I Tried All the Butter I Could Find at Costco — This Is the Best One You Can Possibly Buy

One of the most distinguishing things about Costco (after its jumbo, bulk packaging, of course) is the fact that the warehouse store doesn’t carry a million different types of things. One or two ketchups, a couple trash bags, etc. But somehow, the other day, I found myself standing in front of half-a-dozen butter options. Salted? Unsalted? Organic? Store brand? Name brand? Because most of us don’t need more than giant package of butter at one time (although it does freeze well!), I made it my mission to determine the very best one to buy. I sampled them all and considered the uses of each one. If you’re going to buy butter at Costco, I can tell you which one to get. Fun fact: It was already a household staple of mine!

Wrapped in shiny gold foil, opening a block of Kerrygold’s salted butter feels like a gift. The sweet milk that comes from grass-fed Irish cows gives each bar a natural golden hue. Irish butter has a higher butterfat content (about 82%) versus a standard American-style butter whose butterfat is 80%. Plus with a rich and creamy — not brittle — consistency, it’s ideal for spreading on toast and creaming into cakes and cookies. It was, hands-down, the best of the bunch. Note: If you’re gonna bake with this stuff, just add a little less salt than the recipe calls for.

Find it in stores: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, Salted, $11.99 for 32 ounces at Costco

Almost as exciting as this butter? The low Costco price of this butter! See, I’ve been buying this stuff at my neighborhood grocery store for years; I’d ration my usage, adding thin slivers to get some of that rich butter flavor. But my butter life completely changed once I discovered that Costco carries bulk boxes for a lower unit price than my grocer ($0.37 per ounce at Costco versus $0.57 per ounce). This is especially good news now, considering butter prices are going up!

Related: A Frozen Stash of Garlic Butter Will Be Your Dinner Secret Weapon

Have you tried this butter? Tell us what you think.