# The shape of butter sticks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182 "2005-11-09T06:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/1 "2005-11-09T06:00:58Z")
Is there any rationale behind sticks of butter being in different shapes in different parts of the country? I grew up in Chicago, and butter there is skinny - perhaps an inch and a quarter on a side, and about five inches long. I’m told it’s the same on the East Coast. In California, butter’s usually shorter, fatter lumps - perhaps an inch and a half on a side, and 4 inches long. Other than possibly being able to cut off a piece with slightly greater accuracy as the pre-printed lines on the wrapper are farther apart with the Midwest/East butter, is there any reason other than the old standby “But it’s always been like that!”? (I flipped a coin to decide if this was a General Question that has one good answer, or if it’s a Cafe Society thing because it involves food. GQ won. For now, at least.) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/2 "2005-11-09T10:41:59Z")
I don’t think it’s a regional variation thing. In my grocery store, I can find both shapes sitting next to each other on the shelf. It’s probably just what kind of butter packing machine your local dairy bought. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/3 "2005-11-09T12:38:02Z")
The long, thin sticks are “Elgin,” or eastern pack sticks. They are 4 3/4" by 1 1/4" by 1 1/4". The shorter, fatter sticks are Western-pack style butter sticks, which are 3 1/8" long by 1 1/2" by 1 1/2". Both have the same amount of butter (8 Tablespoons = 1/2 cup). According to _Cook’s Illustrated_, the former were originally created by a dairy in Elgin, Illinois, and are common east of the Rockies. However, at “some point” (the magazine doesn’t say when), some dairies on the West Coast changed the shape of their butter printers, making shorter, fatter sticks. The challenge is to find a butter dish that holds the Western style; most are shaped for Elgin sticks. This information found in the November - December, 2005 issue, page 3. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/4 "2005-11-09T12:47:28Z")
It’s not likely to be an old variation, because butter dishes are made for the longer sticks. I can’t see house wives buying butter they have to reshape to use the dish recent as 40 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/5 "2005-11-09T13:06:10Z")
Heh. I lived in Elgin for a while. Who knew they were trailblazers in the field of sticks o’ butter! I wonder if there’s a tour… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/6 "2005-11-09T13:25:20Z")
It’s because the long skinny butter sticks cause cancer in California. :::::::ducking and running:::::::: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/7 "2005-11-09T13:31:19Z")
> [@Harmonious Discord](#): > > It’s not likely to be an old variation, because butter dishes are made for the longer sticks. I can’t see house wives buying butter they have to reshape to use the dish recent as 40 years ago. I moved to CA in the late 70s, and the different butter stick sizes was one of the first things I noticed. Hey, butter is fatter out here! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/8 "2005-11-09T13:34:30Z")
> [@Harmonious Discord](#): > > I can’t see house wives buying butter they have to reshape to use the dish recent as 40 years ago. A short fat stick fits in my butter dish just as well as a long skinny one. The tolerances for butter dishes ain’t rocket science. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/9 "2005-11-09T14:23:16Z")
My Rubbermaid® airtight butterdish will hold either style. I don’t use it for butter, though; it’s just right for Hungarian peppers. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/10 "2005-11-09T14:28:09Z")
Butter and other dairy products are produced locally and distibuted locally, for the most part. This explains how butter can avoid some sort of unwritten national standard. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/11 "2005-11-09T15:20:21Z")
Nitpick: Both are the same shape, but with different dimensions. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/12 "2005-11-09T16:15:51Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > …Elgin sticks. > > This information found in the November - December, 2005 issue, page 3. 🙂 Looks like I picked just the right time to wonder about butter. What got me wondering was that I’ve been living in California for getting on 20 years and have grown accustomed to the fat sticks. Last week, we bought Land-O-Lakes butter as it was on a twofer sale and thought nothing of it until last night when I opened the box to find skinny sticks. Either L-O-L is on a crusade to introduce skinny butter out here, or this batch was trucked in from Minneapolis. I find either possibility fairly remote. Another possibility is they’ve been selling skinny sticks here all along and I’ve just never bought them until last week as my usual brand is Challenge. Unsalted, please! FWIW, my Fiestaware butter dish holds either type of stick just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/13 "2005-11-09T16:21:55Z")
And then there is what I (an American) call “European” butter–1/2 pound slabs, which I think are like two Elgin sticks stuck together, for total dimensions of 2.5 x 1.25 x 4.75. And I even found a butter dish that fits it, at Target. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/14 "2005-11-09T16:25:20Z")
