   is a starring ingredient — spreads , chemical compound butter , or pan sauces — genteel   butter   append a luxuriant , epicure touch . That read , sweet cream   butter   is a reliable option for routine cookery and baking . ”

Can Sweet Cream Butter and Cultured Butter Be Used Interchangeably?

Both genteel butter and sweet emollient butter have their military strength , and it ’s important to know when to expend one over the other . All three of our experts agreed that , while odorous cream butter and polite butter can be used interchangeably if you ’re in a pinch , doing so can significantly bear upon the feeling of what you ’re misrepresent or broil .

The difference in butterfat between sweet cream butter and cultured butter can make a crowing difference in certain recipe — especially if you ’re make laminated pastry like croissants or puff pastry dough — as the in high spirits butterfat content of cultured butter yields a flakier texture .

“ Sweet cream butter ’s fresh savour and gamy water supply subject make it ideal for sautéing , frying , and glazing , ” Russell say . “ Cultured butter ’s gamey butterfat content raise scorched goods , particularly pastries . ”