One of the worst things that can happen before the big Christmas bake-off is that the price of butter skyrockets. The experts have told us why, and the housewives have their suggestions.
Not only in Hungary, but also worldwide, the price of butter has doubled, which means that our buttery cakes are either being pushed to the background or we have to find an alternative.
The problem starts right at the preparation stage, and more specifically at the milk production stage, the lack of which is quite complex. Milk production, which generally increases year on year, has recently seen a drop in production as rising production costs have hit producers. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that vaj is actually at the bottom of the milk hierarchy. The milk is typically sold to bottlers, followed by manufacturers of products such as ice cream and cheese, before the leftovers are turned into butter. In addition, processing plants face two persistent problems: labour shortages and, as a result, production cannot be increased.
Even in America, there is no fence made of sausage, or butter
According to the Wall Street Journal, the price of butter has increased by 24.6 percent in 12 months. That's a serious increase, as it was almost double the recent increase in already higher US food prices. So much so that food price inflation has not been this high and at this pace since 1979. The increase in butter prices is said to be caused by supply shortages. The US has the lowest amount in storage since 2017. As a result, its price has reportedly reached $4.77 (1960 cents) per unit. Unfortunately, this doesn't help us, and we may be worried that it could increase further, but we can take some comfort in the fact that we have a chance to prepare for Christmas, as butter keeps well in the freezer.
What did the housewives resort to?
Cooking schools, workshops and forums go into overdrive when a new ingredient is introduced, a popular dish in the Food Porn category is prepared, or a price rise is announced. They brainstorm, they test, they suggest and they join forces. Butter price rises are causing more headaches for households large and small than you might think. Not only do we need to spread a thinner layer of the divine manna on our morning sourdough bread, but the reali butter pasta, crumpets and pastry creams are not the same without plenty of high-fat butter. Two methods that have become popular in recent months can help. One is homemade, made from cream. After 5 minutes of whisking with a hand mixer, the 30 % of animal cream turns into butter, which is then moulded in iced water and stored in the fridge in baking paper. One litre of cream produces 35 kg of butter. The other version is the old-fashioned way of cooking, using animal fat. Butter is replaced with lard in cakes, scones or whatever else is available, and vegans use coconut oil. They all behave a little differently and are not all the same, but alternating between cooking and baking with a mixture of butter and fat will be better for your wallet.
