A "pat" of butter

[keltin]

Anyone ever heard of a “pat” of butter - where pat is some type of measurement that is close to a US pound? My DW came home from a small local grocery store (Piggly Wiggly if you've ever heard of it) the other day and said she had bought 3 pats of butter for a dollar. It was apparently a new offering at the store, and I think it was made locally.

I was horrified, but she seemed so pleased with herself. Naturally, I was thinking a “pat” was about 1 teaspoon of butter. I don’t know about you, but three teaspoons of butter for a dollar is obscene!

Turns out, this “pat” is a round lump of butter, wrapped in wax paper, and weighing in at about a pound. Anyone ever heard of this kind of “pat” and know what type of measurement it is? I’m guessing British?

[jpmcgrew]

I think of a pat of butter as you do about a teaspoon or more.

[Katie H]

Never seen butter sold that way, keltin. But, here, generic butter (stick) is $2.00 per pound. So if your wife purchased "real" butter at 3 pounds for a dollar, she made out just fine.

If it is truly "real" butter, I'd go back to the store and buy more to put in the freezer for holiday baking. It would keep nicely if it was sealed using a FoodSaver.

[Uncle Bob]

Typically 48 pats per lb. About 1/3 ounce. Or roughly 2 teaspoons around my house. This can vary, is my understanding, as to who is measuring, and in what country!

Yummy!!

Enjoy!

[skilletlicker]

Keltin, is the butter any good? Memphis folk claim the modern grocery store was invented here with the first Piggly Wiggly store. I don't shop there but if they are featuring good locally produced specialty dairy products I'll sure add it to the list.

[keltin]

Well, holy CRAP!

I got home and checked the “butter” again, and it’s actually a “spread” made by Ventura Foods. It’s 52% Vegetable Oil! No wonder it felt so greasy the other night. Also, it’s only 8 oz (1/2 pound) per wrapped package and not a full pound. And that is the weight (not volume) of it because I weighed it on my scale. Still, it's kind of cool the way they wrap it....it's round.

So, she got 1.5 pounds of this spread for a dollar. It’s not bad tasting (tastes pretty good actually), but obviously not the best thing in the world. Well, bless her heart, she tried (even though we had a huge crock of Country Crock in the fridge, she couldn't pass up this "deal")! She’s "out with the girls" right now, so I’m not gonna’ say anything about this.

I just wonder who at the store decided to label this as a “pat of butter” (she said there was a huge sign and display calling it this)? A rather ingenious marketing trick that worked on her. Still a “pat” is obviously a measure of some kind because I saw it on another site.

Hehe…..sorry to make everybody think we’d found something cool (other than the word “pat”). I’ll read the label more closely the next time she brings some mysterious items home!

[jpmcgrew]

Oh well,Keltin we all have at one time or another have fallen to marketing strategies no big deal it happens.I hate when I fall for something I thought would be great only to find out I was fooled.

[jennyema]

But if they were marketing it as butter, I'd certainly complain!

Also, I'd be worried about eating something that came packaged that way. Who made it?

[AllenOK]

I'd also complain about the "pat" bit. I prefer a more standardized system of weights, either oz/lbs, or metric grams/kg. Was there a scale nearby to weigh the "spread" before you purchase it? Was it actually advertised as "butter", or a "spread"? I'm just picky enough, and contrary enough, to make a few waves about that with the store manager.

[Jeekinz]

I've always thought of a 'pat' as any whole piece you can slice less than a tablespoon.

Looks like a 'pat' to me: