Friday, May 10, 2013

Buttercup, its not butter! Its a flower....

Not entirely sure if this qualifies as a kitchen tip but I really feel the need to post this article.

I have had friends hold this in their hand and exclaim "This is butter!".  It makes me really sad that shrewd marketing/packaging wins out yet again.... This brand of spread that has been on our supermarket shelves for a while now.

Buttercup does not indicate butter anywhere on the pack
I do not know if they (the brand owners) are doing this on purpose, but the packaging is really misleading and people are actually falling for it!

People, do NOT buy this brand if you need/want butter. Especially if you are baking and your recipe calls for butter. It will likely ruin your attempt.

You go home thinking that you got a good deal, buying butter at half price. Think again. More like half butter at full price.

The list of ingredients in Buttercup's luxury spread.

It lists palm oil as the first ingredient. Ingredients are typically arranged from the highest proportion to the lowest. I am of the opinion that its closer to being margarine than butter. If you are against processed foods, this is way more processed than genuine butter. Also, palm oil does not strike me as particularly luxurious either.



This is a typical ingredient list for butter. Doesn't get more straightforward than this.

Only cream and water








Cream and salt for the salted variety
















The price of butter has gone up in recent years, so its a good idea to stock up ahead of festive seasons if you intend to do alot of baking, like cookies etc... Look out for special offers leading up to festive season. They keep quite well in the freezer for a few months. If you don't end up baking, just give the butter away. Their price has gone up, I'll take them if  your friends won't.

Personally, I will not buy Buttercup's (not so) luxurious spread even if I were looking for margarine, for reasons stated in this post.

"TOAST IS A VEHICLE TO TRANSFER AS MUCH MELTED BUTTER (SHORT OF DRINKING IT) TO YOUR MOUTH AS POSSIBLE" quote here

I do need to go to the store for a loaf of bread now....

25 comments:

  1. I have known this product, buttercup for years....tastes good, better than those normal butter spread.... Only those who never heard of this flower will misunderstand it as a butter..... Very normal.... Hahaha....

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  2. If the name Buttercup is butter, then virgin Air must be Virgin, red Bull must be bull's blood and bloody mary must be bloody....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After ten years, one would hope that brand recognition for airlines like Virgin Atlantic has improved. While some might use "virgin" humorously, the brand name itself doesn't necessarily evoke the literal meaning. In contrast, "Buttercup" does create a strong association with butter.

      However, it's important to clarify that Buttercup isn't traditional dairy butter. It's a processed margarine containing some amount of milk fat and powder. While it might contain some milk fat, palm oil is likely the primary ingredient.

      Aside this troll named "milo", this is a very insightful blog overall. Thank you for sharing it!

      Delete
  3. Thankkkkk youuuu! *muuahh* you saved my future brownies ( :

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  4. Thank you so much for ur kindly information...all the while thought buttercup is butter..now clear...thank you friend

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  5. Wow thanks for your information ! I actually baked cookies , using this butter and it turned out horrendous ��

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  6. So glad that l decided to check and came across your blog. Certainly very grateful as l am against transfar and any other imitates! So itd back to SCS and Golden Churn for me.

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  7. So glad that l decided to check and came across your blog. Certainly very grateful as l am against transfat and any other imitates! So itd back to SCS and Golden Churn for me.

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  8. I bought it thinking it was butter at first but tasted strange. I did a quick search and found your blog. This verified my suspicion. Thanks for sharing the info.

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  9. To Ricki, SCS and buttercup are from the same company, haha

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  10. You need not have to run down Buttercup. Yes Buttercup is not exactly butter but it has no transfat. If you bake then this is not for you but it does tastes great like butter for a spread. IMO palm oil (plant) is still better than butter (animal fat) with regards to health benefits.

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    Replies
    1. The problem is the misleading packaging seemingly advertising itself as butter

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    2. Yes ageee! Plant fat is better than animal fat anytime (minus hormones and fats). I use this for my cookies and cupcake butter cream, works well and tastes great. Holds nicely at room temperature too.

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  11. I enjoyed the information lot. Thanks for sharing this information. recipe for scones with milk and eggs

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  12. Actually been using this for baking,the taste is ok,if you do buttercream it performs well,it is more stable,do 1/2 & 1/2, butter and buttercup instead of crisco.

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  13. I just bought the two cows butter from tesco (malaysia) that tastes the same. Straight in the bin. Will have to stick to expensive Lurpack

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  14. And in Singapore NTUC, the staff display them (buttercup) side by side with real butter bcos of their shape n size are same as butter.

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  15. Dont have buttercup in bali,i usually use wisjman dutch prosesed butter or elle,the best so fat

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  16. I started baking lately, and all my bakes turned out with soggy middles. Was starting to feel quite discouraged. my friend then went through every step with me and when she saw me using this butter, she was aghasted. Can't blame me! It was placed together with all the other butters in the supermarkets here!!!

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  17. I saw a comment that said plant fat is better than animal fat and healthier. This is factually wrong. All plant based fat or oil can cause inflammation and cause stomach to bloat. Animal fat is best as it does not have these side effects.

    That is why chefs frequently use butter for cooking. Check out video's about carnivore diet in YT.

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    Replies
    1. hmm.... My cooking oil is canola+sunflower, which is completely plant-based. After drinking (ok, cooking) with it for years, I am still not in hospital.

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  18. I have used Buttercup since like forever. Have always known that it's margarine and not pure butter. Reading the ingredients tell you that clearly. Tastes great. There's really no need to run it down. It's better than most other margarines in the market. I have made countless great tasting cakes, brownies and cookies using it. Turns out great and taste wise not much difference really compared to using pure butter. Someone mentioned about soggy middles in her cakes above. That's not the fault of the buttercup honey. With experience you will more than likely determine the actual cause in future. Baking is not easy. It can take years to be really good at and understand why each bake turns out the way it is. Different margarines, butters, flours, etc all have different effects on the outcome. Even different brands of the same kind of flour produces different textures to the baked product. Only experience or an expert teacher will teach you and make you better day by day. Happy baking everyone.

    PS: Oh yeah I do agree that Buttercup packaging!g meeds to be clearer on what it is actually but seriously though, do yourself a favour and READ every otem you buy thoroughly.

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  19. SCS Butter and Buttercup is both from DKSH.I used Buttercup for years thinking it was Butter.It tasted great but when i realized it was not Butter,i thought i might as well use Planta.Then after much consideration,i returned to Golden Churn Butter.Butter is expensive but selling Margarine as Butter and placing it with real Butter is deceptive marketing.

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