Natural product or dangerous substitute? 7 Easy Ways to Test Butter in the Kitchen

Rising prices for dairy products have provoked a wave of counterfeit products on the shelves. We tell you how to expose scammers in 5 minutes without leaving your home.

According to consumer market experts xrust, the share of fake butter in some regions reaches 20-30%. Under the guise of GOST, customers are often offered a mixture of vegetable fats and flavorings. Consuming such a “cocktail” is fraught with the accumulation of trans fats in the body. How can you not be deceived and make sure that the product in your butter dish is a real cream product?

1. Boiling water test: instant result

The fastest and most reliable way. Cut a small piece of butter and throw it into a glass of boiling water.

• Real oil: It will immediately begin to melt, forming there are uniform golden spots of fat on the surface. The water will remain clear or slightly cloudy.
• Counterfeit: Will begin to disintegrate into “flakes” or small fragments. There may be sediment at the bottom and a sticky white film on the surface.

2. Freezer check class=»notranslate»>__GTAG26__

Natural butter contains animal fat, which becomes brittle at low temperatures.

• Place a piece of butter in the freezer for 3-4 hours. Once removed, try cutting it. Real butter will break off into pieces and crumble under the knife. If the knife enters the mass softly, like into plasticine, you have margarine with a high content of vegetable oils.

3. Behavior in a frying pan class=»notranslate»>__GTAG10__

Observe how the product behaves when heated.

• Original: Melts smoothly, produces a pleasant sound milky aroma. When boiling, a characteristic white foam forms.
• Fake: It turns into a clear liquid with a pungent burning odor or chemical notes. There is practically no foam.

4. Iodine test class=»notranslate»>__GTAG5__

This method helps to identify the presence of starch, which unscrupulous manufacturers add for thickness.

• Melt some oil and drop 2-3 drops of regular pharmaceutical iodine into it. If the liquid has acquired a bluish or brown tint, the composition contains foreign impurities. Natural oil does not change the color of iodine.

5. “Tears” on the slice

Remove the butter from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

• Drops of water (“dew”) will never appear on the surface of real oil. If you see droplets of moisture, it means that the manufacturer violated the technology or added too much vegetable fat and emulsifiers.

6. Color and texture

Don't be fooled by the bright yellow «rustic» color. In winter, natural oil usually has a light, almost white tint. A too yellow color is a sign of too much beta-carotene dye. The block should be hard to the touch, and the cut should be smooth and shiny.

7. Reading the label: the golden rule

Always look at the ingredients before purchasing. An ideal butter should have only two ingredients: cream and salt (in the salted version).

• The inscription “GOST” is good, but it is important to look at the number. For example, GOST 32261-2013 is a standard specifically for butter.
• The fat content of real sweet butter cannot be lower than 72.5% (Peasant) or 82.5% (Traditional). Everything below is either spreads or margarines.

Expert advice:

Remember that high-quality oil cannot be cheap. To produce 1 kg of butter, about 20-25 liters of milk are required. If the price per pack is suspiciously low, this is the first reason to conduct a home investigation.

Xrust Natural product or dangerous surrogate? 7 Easy Ways to Test Butter in the Kitchen