Do you keep butter in a dish on the counter?

[BMW]

I like the butter in a covered dish on the counter, soft and easy to use. Dh keeps putting it in the fridge, saying it will go bad if it's out. Grandma always kept hers in a dish on the counter. What do you do?

[PariSarah]

. . . not in the dead of summer. Even with A/C, it's just a little too warm for butter at rm temp.

 

The rest of the year, though, it stays out in a covered dish.

[GailV]

Heck, yes, it doesn't have time to go bad. The only problem we've had is when the cat stuck his paw in it. The butter dish needs a lid!

 

I used to get ghee when I worried about the butter be left out. Now that the kids are older our consumption is so high that it's not an issue.

 

Also, there are nifty little crocks that will keep it nice on the counter.

[HRAAB]

I don't leave it on the counter, but not because I think it will go bad. I don't know how long it would take for butter to go bad. My mil always leaves her butter on the counter; it's usually a melted mess. I like it to look like a cube. So it's all about appearance. Oh, and if it's out of sight, it's out of mind and lasts a little longer.

 

Janet

[Rich with Kids]

I always believed it would go bad, but come to think of it, both my g-mas did/do this. I might start.

[fshinkevich]

I do keep it out, using a butter crock:

 

http://www.butterbell.com/

[Parrothead]

It has always been left out. Most of the time covered, every once in a great while someone will forget to cover it. It really needs to be covered though because butter is the cat's favorite treat.

[abbeyej]

If it's salted, it'll basically never go bad. Unsalted, and it might (but not quickly). I have a plain old lidded butter dish and always have one stick out. The rest is in the fridge till we need it.

[Rich with Kids]

I have a stoopid question...how do you get the butter in the crock? :001_huh:

[Mom2jnb]

I come from the school of....it won't go bad....of course it doesn't last that long around here either...but my DH does the whole.....you MUST keep it in the fridge.....it is a constant little thing we do at our house...we have gotten so if he wants butter from the fridge that is where he gets it from. I just prefer to be able to spread butter that doesn't mutilate the bread or whatever we are eating. :)

 

Alison

[riada]

I don't do it but it has nothing to do with going bad. It has everything to do with a certain little lady that can't keep her fingers out of it. So I voted no, but not because of it going bad.

[chaik76]

Butter doesn't really go bad. It can get rancid, but this rarely happens unless you leave it out for ages and ages and ages.

I keep mine on the counter. I like it to be able to spread. It's too hard when it's in the fridge.

[Happy]

We always leave it out. I like soft butter for my morning toast. We go through a stick every few days and it never goes bad.

 

I enjoy using a butter bell, but the butter tends to fall out and go swimming in the summer. I guess we keep our house too warm. ;)

 

We are using real butter, by the way. Unsalted, too.

[klmama]

I can't vote! I don't keep it on the counter, but not because I think it would go bad!

 

I have a couple of reasons for refrigerating it. I keep it in the fridge because I don't have a covered dish and I don't want it to attract any flies the dc let in when they are running in and out. I also don't want to tempt my 4yo, who would love nothing more than to stick an inquisitive finger into it to take just a taste - about 100 times a day! The cat might be tempted to jump up and lick it, too. Bleck. To top it off, I don't like how soft it gets when left out in the summer. I just get it out about an hour before a meal so it gets soft enough to use.

[Melissa in FL]

Down here in FL I keep my house to warm to leave butter out on the counter. Sometimes in the winter if it's cool enough I'll keep it out. When we lived in MI I always kept it on the counter. When I first moved I tried, but like I said, it's just too warm! It actually gets to soft to spread well, it sort of slides off the knife.

Melissa

[Doran]

. . . not in the dead of summer. Even with A/C, it's just a little too warm for butter at rm temp.

 

The rest of the year, though, it stays out in a covered dish.

 

 

I am NOT concerned about butter going bad if left to sit out on my counter. Been doing it too long to have any doubt. That said, I *did* have butter go bad once on my counter :D. It was during a time when we were cutting way back on wheat (ie: toast, bagels), and dairy (ie:...er...butter) in our household, so it sat, and sat. It was pretty obvious that it was "sour" when we ate it. Nasty taste. And, I lived to tell about it. Not even a blip in our lives except that we had to toss the toast (better than our cookies) we'd spread it on.

 

I'd say, if you use a stick of butter every two weeks, you're in fine shape to leave it out. If it would sit there, unused, for a month, you'd probably want to refrigerate it.

[jonesloonybin]

We keep our out in a covered small rectangular Tupperware type dish. It fits one stick great. We use it enough that it never goes bad. We also have a few of the same container so everytime we put out a new stick it goes in a new container and the other gets washed. Our house is at a good temp. The butter is soft and spreadable but not melty...it holds its shape.

