Top Chefs Reveal the Best Butter for Daily Cooking Needs

Buttery luxuries are not merely secondary players in culinary creations—they’re the stars wrapped in shiny gold, capturing hearts as soon as they grace a slice of hot bread. In the realm of baking, butter is essential, impacting everything from the texture and taste to the very structure of pastries like croissants and brioche.

Yet, butter is far from a one-trick pony. Ever tried butter-poached lobster? Absolutely. Or how about a smooth beurre blanc sauce? Definitely. And don’t forget a generous spread on toast—this is where butter really works its magic.

There are times when you want butter’s flavor to dominate, and others when it should subtly enhance with its fatty richness. To distinguish the best butters for everyday use and those fit for a finishing touch, I consulted three culinary experts to share their preferred brands for spreading, cooking, and indulging. Their opinions were largely in agreement.

Defining High-Quality Butter

The essence of good butter is determined well before it reaches your pantry. Factors like the cow’s diet, the method of butter production, fat levels, and the inclusion (or exclusion) of salt or cultures all play critical roles. For a finishing touch, chefs look for a slight tang, a silky feel, and a lingering creamy richness. For daily cooking needs, a neutral, unsalted variety is preferred, as it blends smoothly into recipes without overshadowing other flavors.

Various Types of Butter

• Sweet cream: This unsalted, pasteurized, non-cultured cream is just as its name suggests—sweet and creamy, with a minimum of 80-percent butterfat. It’s the go-to choice for its mild versatility.
• European style: With a butterfat content between 82 and 86 percent, European-style butters offer a rich, pronounced flavor, perfect for when butter needs to take center stage, such as in pound cakes, brioche, or that irresistible loaf you accidentally devoured.
• Cultured: Fermented cream brings an added depth, complexity, and a tang that can stand up to the richest of cheeses.
• Salted: To me, salted butter is sheer happiness. However, it’s also unpredictable; salt levels can vary significantly between brands, which is why many chefs steer clear of it in baking. When cooking, use it sparingly to avoid over-salting. In its purest form, enjoy it melted over warm cornbread, mixed into popcorn, or heaped on a steaming baked potato.

Experts on Butter

• Jonathan Warnock: Executive Chef at State Road, Martha’s Vineyard
• Esther Reynolds: Recipe Developer and Culinary Writer
• Sophie Frazier: Food Stylist and Pastry Chef Instructor at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education

Top Butter Picks for Daily Cooking from Experts

Jonathan Warnock: Plugrá in the Kitchen, Kerrygold at Home

Chef Warnock strictly uses unsalted butter to maintain control over his dishes’ salt content. At his restaurant, State Road, he opts for Plugrá Premium European Style Unsalted Butter for its cost-effective richness, which allows for high-end seafood and produce elsewhere in his dishes. He crafts a compound butter with crab stock, white wine, ginger, turmeric, and garlic, which he lavishes over cod cooked en papillote—a truly luxurious experience.

At home, where budget is less of a concern, he indulges in Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter. “It’s a personal favorite,” he admits. The cultured butter, with its higher fat content, transforms an ordinary meal into an extraordinary experience. It costs about four times more than Plugrá, making it a special treat.

Esther Reynolds: Land O’Lakes for Everyday Use, Kerrygold or Plugrá for Luxury

Reynolds prefers Land O’Lakes Unsalted Butter for its versatility and neutrality, which makes it perfect for melting into pasta, blending into rice, and sautéing aromatics. It’s both accessible and affordable.

For more indulgent spreads, Reynolds picks salted Kerrygold or Plugrá, known for their “rich, creamy texture and authentic buttery flavor.” She savors these on toast, in cucumber tea sandwiches, or simply paired with radishes and a sprinkle of flaky salt. For dishes that include briny elements like tinned fish, she opts for unsalted varieties to keep the flavors balanced.