'Queen of (Less) Butter' Paula Deen Introduces Line of Flavored Spreads

Image credit: pauladeenfoods.com

The popular chef who has been called "The Butter Queen" has introduced, at long last, a line of flavored butters.

But in keeping with Paula Deen's new image, the butters aren't meant to be used by the pound. That's the old Paula Deen. These are "finishing butters," meant to add butter taste to dishes while just adding it at the end of the cooking process.

The butters will be sold in Walmart and on PaulaDeenFoods.com. Pricing on the product was not yet available.

The butters will come in five flavors: sweet citrus zest, European style, lemon dill, garden herb and Southern Grillin'. European style, for those wondering, is made with olive oil and sea salt. The Southern Grillin' butter is similar to a garlic butter.

Deen admits that it might be hard to hold back when it comes to the butters. "My Sweet Citrus Zest butter is hard to practice in moderation - it's so good on a biscuit or cornbread and it's the perfect butter to have in the morning - it feels so fresh and clean on your palette," she wrote of the product.

The chef, 66, found herself in a firestorm of controversy when she announced in January 2012 that she had Type 2 diabetes, a condition she had known about for some time. Critics said that touting her high-fat recipes despite her diagnosis was irresponsible.

"When your signature dish is hamburger in between a doughnut, and you've been cheerfully selling this stuff knowing all along that you've got Type 2 Diabetes, it's in bad taste, if nothing else," author-chef Anthony Bourdain, her most outspoken critic, was quoted as saying.

(Deen really does have a recipe for a hamburger on a doughnut. Find it here. )

Check out some of Deen's Most Outrageous Recipes

Deen also introduced a line of all-natural tortilla chips, made with vegetables. They will be sold at Walgreens and on the Paula Deen Foods website.

Fans of Deen will be happy to know an entire museum dedicated to the chef is in the works. The museum will be located in her childhood home in Albany, Ga.