Where Is The Butter?

[Gippy]

I used to buy all my unsalted butter from Makro, usually Orchid brand. Now my local branch at Changwattana only stocks butter blend spread or compound butter. While these are OK for baking the taste is not the same and I prefer to use the real stuff.

Is anybody still buying large packs of butter at their local Makro in Bangkok? Or know a good source for unsalted pure butter? Choco Schimdt doesn't seem to stock it.

I buy 10-20kg at a time so the small packs of Lurpack from Villa are not an option.

[g00dgirl]

Interesting, yesterday at Villa Market Phuket there was also no butter, except some stock left of LURPAK, all oher brands they usually carry sold out.

[jaiyenyen]

I've noticed that the supermarkets have been low on biutter for the last couple of months. No idea why, just one of those thing's.

[lopburi3]

I have not seen any Orchid brand since the floods.

[butterisbetter]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

[Gippy]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

Allowrie is what I have been using for some time. My Makro hasn't had any Orchid stuff for a while and only stocks the compound butter from Allowrie. I have sent Allowrie a question through their website asking where I can buy but I'll be surprised if they answer.

[NanaFoods]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

[Gippy]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

That's right Nana. It's packaged exactly the same as the real butter was, same box, same colors and fonts. I have a pack here. It's a 'butter product for bakery and cooking unsalted', on the side it says 'compound butter unsalted'. It's 37% butter and 45% veg oil. Nobody has complained about the cakes I am baking with it but I have had to stop baking cookies. Thai butter was borderline good enough for cookies when I could get the pure stuff.

[butterisbetter]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

I did some more checking. It turns out that if a company claims it sells pure butter, it must pay a much higher tax on the product. Lately, the government has begun to enforce this rule. So if the company claim that it's only 37% butter, they pay less in taxes. We have been assured that the product is still really pure butter. It certainly behaves the way butter is supposed to. Still difficult to work with when you make pie crusts. I know that Allowrie also does sell a compound butter but it comes in a different looking package and it costs less.

I think this is also why you can't buy heavy cream in Thailand even though you can. Foremost used to list the fat content on its whipping cream. It said 35.5%. Which is half a percentage point lower than the official cutoff point for heavy cream. Again it's probably tax related. Although I don't know that for a fact.

[Gippy]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

I did some more checking. It turns out that if a company claims it sells pure butter, it must pay a much higher tax on the product. Lately, the government has begun to enforce this rule. So if the company claim that it's only 37% butter, they pay less in taxes. We have been assured that the product is still really pure butter. It certainly behaves the way butter is supposed to. Still difficult to work with when you make pie crusts. I know that Allowrie also does sell a compound butter but it comes in a different looking package and it costs less.

I think this is also why you can't buy heavy cream in Thailand even though you can. Foremost used to list the fat content on its whipping cream. It said 35.5%. Which is half a percentage point lower than the official cutoff point for heavy cream. Again it's probably tax related. Although I don't know that for a fact.

Can you please tell me what Allowrie product you are buying that you have been assured is still butter? Is it the butter blend spread?

I have a box of Allowrie pure creamery butter and compound butter here. The packaging is exactly the same in terms of box size, fonts, font colour. The contents of the compound butter pack do not act like butter. It melts very easily, cake batters are lighter in colour and quite runny before baking compared with using real butter.

Thanks for your help.

[butterisbetter]

At our local Makros in Chiang Mai there's plenty of Allowrie brand unsalted butter. I tried Orchid Classic a few times, and it always tasted rancid. Probably made from cream past its prime. Which is why it was significantly cheaper.

I used to get Allowrie real butter at Makro -- 3kg or 5kg pack -- but now all the Allowrie packs in my area seem to be labeled "butter product". A closer inspection revealed its a blend. The only real butter that was available was in those foil covered sticks - 250gm or so, and about as expensive as olive oil (maybe more).

You might want to check again at your area store a little more closely...

I did some more checking. It turns out that if a company claims it sells pure butter, it must pay a much higher tax on the product. Lately, the government has begun to enforce this rule. So if the company claim that it's only 37% butter, they pay less in taxes. We have been assured that the product is still really pure butter. It certainly behaves the way butter is supposed to. Still difficult to work with when you make pie crusts. I know that Allowrie also does sell a compound butter but it comes in a different looking package and it costs less.

I think this is also why you can't buy heavy cream in Thailand even though you can. Foremost used to list the fat content on its whipping cream. It said 35.5%. Which is half a percentage point lower than the official cutoff point for heavy cream. Again it's probably tax related. Although I don't know that for a fact.

Can you please tell me what Allowrie product you are buying that you have been assured is still butter? Is it the butter blend spread?

I have a box of Allowrie pure creamery butter and compound butter here. The packaging is exactly the same in terms of box size, fonts, font colour. The contents of the compound butter pack do not act like butter. It melts very easily, cake batters are lighter in colour and quite runny before baking compared with using real butter.

Thanks for your help.

I'll get back to you tomorrow. But none of our staff or my wife have noticed anything different. Allowrie used to sell a compound butter in a different colored box that was quite a bit cheaper than pure butter. This stuff is the same price as the pure butter was before. At any rate, I may try to contact aw maw also to see what is going on.

[lopburi3]

It seems butter is back (but still no Orchid brand) as bought both Lurpak and Dannie brands labeled butter at Foodland, Latphao today (and they had a huge stock).

[lopburi3]

Orchid butter is back - bought in Foodland, Latphao Road today. First time I have seen since the floods. Wife happy.

[David006]

Orchid butter is back - bought in Foodland, Latphao Road today. First time I have seen since the floods. Wife happy.

yup usually buy Orchid .....lots of Orchid for last couple of months though shortage after the floods.... but had to buy unsalted in our booniesTesco last week...all a dastardly plan methinks..bloody foreigners buying it all??

[lopburi3]

If that is true the boonies were better supplied than Bangkok as have been checking every week or less since flood and this is the first time I have found any. It was the salted type I bought today.

[WilliaminBKK]

Making butter is so simple. 35% to 40% cream works. After you rinse the butter you can add salt if you want.

Note: some cream now has carrageenan in it as an emulsifier, if you can get organic even better. It isn't cheap but it sure tastes much better than the processed.

[lopburi3]

Except this is Thailand; so access to even milk is problematic.

[WilliaminBKK]

Villa Soi 11 had Bulla a few weeks ago 109 Baht 35%

http://bulladairyfoods.com.au/products/thickened-pouring-cream/thickened-cream-300ml.php