Do you refrigerate butter?

[J-rap]

I always keep a stick out, at room temperature, so that it's easy to spread on bread.  Sometimes we go through butter slowly and that same stick is on the counter at room temperature for two weeks.  I've done this for 30 years, and no one has ever gotten sick!  Someone recently reacted to this like it was very strange and risky.  Do others do this?

[marbel]

We have probably left butter out for two weeks with no problems, but not in summer. I do refrigerate it on the hottest days.   But mostly it's left out at room temp.

[J-rap]

We have probably left butter out for two weeks with no problems, but not in summer. I do refrigerate it on the hottest days.   But mostly it's left out at room temp.

 

Yes, that's true:  on the very hottest days, when it turns to liquid, I do refrigerate it!

[goldberry]

I used to leave butter out a long time and would get get rancid.  You can usually tell though when it gets icky.

[Guest]

I only ever did when we lived out East and it actually got hot/hot for several days at a time.

 

One time I told  an older gentlemen that "our butter never goes bad," and he jumped down my throat about food safety and how butter absolutely does go bad.

 

I was like, oh no we eat it before it gets a chance to go bad. He was like Oh.

 

^^Great storytelling :laugh:

[regentrude]

Yes, I refrigerate it; we mainly use it for cooking and the fridge is just a good place to store it.

But I don't find it weird hat you keep yours out; I seem to vaguely recall that we left butter out in the kitchen when I was a child.

[UncleEJ]

I grew up in Alaska and always left butter out. Once I moved to Texas, I couldn't do that anymore. Even if the house is cool, it seems to get weird quickly.

[Georgiana Daniels]

My "room temperature" is nearly 80 degrees here in Texas, so no, I don't. However, the butter was always on the kitchen counter in a covered butter dish when I was growing up in much cooler Pennsylvania.

 

I would die at that room temperature!

[Georgiana Daniels]

We do refrigerate butter, but now I'm wondering why. I've always thought it was safe out at room temp, and it's so much easier to spread. Go figure.

 

Anyhoo....everything is better with butter!

 

I love Kerigold.....

[MercyA]

No, we use one of these butter keepers with water in the base. 

[Truscifi]

We keep ours out all except the hottest days. And room temperature here is nearing 80 2/3 of the year. We go through butter pretty quickly though. A stick is usually gone in a couple of days.

[J-rap]

No, we use one of these butter keepers with water in the base. 

 

I've seen those.  What are the advantages of them, if unrefrigerated?

[Rachel]

I keep mine out. It's never gone bad, my kids love butter though so a stick doesn't last long around here.

[Georgiana Daniels]

Now I want to eat something with butter.

[HS Mom in NC]

No.  No one around does that.  We refrigerate it and put it out on the counter to soften an hour or so before a meal or we microwave it a bit on low power to save time.

 

Welcome to my world. http://www.azcentral.com/weather/

You can tell most people who live her moved relatively recently because those of us born and raised here don't think 114 is newsworthy-we've seen that plenty of times.  Let us know when it's over 120; that will be news. Not exactly a butter friendly environment.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Homeschool Mom in AZ

[VaKim]

Mom never refrigerates hers but I do mine. Not because I'm afraid of it going bad, but because I think it tastes better cold for some reason. And I like the mouth feel of it cold, better than soft and greasy, lol.

[umsami]

Growing up in Michigan, yes, we kept butter out.

 

Here in Florida, maybe during the winter time, but that's about it.

 

I do like those butter keeper things, though.

[Georgiana Daniels]

No.  No one around does that.  We refrigerate it and put it out on the counter to soften an hour or so before a meal or we microwave it a bit on low power to save time.

 

Welcome to my world. http://www.azcentral.com/weather/

 

You can tell most people who live her moved relatively recently because those of us born and raised here don't think 114 is newsworthy-we've seen that plenty of times.  Let us know when it's over 120; that will be news. Not exactly a butter friendly environment.

 

Glad I'm in Northern AZ. Our butter has more options :lol:

[sbgrace]

I leave butter used for spreading out here. Our house temp isn't 80 degrees though (mercy...I'm spoiled/might melt).

 

We do go through it quickly, though. Also, the spreading butter I use is salted. I think salted keeps better? I've never had problems with it going rancid.

Edited June 4, 2016 by sbgrace

[redsquirrel]

Not for two weeks.  Butter will go rancid eventually.

 

For about 4 months of the year any butter left out is too hard to spread so might as well leave it in the fridge.  For 4 months it's too hot and will just get oily and slightly melted. For the rest of the year I might leave it out during the day if we have fresh bread, but I put it away eventually.  I wouldn't leave it out over night, for example.

[MercyA]

I've seen those.  What are the advantages of them, if unrefrigerated?