**gotpasswords** , you use unsalted butter for spreading? :dubious: Doesn’t it lack flavor? (for baking, I understand completely) > [@](#): > > Either L-O-L is on a crusade to introduce skinny butter out here, or this batch was trucked in from Minneapolis. I find either possibility fairly remote. Why would trucking it in be unusual? Refrigerated trucks, and only 1/2 a continent is easy stuff. I’m pretty sure that the LOL butter in NH is from the “home plant” as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/15 "2005-11-09T16:36:11Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > And then there is what I (an American) call “European” butter–1/2 pound slabs, which I think are like two Elgin sticks stuck together, for total dimensions of 2.5 x 1.25 x 4.75. And I even found a butter dish that fits it, at Target. Love the European butter shape. And taste! It’s better but I’m not sure why. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/16 "2005-11-09T16:53:49Z")
I’d have expected butter plants to be more regional, as are the dairies that produce milk. In this part of the state, at least, I don’t think milk travels more than 100 miles between cow and supermarket. As for spreading, unsalted butter has flavor - it’s just not covered up by salt. The unsalted stuff is also going to be made with the best available cream - cream that’s just a nudge past its prime can be used in the salted butter as the salt can mask a slight “off” character. I work with enough “foodies” that I don’t dare try to slip in lesser-grade ingredients. Last year, I made some cookies and brought them to the office and someone was very clear in noting the quality of butter used. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/17 "2005-11-09T17:06:20Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Looks like I picked just the right time to wonder about butter. > > What got me wondering was that I’ve been living in California for getting on 20 years and have grown accustomed to the fat sticks. Last week, we bought Land-O-Lakes butter as it was on a twofer sale and thought nothing of it until last night when I opened the box to find skinny sticks. > > Either L-O-L is on a crusade to introduce skinny butter out here, or this batch was trucked in from Minneapolis. I find either possibility fairly remote. Another possibility is they’ve been selling skinny sticks here all along and I’ve just never bought them until last week as my usual brand is Challenge. Unsalted, please! > > FWIW, my Fiestaware butter dish holds either type of stick just fine. Can anyone confirm that a single company markets both shapes? Else, we’re just looking at variety (here in NY, we have mostly skinny sticks, but also the fat ones, via Keller–plus the solid one-pound blocks from many companies). ---
**Author:** ![blackhobyah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blackhobyah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackhobyah)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/18 "2005-11-09T19:39:51Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > And then there is what I (an American) call “European” butter–1/2 pound slabs, which I think are like two Elgin sticks stuck together, for total dimensions of 2.5 x 1.25 x 4.75. And I even found a butter dish that fits it, at Target. In Australia that’s what we get, you buy butter in either 250g or 500g rectangular blocks. Until this thread I’ve always been really vague about what sticks of butter are exactly, except a pain when adjusting American recipes. So now I’m enlightened. 🙂 Australian butter dishes are designed for the 250g blocks, although I’ve seen vintage ones which would fit the bigger size. There is a long discussion on eGullet somewhere about European vs American butter, but from memory it came down to a couple of things. European butter has a higher butterfat content, comes from different cows, which have lower milk yields but produce better milk, and is fresher. I will try and find the thread a bit later. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/19 "2005-11-09T20:02:41Z")
> [@blackhobyah](#): > > In Australia that’s what we get, you buy butter in either 250g or 500g rectangular blocks. Until this thread I’ve always been really vague about what sticks of butter are exactly, except a pain when adjusting American recipes. So now I’m enlightened. 🙂 > > Australian butter dishes are designed for the 250g blocks, although I’ve seen vintage ones which would fit the bigger size. > > There is a long discussion on eGullet somewhere about European vs American butter, but from memory it came down to a couple of things. European butter has a higher butterfat content, comes from different cows, which have lower milk yields but produce better milk, and is fresher. I will try and find the thread a bit later. Some Euro butter is cultured (with bacteria, like yogurt), too. Adds a nice zing to the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182/20 "2005-11-09T20:43:18Z")
> [@blackhobyah](#): > > In Australia that’s what we get, you buy butter in either 250g or 500g rectangular blocks. Until this thread I’ve always been really vague about what sticks of butter are exactly, except a pain when adjusting American recipes. So now I’m enlightened. 🙂 > > Australian butter dishes are designed for the 250g blocks, although I’ve seen vintage ones which would fit the bigger size. > > There is a long discussion on eGullet somewhere about European vs American butter, but from memory it came down to a couple of things. European butter has a higher butterfat content, comes from different cows, which have lower milk yields but produce better milk, and is fresher. I will try and find the thread a bit later. For American recipes heres some facts. A pound of butter is 4 sticks or 2 cups. A stick is 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup. For bread machine owners. 2 tablespoons = 1/8 cup. 3 teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon c=Cup Tb=Tablespoon tsp=teaspoon [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-shape-of-butter-sticks/330182.md?page=2)