Cultured Butter FAQS

Yes. We recommend butter can be frozen in the original packaging for up to four months. To help the butter maintain its fresh delicate flavor, we suggest wrapping the carton in aluminum foil or in an airtight re-sealable plastic bag before freezing. Once the butter has been thawed, it should be used within 30 days.

At this time, we only make butter with cows cream.

No. The nice pale yellow comes from the cream and varies with the season depending on the diet of the cows. When cows are grazing on grass in a pasture, the color of the butter my change throughout the year depending on the cows' diet. 

Yes. Cultured butter is made with lactic cultures that consumer almost all of the lactose. 

We recommend following the "Keep Refrigerated" directions printed on the labels of Vermont Creamery Butter and using by the date stamped on the package.  Once opened, store butter in the refrigerator, wrapped or in a covered butter dish. Butter, once exposed to air, may become darker in color and have the flavor affected. For longer storage, Vermont Creamery Butter can be frozen in the original packaging for up to four months. To help the butter maintain its fresh delicate flavor, we suggest wrapping the carton in aluminum foil or in an airtight re-sealable plastic bag before freezing. Once the butter has been thawed, it should be used within 30 days.

European standards for butterfat content differ than those in America; in Europe, butter must have a minimum 82% butterfat. European style butter is therefore typically richer in flavor, due to the increased butterfat. 

Cultured butter is made in the European-style with pasteurized cream in a churn just like regular butter, but with one added step. After pasteurization, the cream is fermented by adding a carefully selected bacterial culture. The cream rests for one day in a vat to allow the culture to produce a complex blend of flavor compounds. This is the source of the flavor difference between cultured butter and sweet cream, or American-style butter. After the fermentation, the cream is churned into butter. 

Time and flavor. Regular "sweet cream" butter is churned from cream right away and has a standard butterfat content of 80%. Cultured butter is made by adding live bacterial cultures that transform the cream over time, typically overnight. After culturing, the cream is churned into a rich, flavorful butter with tangy notes of toasted hazelnuts and butterfat between 82% and 86%. 

Higher butterfat means a lot for the home cook. Our cultured butter has a high smoke point, meaning it can be cooked at a higher temperature before it burns. A higher smoke point creates the perfect brown sear on a steak, and is ideal for sautéing fish, vegetables or poultry. 

In addition, higher butterfat does wonders for baking. Ever wonder how croissants get their cloud-like, fluffy layers? Butterfat. Are you still trying to unlock the secret behind a perfectly flaky pie crust? The answer is butterfat. Our cultured butter also has less moisture than sweet cream butter, which also boasts great results in cooking and baking.