 

Supposedly the evaporation of the water in the bottom chamber of the dish keeps the butter from getting too warm. I honestly don't know if the butter is much cooler than it would be just sitting out in a regular covered butter dish, though. It does stay fresh and unspoiled for a couple weeks and is easy to spread.

Edited June 4, 2016 by MercyA

[Laura Corin]

I always leave it out.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Laura Corin

[gardenmom5]

I leave a stick out. It doesn't last more than three days. My house has a/c, so it never gets too hot.
I can taste the difference in taste and texture vs completely refrigerated.

 

eta: we use it up within three days.

Edited June 5, 2016 by gardenmom5

[creekland]

We leave a stick out year round.  In the winter it's too cold to notice a difference for the most part.  In the summer it spreads nicely.  We keep the inside of our house around 67 in the winter and only turn on AC in the summer if it's higher than 80 and humid.

 

Never had it go bad and certainly not worried about it.  It can be out for two weeks - maybe more sometimes - esp now that hubby and I are empty nesting.  It all depends upon what we are eating.  I try not to leave any out while we're gone on longer trips.

[gardenmom5]

Location and indoor temp and humidity will affect how long it lasts.

[Shellydon]

No!  Blech

[TrixieB]

I always leave butter out in a covered dish, but not an entire stick.  Maybe 1/2 or 1/4 stick.  The kids replace it as needed.
 

[Ravin]

We leave ours on the counter, in AZ, but we go thru it fairly quickly.

[Tanaqui]

I do in the summer. In the winter, meh.

 

Though what I really ought to do right now, thanks for reminding me, is go clarify a pound or two of butter.

[Annie G]

I have a butter bell and the water in the bottom is supposed to seal out any air getting to the butter. It works well but you have to change the water every couple of days. And if it's too hot in here, when I pick the top up, the butter occasionally plops into the water. 

 

Since we use butter fairly fast, I don't often use the butter bell. I just keep a stick covered on the counter. A stick lasts just a few days since we use it for cooking, etc. 

 

 

[JennyD]

No.  In the summer it would go rancid quickly, but more importantly, I love butter and if I kept it out and at a spreadable temperature I would eat far too much of it.  Much better to store it in the fridge.

 

 

[Guest]

Another AZ person, and I always leave mine out. That being said, our indoor temp is not warmer than a nice 76*. :cool: If we didn't run our air the way we do, I'd probably refrigerate it, but we like butter and have never had it go bad. I actually didn't know you could leave it out until I was an adult. My mom always refrigerated hers. She didn't run a/c, though.

[jrn]

Always in the frig. If we need it spreadable I'll take it out an hour or so ahead of time, or nuke it.

[trulycrabby]

Not in our house; our ninja kitty can get into anything that is not locked up.

[Miss Tick]

I blend it with olive oil and then keep that "spreadable butter" in the fridge. This way I can add a bit of salt, too, so I just buy unsalted which is preferable for baking.

 

See how I took something you could conveniently buy and use straight from the package and added multiple steps to the process? And I wonder where my fee time goes...

[Lanny]

We use a Soft Margarine that comes in a plastic container.  When we buy it in the store, it is (usually) not refrigerated, but when we begin using it, it is always in our refrigerator. If it was purchased in a store where it was refrigerated, it goes into our refrigerator after arrival.   I would  think that Butter should be Refrigerated, for safety reasons, but I am not positive that refrigeration is necessary.  The box it comes in may say whether to refrigerate after opening, or something like that. 

 

In contrast, Eggs, which are always Refrigerated in stores in the USA, are never Refrigerated here. That apparently has to do with Bacteria in the Chickens or Eggs in the USA.  I learned that, reading the information on a box of Eggs,  in a supermarket in Orlando, in April.  So, in the case of Eggs, Refrigeration does seem to be a safety measure. We do not keep Eggs in the Refrigerator. 

[Laura Corin]

In contrast, Eggs, which are always Refrigerated in stores in the USA, are never Refrigerated here. That apparently has to do with Bacteria in the Chickens or Eggs in the USA.  I learned that, reading the information on a box of Eggs,  in a supermarket in Orlando, in April.  So, in the case of Eggs, Refrigeration does seem to be a safety measure. We do not keep Eggs in the Refrigerator. 

 

Not quite.  Eggs in the US are washed before being distributed.  This destroys the natural protection against infection getting through the shell, so refrigeration is necessary.  Eggs in the UK are not washed, so they are shelf stable (and are sold from the shelf in the supermarket).  I have noticed recently that the boxes say to refrigerate when you get them home, however, which makes no sense.....

[Ellie]

I always keep a stick out, at room temperature, so that it's easy to spread on bread.  Sometimes we go through butter slowly and that same stick is on the counter at room temperature for two weeks.  I've done this for 30 years, and no one has ever gotten sick!  Someone recently reacted to this like it was very strange and risky.  Do others do this?

