Where do you keep your butter?

[MissMichal]

Haha, if the biggest issue in your marriage is the location of the butter, you should count yourself truly blessed

There are gadgets out there called “butter bells” that use a water seal to keep the butter fresh when it’s out on the counter. You just have to change the water every day or two. You can pick them up at kitchen stores like Sur La Table. I suggest one of those.

Pax,
-S-

 

[Sina]

I voted that y’all eat too much butter! We don’t have butter or margarine in our house. I find I don’t gain weight if I keep stuff like that banned from the house and DH hates it anyways. I cook with olive oil…

BUT… in my butter days, I would have it on the counter in small amounts and have a larger one in the fridge.

We always have to remember to buy some butter when we have a big dinner at our house as people are accustomed to seeing it on the table for buns and whatnot… Same with salt and pepper ( which we never add to our food. Salt is also bad for you!! )

 

[mommamia]

Wait, butter doesn’t go bad if it’s left out on the counter?

Not if its covered. Its more the exposure to air that spoils butter. If its salted, not much will grow on it, but if left out to the air, oxidation will occur and you will have rancid butter.

I say get the butter bell, but we just use a tupperware container that is sealed.

 

[Catholic90]

I voted that y’all eat too much butter! We don’t have butter or margarine in our house. I find I don’t gain weight if I keep stuff like that banned from the house and DH hates it anyways. I cook with olive oil…

BUT… in my butter days, I would have it on the counter in small amounts and have a larger one in the fridge.

We always have to remember to buy some butter when we have a big dinner at our house as people are accustomed to seeing it on the table for buns and whatnot… Same with salt and pepper ( which we never add to our food. Salt is also bad for you!! )

I can understand not salting food, but no pepper?

I add pepper to just about everything! The spicier, the better! Black pepper, white pepper, pepper flakes, chili pepper, cayenne pepper…Mmmmmmm.

 

[Jennifer_J]

I voted that y’all eat too much butter! We don’t have butter or margarine in our house. I find I don’t gain weight if I keep stuff like that banned from the house and DH hates it anyways. I cook with olive oil…

BUT… in my butter days, I would have it on the counter in small amounts and have a larger one in the fridge.

We always have to remember to buy some butter when we have a big dinner at our house as people are accustomed to seeing it on the table for buns and whatnot… Same with salt and pepper ( which we never add to our food. Salt is also bad for you!! )

Actually, salt is essential for life. You must have salt, granted many pre-prepared foods are high in sodium, but if you are careful about what you eat, you might actually need some added salt to your diet. And I agree with another poster, how do you live without pepper?

 

[ora_pro_nobis]

I have an insulated butter dish (double-walls) so I can keep my butter out on the counter.This means it stays cooler in the Summer, and doesn’t go hard in the Winter I hate cold, hard butter!

 

[gam3rchic]

butter is fine on the counter as long as it stays covered

Also, salt is not bad for you in small quantities. sodium chloride (or table salt) is composed of 2 essential electrolytes for the basic functioning of your body. Sodium and chloride both play huge roles maintaining hemostasis of the body.

but no pepper???

 

[dulcissima]

Actually, salt is essential for life. You must have salt, granted many pre-prepared foods are high in sodium, but if you are careful about what you eat, you might actually need some added salt to your diet. And I agree with another poster, how do you live without pepper?

Very true. Just make sure you buy the iodized salt. So many salt makers now take it out of their salt, which is crazy.

We are a family of 5 and don’t go through butter fast enough to always leave it out. I might leave it out for a day or two max. I’ve been meaning to get one of those butter bells for years now.

 

[whatevergirl]

Not if its covered. Its more the exposure to air that spoils butter. If its salted, not much will grow on it, but if left out to the air, oxidation will occur and you will have rancid butter.

I say get the butter bell, but we just use a tupperware container that is sealed.

I always figured since it’s in the refrigerated section of the supermarket, it should in my frig at home! What is a butter bell? The thing that goes over the butter? lol

 

[Leopard]

…We’ve been married for 18 years. We’ve pretty much ironed out all other important issues, like toilet seat up or down (down!) but this butter thing drives us both batty.

So tell me, where is your butter…

On the toilet seat.

What?

 

[zaffiroborant]

I keep my butter on the counter in a covered butter dish as did my parents and my grandparents, my great grandparents had no fridge or even an ice box so I guess they did the same. It works fine though generally we use less softened butter in the summer and it may go bad then. I think it’s less cinnamon and honey toast but I’m not sure. Summer is also when refrigerator hard butter comes into play. You have to have cold hard butter to do sweet corn right.

