I spied these golden cans of butter at the grocery and tossed them into my shopping cart. They are actually made in New Zealand (unlike this “Queensland Butter” that is made in Makati, of New Zealand sourced raw materials), and surprisingly, was roughly 10% CHEAPER than the locally made Queensland! It lists it’s typical composition of ingredients as: Milkfat 81.4%, Moisture (water) 15.7%, Salt 1.5% and Milk Solids Non-Fat 1.4%. The can specifically states “Sans Conservateur ni colorant” which I take it is “without any preservatives or food coloring”. The butter is a lighter shade of yellow and more “natural” looking than the Queensland butter, though it still retains that kind of cheesy flavor, characteristic of canned butter, probably as a result of the pasteurization. It simply stuns me that Philippine laws do not seem to require an ingredients list on locally canned or bottled goods… or at least some manufacturers refuse to comply. On the can of Queensland Butter, all it says is: “…Pasteurized Sweet Cream…” so there’s no salt? food coloring? no preservatives? water? Hmmm…
I used this Golden Churn Butter in a batch of Visayan tortas I was experimenting with (butter instead of lard) last week and they turned out beautifully. I have definitely found my new favorite canned butter… Golden Churn is it until something better presents itself. I understand the pinoy fondness for canned butter, because it has a more distinct and almost cheesy flavor. It works well in certain types of baked goods and it’s practical to boot since it can be brought practically anywhere though it still needs to be kept at cool temperatures… not that I would be baking on a deserted island in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It kills me that the imported version is actually CHEAPER than the local brand when compared on a per gram basis and since the milk/cream originates in New Zealand to begin with, why not get the butter that’s actually made there instead?
32 Responses
MM, from which supermarket did you find Golden Churn butter? Thanks.
moni, S&R, but I have seen this elsewhere perhaps Landmark or Cash & Carry?
Imported items are sometimes cheaper than local items due to the fact that smuggling is still a norm in the Philippines.
Buddy, I agree there is some smuggling, but there is little or no TAX on imported food, so there should be no need to smuggle it. Particularly canned and less perishable items. Another reason is inefficient local producers, who can’t make things as economically as they are done elsewhere. In this case, the “local” NZ butter is made of imported raw materials from New Zealand, imported materials for the cans, and imported materials for the ink to print on the cans. Local labor and distribution involved, but it is 10% higher in price than a fully made butter that was imported from New Zealand (where wages are much higher)… and sold at S&R which I presume pays all VAT on sales, etc…So it is a bit curious…
MM, I have been using Golden Churn for baking lately, although I have never used the canned stuff. I think I might just give the canned butter a try..the amount of salt in it has always put me off, though.
mm, i am excited with the visayan tortas experiment you are having.
farah…posts in the weeks ahead. Susie, the canned version and higher salt content works well in some baked goods like ensaimada, torta, etc. that would be bland without a lot of added salt…
A law should be passed to enforce local manufacturers to write down the ingredients. Or may be there is a law but like other philippine laws, it is not enforced. It could be detrimental to people who have allergies like me. Who was the politician who said that the Philippines has a lot of laws? All we need is to enforce them. In other words, our government officials lack ACTION.
I’ve used this Golden Churn butter but I find it a little bland unlike the Queensland brand–maybe it’s just me—- salty filipino taste :)
I agree, the Queensland makes a tastier butter cake than the Golden Churn. It is the closest to the original brunn butter. This is the secret to the Vargas butter cake being sold around Manila.
My dear departed lola always had Queensland butter in her pantry. She always says the others are not butter. I’m not sure if my dear departed lolo, who cooks more than lola, used Queensland to stir fry locusts when an infestation plagued our small town.
also associate the red queensland butter can with my lola. it was always in the ref when she was alive. i think they also sell golden churn or some type of canned butter (not queensland for sure) in unimart, greenhills. i remember lining up behind a 60+ year old lady this january and she was hoarding canned butter. Five cans of canned butter and only 3 other grocery items. when im bored at the queue i like to check out what the person in front of me at the grocery counter buys and i imagine what kind of life she/he leads based on the items in their cart. hehe. i imagined her lounging at home and leisurely eating toasted pandesal topped with the canned butter.
I’m at this food expo organized (or should I say, disorganized) by an organization of one of the top Philippine schools and this was being sold at just 150php! I only bought two…. Maybe I should buy more? The distributor sells their products in Robinsons. Maybe they have this there.
