Mainland Semi-Soft vs ButterSoft

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Paul1977

5042 posts

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#176890 15-Jul-2015 12:00

We are switching from margarine to butter in our house.

For years Mainland Semi-Soft was marketed as being spreadable butter... but it's still very hard.

Now they have ButterSoft which, while still a bit harder than margarine, is considerably softer than Semi-Soft.

This leads me to my question, why is Semi-Soft still being made? Does it have advantages over the softer ButterSoft that I am unaware of?

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387 posts

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#1344545 15-Jul-2015 12:05

Semi-soft seems to be a tad cheaper.

I made the same switch a few months ago but would most likely have given up if I hadn't found Buttersoft.

scuwp

3885 posts

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#1344546 15-Jul-2015 12:06

Go Olivio. Last supposedly Anchor spreadable butter we brought, wasn't

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trig42

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#1344547 15-Jul-2015 12:09

I think buttersoft is not 100% butter?

Those softened products cannot call themselves Butter (but can I think call themselves butter based spreads, or a brandname like Buttersoft). Not sure how they make them, but they are mostly Butter, and taste like butter.

Paul1977

5042 posts

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#1344549 15-Jul-2015 12:10

scuwp: Last supposedly Anchor spreadable butter we brought, wasn't

Which one was that?

Paul1977

5042 posts

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#1344551 15-Jul-2015 12:11

trig42: I think buttersoft is not 100% butter?

Those softened products cannot call themselves Butter (but can I think call themselves butter based spreads, or a brandname like Buttersoft). Not sure how they make them, but they are mostly Butter, and taste like butter.

Website says "Pure New Zealand Mainland butter that is triple churned and spreads straight from the fridge! It has that great butter taste because it’s 100% pure and natural with no additives or oils". makes it sound like pure butter, can't see a list of ingredients on the site though.

dickytim

2514 posts

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#1344552 15-Jul-2015 12:12

Most end up being a blend, I was surprised with how many ButterSoft ,semi soft products were mixed with margarine.

All that said I used Anchor Blue dairy blend which seemed OK.

Paul1977

5042 posts

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#1344553 15-Jul-2015 12:15

Here we go.

Ingredients: Cream (From Milk), Water, Salt.

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wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1344555 15-Jul-2015 12:17

Just have a plastic container on the counter? Keeps it soft (less so in winter).

Ugh to any margarine/"spread". Butter all the way

surfisup1000

5288 posts

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#1344558 15-Jul-2015 12:19

10 seconds in the microwave softens any butter just right.

Lewis Road butter -- can't beat it.

Hmm, time for lunch.

Paul1977

5042 posts

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#1344560 15-Jul-2015 12:20

This is interesting:

This is a ‘modified’ butter that contains 81 per cent fat, of which 50 per cent is saturated fat so essentially it’s the same as regular butter. MADE FROM: Butter with some of the harder saturated fat melted and drained off. It sounds as if it’s got the same three ingredients as pure butter but it’s gone through a heat-and-melt process to create the softer fractions only. So it’s not as ‘natural’ as the old-fashioned type.

http://foodwatch.com.au/blog/fats-and-oils/item/butter-blends-are-they-any-good-for-you.html

EDIT: This is for ButterSoft. Sounds good enough for me. Still doesn't explain why Semi-Soft is still around though - both Mainland.

robjg63

4098 posts

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#1344561 15-Jul-2015 12:20

Some are a mix of Marg/Butter

Some are just a 'pure' whipped butter which (from memory) they add a little water to help make it softer

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timmmay

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#1344562 15-Jul-2015 12:22

I like buttersoft, but my wife doesn't like the smell so much. I don't think it's spreadable straight out of the fridge, I put as much as I need into an egg cup and put it into the microwave on 40% for 10 seconds, or I leave the container out for a while before I need it. It's a lot more spreadable than regular butter.

trig42

5810 posts

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#1344591 15-Jul-2015 12:25

Paul1977: This is interesting:

This is a ‘modified’ butter that contains 81 per cent fat, of which 50 per cent is saturated fat so essentially it’s the same as regular butter. MADE FROM: Butter with some of the harder saturated fat melted and drained off. It sounds as if it’s got the same three ingredients as pure butter but it’s gone through a heat-and-melt process to create the softer fractions only. So it’s not as ‘natural’ as the old-fashioned type.

http://foodwatch.com.au/blog/fats-and-oils/item/butter-blends-are-they-any-good-for-you.html

EDIT: This is for ButterSoft. Sounds good enough for me. Still doesn't explain why Semi-Soft is still around though - both Mainland.

Hence why they can call it Butter I suppose. The Anchor Blue/Light Blue tubs cannot be called butter, even though that is their primary ingredient.

We just keep a half block in a Ceramic butter dome thing (sorry, do not know proper name for it, I'm sure there is one) on the bench (out of sunlight). Works well. We cut the block in half because it gets a bit messy with a whole block.

wasabi2k

2096 posts

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#1344603 15-Jul-2015 12:38

trig42:
Paul1977: This is interesting:

This is a ‘modified’ butter that contains 81 per cent fat, of which 50 per cent is saturated fat so essentially it’s the same as regular butter. MADE FROM: Butter with some of the harder saturated fat melted and drained off. It sounds as if it’s got the same three ingredients as pure butter but it’s gone through a heat-and-melt process to create the softer fractions only. So it’s not as ‘natural’ as the old-fashioned type.

http://foodwatch.com.au/blog/fats-and-oils/item/butter-blends-are-they-any-good-for-you.html

EDIT: This is for ButterSoft. Sounds good enough for me. Still doesn't explain why Semi-Soft is still around though - both Mainland.

Hence why they can call it Butter I suppose. The Anchor Blue/Light Blue tubs cannot be called butter, even though that is their primary ingredient.

We just keep a half block in a Ceramic butter dome thing (sorry, do not know proper name for it, I'm sure there is one) on the bench (out of sunlight). Works well. We cut the block in half because it gets a bit messy with a whole block.

you mean a butter dish ? https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=butter+dish&rlz=1C1CHMO_enNZ528NZ528&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCsQsARqFQoTCP2Ttdzy28YCFcXcpgodrKwJkQ&biw=1280&bih=899&safe=active&ssui=on

old3eyes

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#1344605 15-Jul-2015 12:42

wasabi2k: Just have a plastic container on the counter? Keeps it soft (less so in winter).

Ugh to any margarine/"spread". Butter all the way

Yep we switched back to butter start of this year. Usually buy a semisoft butter and when that runs out buy a 500g normal butter, cut it in half and put back into the semisoft container and then into the butter conditioner. In the summer it's left in the cupboard..

Regards,

Old3eyes

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