Because the milk is mostly water the yellow colour doesn't come through with the milk and instead is carried with the fat which produces the butter. After butter is churned, the beta-carotene (pigment) is exposed as the butter fat is separated leaving a beautiful
“In Australia and New Zealand, the cows are fed on pasture, so their milk contains a yellow-orange pigment called beta-carotene, which makes the butter yellow. In many other countries, especially Europe, the cows are fed on grain, so the colour of the butter is a pale, cream colour.”
Butter has a natural pale-yellow color but can range from deep yellow to white depending on feed used and the breed of cow the milk originates from. In the United States, the diet of cows varies from those in Europe and Oceania, and there are also breed differences.
Q: When I cut through some blocks of butter there is a darker yellow layer around the outside. Is the butter still OK to use in my baking? A: If you also take a whiff you may also notice it has a slightly sour smell. Both this and the darker yellow layer are both signs that the butter has started to go rancid.
CopperTree Farms naturally cultured butter is known for it's almost white colour and creamy taste. Perfect for achieving a crisp white buttercream without the need for a whitening agent.
Hence, organic butter is often yellow, while the butter produced by cows raised on dairy farms and fed on dried hay and grain is white because their milk lacks beta-carotene.
Shudh Garhwal's Unsalted Yellow Butter can be used in cooking and baking. It is traditionally manufactured, from carefully selected and churned creams. The Butter has Natural texture and intense & aromatic flavor. It is ideal for sweet and savory shortcrust pastry, buttercream, mouselines etc.
Why is British butter so yellow? Yellow butter is produced by grass-crunching cows, because they're taking in lots of beta-carotene from the great outdoors. Lush, green British fields are ideal, because there's so much for the cows to tuck into – so butter from the UK is often a particularly rich yellowy colour.
Signs of spoiled butter include: Change of color. If the whole stick (the surface and everything beneath) is intensely yellow instead of the usual pale yellow, your butter is rancid. If only the surface area is discolored and the butter beneath looks normal, you can remove the altered layer and use the rest.
Yellow Butter, also known as Salted Butter is known for its combination with toast. The colour of the butter has a yellow tint because of the high-fat content in it.
Why is lurpak white? Lurpak uses a Lactic culture as opposed to sweet cream. Lactic culture is very pale, giving Lurpak it's creamy white colour.
You may have noticed that butter comes in two distinct colors, and you might be wondering what causes this variation. Well, wonder no more! The color difference in butter is directly linked to the diet of the cows producing the milk.
The colour of butter is dependent on what the cow's are fed. In Australia the butter is yellow as the cows have been fed out in pasture. Grass although green is very high in the antioxidant called beta- carotene. The beta carotene provides a yellow orange colour and this is what gives us yellow Australian butter.
In the summer, when the cows are fed primarily on pasture, the cream contains more beta-carotene giving the butter a deeper yellow tint.
If cows are raised on pasture, their butter is more yellow when the milk is collected in late spring or summer, when the cows have more beta carotene-rich forage to chew on. In wintertime, even cows raised on pasture are usually brought inside and fed grain, which doesn't have much beta carotene.
The reason for this is what the cows are fed; grass fed cows produce a yellow butter. The science behind this is the beta-carotene (yellow pigment) found in the grass eaten by cows; which is stored in the cows' fat and carried into the milk.
Isigny sur Mer (AOC/AOP d'Isigny beurre) in Normandy, has known fame since the 16th century. The milk for this butter comes from cows grazing in sea-sprayed pastures of grass rich in iodine and beta-carotene. The resulting butter is sunny yellow, creamy and smooth, and tastes like hazelnuts.
Grass-fed cows absorb beta-carotene through their diet and store it in their fat. While all butter is naturally yellow, Irish butter is noticeably more yellow, thanks to those rolling green hills.
And if you come across a recipe that calls for unsalted butter and all you have is salted butter, simply decrease the salt in the recipe by the same ratio above—1/4 teaspoon of salt per 1/2 cup of butter.
Unsalted Butter or “Sweet Cream Butter” (Real)
It's probably your go-to, and for good reason. Containing around 80% milkfat, this butter is the most versatile in cooking from baking to sautéing.
Unsalted butter will spoil at a faster rate than salted, so it's best to keep the latter at room temperature and leave the former in the fridge. Don't store butter at room temperature if your kitchen is over 70°F. While you can store butter on the counter, you shouldn't do so if your kitchen is warmer than 70°F.
Scroll down to discover the LURPAK® difference.
LURPAK® is a really fresh, versatile, good all-round butter. Its lactic cultures are really evident when you taste it against other butters. These add an element of acidity which makes it a great butter for cooking steak, and it caramelises the meat really well.
This helps create more consistent results for home bakers replicating a recipe. In general, salted butter is preferred for cooking (or simply spreading) as it adds more flavour and has a longer shelf life, while unsalted butter is the go-to for baking.
A great European-style butter for baking
Plugra is often the choice of American pro bakers because of its light color; darker butters like Kerrygold can lend a stronger yellow color to baked goods. That said, Kerrygold is also a great choice for baking and cooking, though it's truly excellent by itself on bread.