They say everything’s better with butter, and it’s hard not to agree. The best-tasting butter can make just about anything sing. You might not think of eating an entire basket of bread, but serve it alongside a bowl of restaurant butter and it becomes downright irresistible. So, what is it about restaurant butter that makes it so much better? First and foremost…….it’s brimming with butterfat — the higher the butterfat, the better the butter. Most store-bought butter is about 80% butterfat. Another thing that differentiates restaurant butter is that chefs don’t skimp on the seasoning. When butter is being served as a key part of a main dish — like smeared on artisanal toast or melted into a pool for dipping lobster — chefs treat it as an ingredient, not an afterthought. The most common seasoning to make restaurant butter taste better is salt, but the key is the amount of salt used. So, for a butter-heavy dish, chefs use a high-butterfat butter and proper levels of salt. Finally, butter is little more than a big block of fat, and fats are excellent at absorbing odors. If unwrapped or partially-wrapped butter sits in your refrigerator long enough, it will begin to taste like whatever is in your refrigerator, and that’s not good. In restaurants, butter rarely lasts long enough to take on surrounding odors. How can you get restaurant-style butter at home? (1) buy the good stuff, (2) keep. your butter on the counter during the day and refrigerate it overnight, (3) add flavorings like a drizzle of maple syrup or fresh-chopped herbs, (4) and whip it up for about 10 minutes or so prior to using it so the air whipped into it makes it fluffy.
