BatmansWife Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Well, this has been very enlightening. Thank you everyone for your comments. It stays out. I thaw meat in the sink, too. Are you my mother?? What's a butter bell? I never had heard of this either. I had to google it and I also looked at Amazon. Here's one that has good reviews (some other ones didn't). I've been wanting to buy the Speed game at Amazon but needed to add a little to my order to get free shipping. I think I'll get this butter bell to complete my order (except it's temporarily out of stock right now). It's really cute too. I understand how it works....but I don't really get how the butter doesn't fall out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I never had heard of this either. I had to google it and I also looked at Amazon. Here's one that has good reviews (some other ones didn't). I've been wanting to buy the Speed game at Amazon but needed to add a little to my order to get free shipping. I think I'll get this butter bell to complete my order (except it's temporarily out of stock right now). It's really cute too. I understand how it works....but I don't really get how the butter doesn't fall out. See my post above regarding the butter bell we've always used. It's in stock and cheaper, too :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Absolutely not, and I refuse to use the butter at my IL's because MIL leaves it out. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeBlessings Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Sometimes I will leave butter out all day, so I'm not opposed to doing that. I used to do it fairly often. Here lately I've been mostly leaving it in the fridge because I've been buying a butter/olive oil blend that spreads easily straight from the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I keep it out all the time except during the summer. :iagree: I do the same thing here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I grew up with butter kept out in a butter dish with a cover - it was a yellow Tupperware one, actually. I am also leaving the butter out at my home as an adult, minus the Tupperware holder. :) Mine stays out in a covered dish day and night, year-round. We go through it fast though. I had major mold problems using a butter bell ( and yes I changed the water and all that) so I switched to an opaque covered glass dish. It's been years since I had any go rancid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Mine stays out in a covered dish day and night, year-round. We go through it fast though. I had major mold problems using a butter bell ( and yes I changed the water and all that) so I switched to an opaque covered glass dish. It's been years since I had any go rancid. Hmmm....this is something for me to consider. I may have to reconsider the better bell. We do tend to be prone to mold here (not food related)....so I wonder if leaving butter in a butter bell with water would be a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'm thinking of switching solely to butter...where did you guys get your butter dishes? I can't remember ever seeing them for sale, but that might be just b/c I haven't specifically looked for them... Amazon, of course :D http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=butter+dish&x=0&y=0 Just be sure to get one with a little handle or loop at the top or you will recall the meaning of 'butter fingers'. I remembered it the hard way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Keeping butter out is an entirely new concept to me. I have always refridgerated it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) I keep butter out all the time in a covered butter dish... BUT, I only cut off a couple of inches to keep out at a time. The rest stays in the fridge. That way, my "out" butter is always pretty fresh. If you think it's "gross" to leave butter out, consider that it's basically 100% fat. You leave your cooking oils room temperature, don't you? Edited November 21, 2011 by GingerPoppy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I voted keep it in the fridge, but I will leave it out if I'm planning on using some in the next hour or two. I hate trying to spread hard butter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 It stays out. I thaw meat in the sink, too. Thanks for the belly laugh. Me too! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Refrigerated unless the stick is being used, then it goes right back to the fridge. It tastes...'flat and bleh', to me if it is left out for more than an hour or two. LOL how is that for a description. LOL I freeze my butter in the deep freeze, then one stick at a time goes into the fridge. One stick will last a long time as we don't use it that often. I use maybe a pound a month or so, but more likely two months. I use it in baking and mashed potatoes most often ( I do use a whole stick in mashed potatoes though LOL). Rarely, one of us will use it on something like toast or waffles, but most of the time we just use jam or syrup without the butter. For other cooking, we use olive or coconut oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We keep one stick out in a covered glass butter dish. We have two dishes, because I wash it in between sticks (woe to the child who just pops another stick in the dirty dish! :lol:) For a few weeks in late July and early August, we keep the dish in the fridge, but it is fine the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I keep a stick out in the butter bell and the rest in the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Light and air are absolute enemies of fresh butter taste. The fact that many people are wrong in their butter keeping habits doesn't change that. Butter should be kept well-sealed in darkness and refrigerated or (preferably) frozen until need. Otherwise it oxidizes rapidly on it's way to going rancid. Bill Bill, I love you!!:001_wub: I notice a definite difference in flavor when I've left the butter out on the counter until it's soft. Butter right out of the fridge tastes a gazillion times better. Leaving it out just until it's soft enough to use doesn't affect the flavor that much; leaving it out all day long...blech. Then it just tastes like butter-flavored oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I didn't know butter could be left out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Many4 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We keep the butter out all the