[antonyh]

Here in the UK, there's a trend of selling 200g blocks for certain brands that ruin recipes. We have to be careful to avoid those and stick to the 250g ones. Yes, I know we could cut 50g of another block but then we'd need to measure, and we'd have an open brick to keep. It steals part of the joy of baking, forcing us to think instead of feel.

[kruador]

Blame the European regulators who decided that it was no longer necessary to have standard pack sizes.

Pack sizes were regulated in 1975 for volume measures (wine, beer, spirits, vinegar, oils, milk, water, and fruit juice) and in 1980 for weights (butter, cheese, salt, sugar, cereals [flour, pasta, rice, prepared cereals], dried fruits and vegetables, coffee, and a number of other things). In 2007, all of that was repealed - and member states were now forbidden from regulating pack sizes!

I think the rationale was that now the unit price (price per unit of measurement) was mandatory to display, consumers would still know which of two different packs on the same shelf was better value. But standard pack sizes don't just provide value-for-money comparisons, as this article shows.

[antonyh]

Ironically it seems (from memory, I've not researched it deeply) that continental butter has not changed from 250g, whereas the British brands have moved first to 200g. I could understand if they switched to 225g as essentially a half-pound block, but 200g isn't any closer to an useful Imperial measure than 250g.

[vidarh]

> but then we'd need to measure

Most butter here (and in a number of other countries) have measuring lines on the pack itself in 50g increments, so while I agree with you it's a nuisance to have an open one to deal with, the measurement part is usually a matter of using a knife along the marked line...

If the "certain brands" you refer to don't have those measuring lines, though, then a pox on them...

[antonyh]

I'm not sure about that, I've resisted buying those brands and it seems poor form to open them in the supermarket just to check.

[account42]

Do people here not always have an open pack of butter in their fridge?

[antonyh]

We have salted butter for the table, and unsalted for baking. We don't bake often enough to want unopened packs if we can avoid it.

[account42]

Pre-salted butter is another weird American thing that's completely unnecessary. Butter is also great for cooking and you can keep it for months in the fridge without issues.

[detaro]

It's not really an American thing. It's a pretty wild mix which regions use which how much all across the world (well, across places that commonly use butter obviously)

[rkomorn]

Salted butter is a weird American thing?

It's much easier finding unsalted butter in the US than in Portugal.

In fact, unsalted butter has been the default everywhere I've lived in the US.

Edit: not to mention, say, salted butter being a point of pride for Britany.

[antonyh]

It's about 50/50 here in the UK. Not at all weird, it's butter for different purposes.

[vidarh]

For my part: Only around christmas-time, as it's the only time I bake.

[dolmen]

Another dimension we have in France: most butter in 82% fat, but if are not careful you might buy so-called butter with much lower fat. Awful taste on morning toasts, ruined pastries.

[antonyh]

82% seems the norm here too, good to know this. Anything lower is labelled 'spread' (based on a very quick search, maybe not always true here). Oddly specific, so maybe there's regulation at play. We prefer French butter for the quality and because it comes in the correct size.