Our Test Kitchen is particular about butterread on for their favorite brand.

As you could probably imagine, we go through a lot of butter at the Southern Living Test Kitchen.

You might think all butter is alike, but our cooks know better.

Land O’Lakes Butter

Credit: Joy Skipper/Getty Images

Our giant walk-in refrigerator is stocked with boxes and boxes of one particular brand:Land O’Lakes.

And when you have to crank out two dozen perfectpie crusts, consistency is everything.

The biggest difference in butter is the amount of salt.

Salted butter is best for serving at the table with bread or to flavor a dish, likemashed potatoes.

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The other difference in butter is the fat content.

American butter is usually around 80 percent fat, although the exact amount varies from brand to brand.

(And is the reason why European butter is so expensiveit’s often 85 percent fat.)

High-fat butter softens and melts faster, which can lead to flat, dense baked goods.