[Tap]

Hey where is the mandatory OTHER catagory? :D:D

 

I checked no, but is isn´t nnecessarilybecause it would go bad. I just don´t want it on the counter. We don´t use it daily and we take about a month to go through a cube of butter that we use for individual items. I use larger chunks in potatoes and such but I wouldn´t use the room temp butter for that.

[Jenny in Atl]

Butter is better in a butter crock!

[Gretchen in NJ]

Grandma was right because she had raw butter. We use raw butter as well, so we keep ours in the fridge.

 

Isn't grandma always right?;)

[fshinkevich]

I have a stoopid question...how do you get the butter in the crock? :001_huh:

 

 

You pack it in :)

 

• Do not allow the butter to become too soft before packing it into the bell shaped lid. The butter should be firm enough so that is not slipping off the knife before packing the lid. When the butter is slightly firmer it packs into the lid better - just use a little "elbow grease".

• When packing the butter into the bell shaped lid, make sure you press the butter firmly into the lid, removing all air pockets. Air pockets within the butter create a suction affect when the lid is removed from the water, pulling the butter out of the lid.

[LauraGB]

On the counter, with a cover. Hate hard butter; torn bread, crumbly toast - not things that make me happy. Its never gone bad that I know of. Of course, its never really around long.

[KS_]

I use one of these, too, but I got mine from Amazon (different brand and a lot cheaper):

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-284-Butter-Keeper/dp/B0000VLURQ/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1_s9_rk?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&s9r=8afd3cfe134818a20113de50bdcf0fa8&itemPosition=1&qid=1219425512&sr=8-1

 

I always liked keeping my butter out so it was spreadable, but it would go rancid so quickly (and rancid butter is not a good thing on toast IMO). So this has worked very well for us - the butter is nice and soft, but stays fresh.

[KAR120C]

When we had a cat we had to keep it covered because otherwise he'd eat it (blech!), but we go through quite a bit... like two sticks a week at the minimum... so it doesn't have a chance to go bad.

 

In the worst heat of summer it does get messy... but again with the lid -- doesn't keep it from melting, but it does keep me from having to look at it! LOL

[katalaska]

I don't leave it on the counter, but not because I think it will go bad. I don't know how long it would take for butter to go bad. My mil always leaves her butter on the counter; it's usually a melted mess.

 

My mother never left it out so I don't. My mil leaves hers out all the time. I figure if I had been raised in dh's house I would just do it. I don't think it would go bad...it's just not a habit I've developed.

 

I do prefer it to be soft for spreading...but my counter's cluttered enough without adding one more thing!

[JFSinIL]

We leave it out, in a covered dish - but on the hottest summer days we put it in the 'fridge - and we have a/c! The kitchen just gets HOT!

 

Toast with cold butter is an abomination!

[sweetTN]

I leave it out in a butter crock. It keeps it firm, yet easy to spread.

[Tammy]

I am in south Florida...and I keep mine out all the time....and I keep my house at around 82 degrees, LOL!

[farmgirlinwv]

We have done this for years and years. We are all exceptionally healthy and I have NEVER thrown butter away. It's the only place to keep your butter!

[Colleen]

Warm butter just...no. That's not right. I keep ours refrigerated. Not because it'll get rancid sitting at room temperature. That would take a good, long while. Just because chilled butter is better butter, imo. Of course, if I need it softened I let it sit out for a while.

[Tammyla]

Our ButterBell French crock keeps it just right year round. I just change out the cool water every few days.

[nukeswife]

I do keep it out, using a butter crock:

 

http://www.butterbell.com/

 

I also have a butterbell I got it from Pleasant hill grain and love it. I usually just take one of my Pampered Chef all purpose spreaders and use it to put the softened butter in it. I let the new stick sit out for about 20 minutes before moving it to the crock.

[KatieJ]

Technically neither..out of the fridge but in the cupboard, next to the Peanut butter, salt and pepper.

I really really dislike hard butter on my toast in the mornings. It's hard enough to wake up without having to fight the butter!

I have 2 butter dishes and one cover that fits both. I keep the clean one under the current one being used so everyone knows to put the new stick of butter on a CLEAN dish...pet peeve of mine. Dirty butter dish..yuck!

[TrixieB]

I keep some butter in a covered dish on the counter. I usually only put out 1/4 or 1/2 stick at a time so we can easily use it up before it gets a chance to spoil.

[sweetbaby]

If I did, my children would surely eat it. They love licking butter.:lol:

[ahousefullofjs]

no, for some reason DH is grossed out by soft butter. :001_rolleyes:

[Elohcin]

I have always left it out. I can't think of a time when it went bad.

[fivetails]

I don't know if I've ever actually had butter - we've always just bought the cheap margarine in the 99 cent container...I might have, somewhere along the line, and not know it.... but if I *did* have it here, I'd put it in the fridge, same as I do with the margarine. (Which we call butter though)

[E_Edgerton]

We do...but only in the cooler months. Our kitchen is way too hot in the summer and late spring. :)