[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We've switched butter spreads a few times in the last 5-10 years, constantly looking for a better option than the one before it. And yet, each product didn't quite give us what we wanted - they were too oily, not flavorful enough, not easy to spread. Lately we'd been using straight normal butter, which is a real pain to spread without a lot of heat. Which is frustrating when you're trying to make something like grilled cheese.
So when I got a chance to do a consumer test on Country Crock I thought this would be interesting. Because you see, that was our butter spread for years. And I genuinely can't remember why we switched off of it. But while we'll use up what's still in the fridge of another brand, we are now going back to Country Crock permanently. Because spreadability matters!
We also don't use a ton of spread butter in the house - one tub can last us a few months sometimes - but the main thing it gets used for, is our "evening breakfasts." Every few weeks, my sister and I descend upon the kitchen and perform our little choreographed dance - her making french toast using the Griddler on the counter, and me making eggs on the stove barely a foot away, while I'm simultaneously nuking precooked bacon and sausage and setting the table with salt, butter the various syrups - lite maple for our mom, normal maple for sis and my grown son, and strawberry for me and sis' toddler. It's a lot of work and effort in our little kitchen, to make full breakfast for 5 people, but it's worth it - and it's the only meal both boys never turn down.
So yesterday we had an evening breakfast, and broke out the new container of Country Crock. Obviously sis and I are the last to sit, with our plates. I went to gouge out a chunk of butter, and it nearly flew off the knife it was so soft and smooth. And everyone already the table was like, "Yep, check that out." It's like night and day, trying to spread the Country Crock, compared to the other butter spreads we've used. When I think of all the time I spent trying to spread normal butter onto untoasted bread, and trying new butters, I'm now annoyed to realize I should've stuck with what worked.
And there's no sacrifice in taste or quality, to get something so easily spreadable. Country Crock has a great creamy and rich flavor, the ingredients list isn't scary, and it melts well.
Country Crock will once again be our family's spread, by consensus, and I don't see us straying from it again.
Note: As mentioned previously, I was given a free sample of this product, in exchange for my honest review. But not only is my review genuine, this free sample was one fortuitous circumstance. :)