time on the counter in a rubbermaid type butter dish. We go through about a stick every 3 days, so it's not out long. In the summer time we keep it in the fridge when needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I leave butter out in a dish with a lid except in very, very hot weather because it doesn't keep that long. We use a stick of butter fairly quickly most of the time so it isn't the same stick sitting out for a really long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Other. I leave it out (all day and night) sometimes in the winter. Never in the summer. It would melt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Other. Most of the year I keep it out night and day. In the summer I refrigerate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Only on liquifying-hot summer days do we refrigerate; and we do so begrudgingly. In the winter when it's hot in here all the time (we heat with wood), I keep the butter in the garden window above the kitchen sink which is always cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 This thread has really surprised me. I've never heard of ANYBODY leaving butter out all day, in my life, so I was so surprised to see that the vast majority do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Wow - I never thought butter could be kept out! I hate hard butter so I always soften in the microwave before use. I might be changing how we do butter. :iagree: It never occurred to me to keep the butter out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I keep it out all the time except during the summer. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigger Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We keep it out, in a butter dish with dome....never had it go rancid, but that's probably because we go through it quick enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Amazon, of course :D http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=butter+dish&x=0&y=0 Just be sure to get one with a little handle or loop at the top or you will recall the meaning of 'butter fingers'. I remembered it the hard way. We had the rubbermaid one on top, and not one family member (except for me) could put the lid on without somehow getting butter on all four sides. Very irritating. Then someone broke it. I'm considering a butter bell, but do people slop water all over every time they use it? Is it reasonably heavy? I could probably train the kids, but dh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Bill, I love you!!:001_wub: I notice a definite difference in flavor when I've left the butter out on the counter until it's soft. Butter right out of the fridge tastes a gazillion times better. Leaving it out just until it's soft enough to use doesn't affect the flavor that much; leaving it out all day long...blech. Then it just tastes like butter-flavored oil. That's about as long as it lasts around here. I bake and have four kids. Banana bread and fresh rolls etc. tend to make butter disappear quickly--especially since I don't put a whole stick out at a time. And then there's various cooking tasks. By the time dinner rolls around and I need some for mashed potatoes, I need to get more from the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 This is the butter bell we've used for years: http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-284-Stoneware-Butter-Keeper/dp/B0000VLURQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321845217&sr=8-1 This is what we have, too, and it works great. If you search online, you can find a lot of really neat handcrafted ones, but this one's a lot less expensive :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Amazon, of course :D http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=butter+dish&x=0&y=0 Just be sure to get one with a little handle or loop at the top or you will recall the meaning of 'butter fingers'. I remembered it the hard way. Why would the little handle or loop make a difference? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Light and air are absolute enemies of fresh butter taste. The fact that many people are wrong in their butter keeping habits doesn't change that. Butter should be kept well-sealed in darkness and refrigerated or (preferably) frozen until need. Otherwise it oxidizes rapidly on it's way to going rancid. Bill Until I got a butter bell, I couldn't leave the butter out because of the change in taste and how quickly it goes rancid. But except on really hot days, when the water in the bell gets too warm, keeping it in the butter bell keeps it tasting fresh and keeps the light and air out. I'm sure it would be fresher in the refrigerator, but I really dislike trying to spread hard butter on bread and rolls. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Light and air are absolute enemies of fresh butter taste. The fact that many people are wrong in their butter keeping habits doesn't change that. Butter should be kept well-sealed in darkness and refrigerated or (preferably) frozen until need. Otherwise it oxidizes rapidly on it's way to going rancid. Bill Way to burst the discovery bubble, Ahab. :lol: Man, and those butter bells are so cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 We leave it out, but a stick never lasts more than two days and often not even one, so there's zero chance of it going bad. :iagree: Same in our house. Sometimes in the summer we'll keep it refrigerated, but in the winter here it's not really necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 :iagree: Same in our house. Sometimes in the summer we'll keep it refrigerated, but in the winter here it's not really necessary. I'm 46, been leaving butter out all my life...and I've never tasted rancid butter. For those who always refrigerate, how do you have bread-and-butter? Or a buttered muffin? I can't imagine using only hard butter; just how I was raised I guess. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 If you think it's "gross" to leave butter out, consider that it's basically 100% fat. You leave your cooking oils room temperature, don't you? Bacon is mostly fat, too- do you leave that out at room temperature? The only person I've ever met IRL who leaves butter out is my MIL, and she also leaves pizza out overnight in an unheated oven & considers it fit for consumption the next day. :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Wow, you guys can argue over anything, can't you? