Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: on serving butter

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Posted by Jeff Joseph (Member # 511) on 08-27-2006, 12:25 PM:

Hi guys... we're putting on the 3-D Expo at the Egyptian in Hollywood this September. I want to serve real butter with the popcorn (the theatre sells the popcorn and candy, not us). I think the theatre will let me buy what's needed to do this, but now what? I found the Kanocorn site that seems to sell the dispensers, but do they take real, store bought butter? Or just the "Odell's" type or the various flavored oil types. I want to use real butter. Is that so wrong?

Thanks,

Jeff

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-27-2006, 12:45 PM:

Jeff,

Odell's REAL butter is the real thing! The only difference between that and the sticks of butter you would buy at the store is the water content...You have to skim the butter if you use say Land-O-Lakes butter. Get the Odell's...it really is real and is the tastiest to me. In fact, I often will only buy popcorn if Odell's real is served and skip the popcorn if substitutes are offered.

Steve

Posted by Jeff Joseph (Member # 511) on 08-27-2006, 02:54 PM:

But... is says "does not need to be refrigerated after opening" and "contains no preservatives".

I've had this stuff (or similar) and it's just not the same to me... and besides, we're running 1950s movies; we should have actual butter.

Question remains: Can one use regular butter in these machines?

Jeff

Posted by Christopher Crouch (Member # 3784) on 08-27-2006, 05:13 PM:

You could use the sticks of store bought butter (I've done it in emergency situations), but the consistency is less uniform and there tends to be more seperation than with the real butter products intended for pump use.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-27-2006, 08:19 PM:

Again, Jeff...it is pre-skimmed...something you'd have to do if you put sticks of butter in.

As for the flavor, you are comparing one butter to another, not real vs fake. I like Odells over Land O Lakes. You can use sticks of butter in buttermats but you will have to skim the crap on top.

Posted by Jeff Joseph (Member # 511) on 08-27-2006, 08:33 PM:

Thanks much!

Posted by Charles Greenlee (Member # 3856) on 08-28-2006, 02:48 AM:

I can appreciate Jeff's question. Real butter is the best. Now, I've melted real butter at home, and it melts down clear and even, no crap at the top. Is this something that develops after the butter's been in the warmer for a while and does not manifest if freshly melted? And Jeff, if the Odell's is indeed real, just pre-skimmed in a sense, I sense that it'll be your best option. It'll be more consistent and pre-skimmed, so no having to skim it yourself. And regarding the no refrigeration needed, look at other food items, some say this too. However they really mean that while still factory sealed, it can be stored at room temperature, but should be refrigerated after having been opened. I've seen a few oils like that. And some bottles of Catsup have said that they didn't need refrigeration, when I know once you open them, they will go sour if left at room temp.

All else fail, for now, use the stick butter and skim yourself, and check out the odell's for possible use later, and see if you like the taste.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 08-28-2006, 09:02 AM:

Odell is butterfat based, which the taste we associate with "real" butter [Razz]

Real stick butter is a high maintinance issue and if you don't keep on top of it will give you a lousy taste. I used to use this exclusively when I operated cinemas. My partner prefered a cheaper butterlike oil which I nicknamed "typewriter" oil since it was made by a division of Smith Corona [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Mathew Molloy (Member # 666) on 08-28-2006, 01:45 PM:

Jeff, I've worked two theatres that served actual butter - and although it adds a few minutes of prep and cleanup time, I feel the taste is worth the extra work. You can either get the butter at something like Smart & Final or you can contact a local dairy and buy it in bulk.

The butter can be added directly to the bucket in the dispenser - the trick with using real butter is to be sure the temperature's not too high otherwise the consistency is all wrong.

At the end of the night be sure the butter is poured into a covered container and stored in the fridge. The next day the solids will have seperated - you'll need to cut up the butter into chunks and be sure only to add the solids back to the dispenser and dump out the liquid.

Note, some health dept. inspectors who normally let things slide in a concession stand - I guess due to much of it being pre-packaged and all - will be less lenient in regards to the use of, proper storage of, and storage temp. of real butter (and rightfully so).

Posted by Jeff Joseph (Member # 511) on 08-28-2006, 02:56 PM:

Thanks... we may try this.

Jeff

Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 08-28-2006, 05:40 PM:

Concession worker: Sir, would you like butter with your popcorn?

Movie goer: No, just put some of that yellow grease on it, like you put on everyone else's. [Big Grin]

Wait a minute, Film Guard is kind of yellow in color.

Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-28-2006, 06:20 PM:

I think Jeff wanted to know if real butter can run thru a dispenser.

Yes, FG is yellow. So are other things.

"Dont Eat Yellow Snow!"

[bruce]

Posted by Charles Greenlee (Member # 3856) on 08-28-2006, 08:32 PM:

Should put FG in your butter dispenser. Would you like some nice warm FG on your popcorn? It'd probably do the pump some good, however, I don't think it'd be very good on popcorn, not to mention what it'd do to your body.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-28-2006, 09:38 PM:

I've reported this before but it bears repeating here. I brought home a trial jug of Odell's Supurkist Two from a convention several years ago. We did a trial run of it over a busy weekend. Not only did we get zero complaints, but a few people even commented that the butter tasted better than before! (We had been using Odell's ButterFat for at least 10 years previous.)

So we switched. The Supurkist costs 1/4 the price of the real butter, and to this day not one person has ever griped about the taste. In fact I think most people are convinced we're still serving real butter.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-28-2006, 11:08 PM:

Without a doubt...SuperKist II is the BEST butter substitute. In fact, you have to watch your buttermat temp to avoid buring it too! I still prefer the real thing.

Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 08-29-2006, 10:13 AM:

But Jeff, are you going to pop it the traditional way in high cholesterol coconut oil, so that it smells and tastes right?

Posted by Robert Minichino (Member # 3495) on 08-29-2006, 11:52 AM:

There's no cholesterol in coconut oil (or other plant oils); it's the saturated fat that makes it delicious (plus it's got a high smoke point). [Smile]

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 08-29-2006, 01:08 PM:

I remember a big controversy with a theatre circuit client having to defend using coconut oil due to an objection from a "healthy food" group. He had his wife and three children happily eating the suspect popcorn in publicity photos [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Jeff Joseph (Member # 511) on 08-29-2006, 10:07 PM:

As I say, the Egyptian sells the popcorn, not us. I just want to add "real butter" for our 3D Expo if at all possible. We'll see how it goes.

Jeff

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-30-2006, 12:16 AM:

During that big killer-popcorn controversy a few years ago, I had the following dialog with a customer:

Customer: Do you use that popcorn oil that's really bad for you?

Me: Yes, we're using the same oil we always have.

Customer: SWEET!

Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 08-31-2006, 07:31 PM:

So can a consumer buy butter you don't have to skim? I currently buy Land O' Lakes sweet cream butter to put on popcorn I make at home and then I cut the girl's knees off one side and glue them on the other to make it look like she is holding her knockers. I don't have a huge problem skimming, but do "normal" grocery stores sell stuff you don't have to skim and if so, how would it be labeled?

Posted by Robert Minichino (Member # 3495) on 08-31-2006, 08:37 PM:

Try looking for "clarified butter" or ghee (you probably won't find the latter unless there's a sizable Indian population in your area). It doesn't need to be refrigerated, so if all else fails you might be able to order it online. [Smile]

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-02-2006, 03:07 PM:

quote: Jeff Joseph
I just want to add "real butter" for our 3D Expo if at all possible.

You could do a good promotion for Last Tango in Paris, too... [evil]