MrsKookie 150 php?!!! geez this website is selling this brand for $10.50!! darn! https://www.foodshop.co.nz/en/cp/New_Zealand_Butter
Re side poll, the latest findings it seems, when all the good and bad types of components of fat are tallied up, is that lard is less likely to be bad for health that butter. But that is as of today and after the recent walking back of the wholesale condemnation of tropical oils (that included coconut oil) which the first time I heard it sounded and smelled like Yankee bullshit, who knows. With laws and regulations written by industry lobbyists and enacted by venal and ignorant politicians one can only depend on old fashioned common sense and apply moderation in everything. I do shudder now though to reread the recipes of Julia Child I use to pull off at home where every separate component of a multi-step specialty is sautéed in plenty of butter. I just hope I will have, if not her longevity, at least her apparent youthful attitude to the end.
Have been using this for my bruun butter cake, simply delicious! It is very frustrating to know that dairy products sold here which are coming all the way from New Zealand are much cheaper than if I were to buy them in Manila. An example is Anchor Butter. The cost of a 227-gram Anchor Butter in Manila is nearly the same as the 454-gram here in Bahrain. Feel like hoarding cheese and other dairy products were it not for excess baggage and 9-hour trip to Manila. MM, my day is not complete without reading your blog. Keep blogging! Cheers!
When my lola used to make her Bruun butter cakes, she would exclusively use the Golden Churn brand. The Queensland brand was a good substitiute, but she was really dedicated to this brand..
These have been in the market since last year. I have been purchasing mine at Robinson’s Pioneer.
OMG, you are right about the Philippines not having any law regardubg list of ingredients. My daughter is allergic to egg whites and peanuts and I always ALWAYS read the ingredients of a certain item before buying it because of her allergy.
We should enforce this in our country! :)
Lee, butter fried locust sounds rich and crunchy. In a darkened theatre, I bet you few would notice the difference. We simply skewer and grill them directly over embers to fill pita halves with. A dollop of bechamel and mayonnnaise, a tangle of finely shaved onions and chiffonade of green leafy veggies, why you’ve got yourself a fast moving shawarma of locust.
Butter Holds the Secret to Cookies That Sing (NYT)
i did see some imported (and cheap!) butters from new zealand in landmark a few days ago. i think it was less than 100 pesos. it’s worth a try! but i’m still looking for the perfect butter cake recipe to try it on.
MM, glad you found this…I told you about this in a comment on your Queensland post. For those who are looking, it is also available at the Bulla / Dippin’ Dots outlet in Ash Creek, Greenhills.
hi there , may I know where can I get a can of this butter? wanna try it out vs queensland… also do you know a place where I can get English Muffins? im planning to do Eggs Benedict, but to dire straits I cant find any place here in Manila on the net. thanks
oh and about Junior master chef, wow that is very cool, i hope youd become a judge , really interesting.
ranny ace, they carry this at S&R, and I have sometimes seen them at Landmark, and possibly at Cash & Carry and Unimart. Marketfan, thanks.
Here in Qatar they had butter products like Lurpak (Danish Brand) Al marai butter Amul (Indian brand) and also Anchor. Elle and Vie butter and margarine is also delicious..
Have you heard about GHEE (Indian clarified butter) it was also available here.
I got to read this post in the morning, and then had to go to the supermarket in the afternoon to replenish the stock of some basic stuff. Ordinarily it wouldn’t have caught my eye, but it did that afternoon. Haha. In Fair Price Finest in Singapore, a 454g can of this is at SGD 6.95 (around 238 petotet ;p). Will try this the next time we run out of butter.
@satomi- the P150 can must the be smaller tin of Golden Churn butter while the ~500gm tin costs P200+ in major supermarts?
Buffalo/Carabao Butter? The Answer I think can be found on comment #18 of your entry “Tomatoes Two Ways” … to quote, it reads
“Here’s another alternative- The Philippine Carabao Center in Nueva Ecija produces fresh mozzarella too. You can contact Ms. Pia Castillo (email: pialim@mozcom.com). If you buy from her you don’t have to go all the way to Nueva Ecija, just pick up your orders at Narra Ave., South Forbes. They also have butter, buttermilk, fresh carabao’s milk, yogurt, fresh cream, ricotta, and Gouda cheese!”
hope someone does a review on buffalo butter…
wow thanks for the info marketman, Unimart is near me so i guess id drop by to get this butter.
Hi, I hope you can help me by telling me where I can get canned golden churn butter in Penang, Malaysia. I need it very badly for my baking for the Chinese New Year.
any idea where i can buy Golden Churm canned Australian butter?
sorry, i dropped one word in my previous mail. i meant where the canned butter can be bought in USA? Thanks