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Bacon is mostly fat, too- do you leave that out at room temperature? The only person I've ever met IRL who leaves butter out is my MIL, and she also leaves pizza out overnight in an unheated oven & considers it fit for consumption the next day. :ack2: That doesn't prove anything though - the other 20% could go bad. However, 16% is water, so we are down to 3% that could go bad. In my lifetime experience of salted and unsalted butter, I've only once or twice had butter go bad on me, keeping it out but covered in reasonably cool temperatures. I'd do as your MIL does with pizza, unless it contained meat. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 I'm 46, been leaving butter out all my life...and I've never tasted rancid butter. For those who always refrigerate, how do you have bread-and-butter? Or a buttered muffin? I can't imagine using only hard butter; just how I was raised I guess. :) Our microwave has a "soften/melt" button. You put the stick in, hit the soften button and then #1 (butter is code #1). It softens a full stick of butter to perfection in 50 seconds. Like I said before though....you need to stop it earlier if you don't have a full stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I leave the butter out all day. Usually my dh puts it back in the fridge at night. If he is out of town, it doesn't make it back in the fridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerPoppy Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Bacon is mostly fat, too- do you leave that out at room temperature? The only person I've ever met IRL who leaves butter out is my MIL, and she also leaves pizza out overnight in an unheated oven & considers it fit for consumption the next day. :ack2: Of course I don't leave bacon out! It may have a lot of fat, but it's not 99% fat. It contains protein, too. Butter is fat, water, and salt basically. And as I said previously, I only cut off a couple of inches at a time to keep out, so it's never out for long--but it does ensure I've got soft butter at hand each day. As for pizza left in the oven, I can see why that bothers you. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMDRAD Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 When I was a kid, my mom kept butter in a covered butter dish and kept it out all day (possibly all night too, I'm not sure). I usually keep butter sticks in the butter compartment in the refrigerator. When we want to use butter we put one in the microwave and hit the soften button (if the stick is less than a full stick you need to remember to not microwave it on soften for the full amount of time....or you'll have a pool of butter in the microwave). The other day the butter was out. I was about to put it away but remembered I'd want it in a couple more hours for lunch. So, I just kept it out. I just wonder if there's any reason to *not* leave it out. It was sure convenient to not have to microwave it. I'm wondering now if I want to do as my mom did...and just leave it out. But, then again....she would thaw frozen meat all day in the sink. So, her ideas aren't always the recommended way of doing things. I leave my butter out all the time. I also thaw my meat in the sink over night and I bring it to room temp before I cook it.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I leave my butter out all the time. I also thaw my meat in the sink over night and I bring it to room temp before I cook it.:D ...and running with scissors??? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) We don't leave our butter out. I've got a weird phobia about leaving anything out. Our bread is in a bread box, our apples and lemons are in a dish in the center of the table otherwise that's all that we leave out. Our cookies aren't even left out. I bake and put them into a sealed container and they go into the fridge. I take them out in the morning for our afternoon snack then put them back into the fridge. Edited November 21, 2011 by mamaofblessings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMDRAD Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 ...and running with scissors??? lol Yes, my children frequently have relay races in the back yard with our sharpest scissors. :001_tt2: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Way to burst the discovery bubble, Ahab. :lol: Man, and those butter bells are so cute. Read post below. At least the butter bells (if they are not clear) do keep out air (due to the water lock) and light. Put one in the fridge and it might be perfect ;) :D Bill Until I got a butter bell, I couldn't leave the butter out because of the change in taste and how quickly it goes rancid. But except on really hot days, when the water in the bell gets too warm, keeping it in the butter bell keeps it tasting fresh and keeps the light and air out. I'm sure it would be fresher in the refrigerator, but I really dislike trying to spread hard butter on bread and rolls. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 I leave my butter out all the time. I also thaw my meat in the sink over night and I bring it to room temp before I cook it.:D ...and running with scissors??? lol Yes, my children frequently have relay races in the back yard with our sharpest scissors. :001_tt2: :lol: Oh my, my my! Rachel.....you are such a rebel!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Why would the little handle or loop make a difference? :bigear: Pair buttery fingers with an attempt to lift a lid shaped like a cube and the lid doesn't last long. The little loop or handle on the lid will give you something to hang onto. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Pair buttery fingers with an attempt to lift a lid shaped like a cube and the lid doesn't last long. The little loop or handle on the lid will give you something to hang onto. Barb Ohhh! Got it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcelmer Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I voted other, we keep the butter in the fridge in the summer, and usually out during most of the winter/fall, but with french bread & crusty rolls, I like it best straight from the fridge.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I voted other. I have a butter bell. http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-681445/?affsrcid=Aff0001&mr:trackingCode=11508D3D-AAC1-DF11-98FF-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA&origin=pla&mr:adType=pla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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