I found that softening butter in the microwave just doesn’t work I just can’t find a setting that softens it, it just starts to clarify, oil and foamy milk solids separating while at the same time the remainder is hard

Oddly enough I do refrigerate my olive oil, I found a place where I can buy a half gallon (or it’s metric equivalent) of my preferred brand and so like my butter I refrigerate the bulk of it and take out 1-3 days worth to leave on the counter. They keep spreadable and pourable on the counter for a couple of days.

 

[yellowbird]

IOddly enough I do refrigerate my olive oil, I found a place where I can buy a half gallon (or it’s metric equivalent) of my preferred brand and so like my butter I refrigerate the bulk of it and take out 1-3 days worth to leave on the counter. They keep spreadable and pourable on the counter for a couple of days.

Does olive oil spoil? I didn’t know that? I have had the same bottle of olive oil in my cupboard for well over a year… I wonder how I’d know if it were spoiled because olive oil already smells sort of stinky IMO. Do you prefer olive oil to butter? I am sure it’s much healthier… but I’m a butter girl all the way.

 

[shannyk]

Buy one of these:
reluctantgourmet.com/butter_crock.htm

Can I tell you this thing is literally the BEST thing since sliced bread? It is. I have an orange one and a blue one. If you’ve ever been infuriated by butter ripping a hole in your bread when you’re trying to make a grilled cheese, then this is the thing you need.

I don’t know if I’d worry much about butter being out if only for 2-3 days, but past that yeah, because it has milk solids in it which will spoil. With the butter bell thingy it forms an airtight seal with water so it stays fresh much longer.

I too will only use real butter. ( and olive and coconut oils) At least I know what it’s made of.

butter is fine on the counter as long as it stays covered

Also, salt is not bad for you in small quantities. sodium chloride (or table salt) is composed of 2 essential electrolytes for the basic functioning of your body. Sodium and chloride both play huge roles maintaining hemostasis of the body.

but no pepper???

who could have no pepper?? How can one live without pepper???

 

[Sina]

Pepper… I sort of wrote a bit semantically. We don’t put the salt and pepper shakers out on the table unless people are come. I do put pepper in our food. I am a fan of spice. Don’t worry! haha. I don’t put salt in our food though. True it is needed for life, but as you guessed, I get it from all the cheese I eat! ( yeah cheese is probably just as bad for you as butter is, but I love cheese)

Yeah Olive Oil can go rancid. It has never happened to me, but they do have expiry dates…

 

[Consecrated]

Pepper… I sort of wrote a bit semantically. We don’t put the salt and pepper shakers out on the table unless people are come. I do put pepper in our food. I am a fan of spice. Don’t worry! haha. I don’t put salt in our food though. True it is needed for life, but as you guessed, I get it from all the cheese I eat! ( yeah cheese is probably just as bad for you as butter is, but I love cheese)

Yeah Olive Oil can go rancid. It has never happened to me, but they do have expiry dates…

just curious… do you bake without salt, too? I can’t imagine what a horror of a loaf would tun out if one omitted the salt from bread dough.

 

[Consecrated]

ok, now I’m super curious about this butter bell thingy… thanks guys… just what I need is another gadget in my kitchen!

 

[lizaanne]

Does olive oil spoil? I didn’t know that? I have had the same bottle of olive oil in my cupboard for well over a year… I wonder how I’d know if it were spoiled because olive oil already smells sort of stinky IMO. Do you prefer olive oil to butter? I am sure it’s much healthier… but I’m a butter girl all the way.

Oh gosh yes - olive oil can absolutely go rancid!! Throw that out and buy some new, and start using it!! Olive oil is wonderful, we use a ton of it.

I have a friend of mine who went on a diet and replaced EVERY bit of butter with olive oil - yep, even on his toast he would use a light tasting version. He lost a huge amount of weight by doing this.

I’m not about to give up my butter totally, but I do use a lot of olive oil in my cooking. The only time I don’t use it is for sweet things like baking, pancakes, etc. Then I use canola.

~Liza

 

[Cat]

ok, now I’m super curious about this butter bell thingy… thanks guys… just what I need is another gadget in my kitchen!

It’s not really a gadget. It’s a little crocky thing that looks cute, and serves a very useful purpose.

And it washes in the dishwasher.

 

[dulcissima]

Olive oil can become rancid. It is always best to use the freshest olive oil possible. I like to buy the smallest bottles of extra virgin first cold pressing olive oil rather than a big bottle. I read in one of Andrew Weil’s books that oils that are starting to go rancid have an immediate effect on your heart and your arteries. It’s really important to only use really fresh oil or butter.

 

[Consecrated]

It’s not really a gadget. It’s a little crocky thing that looks cute, and serves a very useful purpose.

And it washes in the dishwasher.

you’re right… it prolly looks much cuter than the tupperware I have now… hmmmm