 

Oh, yes.

 

In the winter, I use a butter bell; once summer comes, and it's 75 in the house, I put it in a regular butter dish and refrigerate it. On good days, I remember to take it out at night, so it's nice and soft when Mr. Ellie gets up at the crack of dawn to go to work. :-)

 

I don't refrigerate it because it actually goes bad; I refrigerate it because when it's too soft for too long, it loses its flavor.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've always done the same.  It is tricker in summer.  I mean I still tend to do it, but yeah it's kinda a puddle of butter in summer. 

 

I only buy unsalted and as such there is nothing to mask it from tasting rancid.  I have never had it go rancid.

 

 

Edited June 4, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn

[J-rap]

I blend it with olive oil and then keep that "spreadable butter" in the fridge. This way I can add a bit of salt, too, so I just buy unsalted which is preferable for baking.

 

See how I took something you could conveniently buy and use straight from the package and added multiple steps to the process? And I wonder where my fee time goes...

 

That's so interesting that you add olive oil!  I should give that a try sometime.  I love both butter and olive oil.  :)

[Amy in NH]

We buy in bulk, store it in the freezer, keep a pound at a time in the fridge, and leave a stick in the butter dish on the counter for easy spreading. The only time it's a problem is a week or two in the summer when it melts.

[J-rap]

We use a Soft Margarine that comes in a plastic container.  When we buy it in the store, it is (usually) not refrigerated, but when we begin using it, it is always in our refrigerator. If it was purchased in a store where it was refrigerated, it goes into our refrigerator after arrival.   I would  think that Butter should be Refrigerated, for safety reasons, but I am not positive that refrigeration is necessary.  The box it comes in may say whether to refrigerate after opening, or something like that. 

 

In contrast, Eggs, which are always Refrigerated in stores in the USA, are never Refrigerated here. That apparently has to do with Bacteria in the Chickens or Eggs in the USA.  I learned that, reading the information on a box of Eggs,  in a supermarket in Orlando, in April.  So, in the case of Eggs, Refrigeration does seem to be a safety measure. We do not keep Eggs in the Refrigerator. 

 

I remember being so surprised about this whenever we visited our dd in Costa Rica.  The eggs were just kept in a regular aisle, never refrigerated.  Also, families my dd knew there didn't refrigerate their leftover meat after cooking it either!  They would always eat it up in a couple days, but I was always paranoid to leave any meat out for more than a few hours.  

[J-rap]

 

 

I don't refrigerate it because it actually goes bad; I refrigerate it because when it's too soft for too long, it loses its flavor.

 

Come to think of it, I believe you're right!  It does seem to lose its flavor when not in the fridge.  Hmmm...  Maybe I don't want to leave it on the counter anymore afterall!

[J-rap]

I've always done the same.  It is tricker in summer.  I mean I still tend to do it, but yeah it's kinda a puddle of butter in summer. 

 

I only buy unsalted and as such there is nothing to mask it from tasting rancid.  I have never had it go rancid.

 

I always get unsalted too.

[mamiof5]

No. No one around does that. We refrigerate it and put it out on the counter to soften an hour or so before a meal or we microwave it a bit on low power to save time.

 

Welcome to my world. http://www.azcentral.com/weather/

 

You can tell most people who live her moved relatively recently because those of us born and raised here don't think 114 is newsworthy-we've seen that plenty of times. Let us know when it's over 120; that will be news. Not exactly a butter friendly environment.

We live in the same oven 😰

[SparklyUnicorn]

Come to think of it, I believe you're right!  It does seem to lose its flavor when not in the fridge.  Hmmm...  Maybe I don't want to leave it on the counter anymore afterall!

 

Huh..I've never noticed that.

 

But...thinking about it, it is VERY unlikely that a stick of butter would last 2 weeks in my house.  More like 2 days. LOL

[Tree Frog]

South Central Texas here. I always leave it out, usually covered, and have never had any go rancid. Sometimes it melts, so I might stick it back in the fridge for a bit, or a few of those annoying gnats get in it. If the gnats get in it, I toss it.

[BrookValley.]

I have a butter bell and the water in the bottom is supposed to seal out any air getting to the butter. It works well but you have to change the water every couple of days. And if it's too hot in here, when I pick the top up, the butter occasionally plops into the water. 

 

Since we use butter fairly fast, I don't often use the butter bell. I just keep a stick covered on the counter. A stick lasts just a few days since we use it for cooking, etc. 

 

That's how I always understood it--that the water in the crock helped to keep air out.

 

This is the butter crock we have. I keep unsalted butter (for baking and cooking) in the fridge, and usually keep salted Kerrygold out on the counter in the crock for spreading.

[BarbecueMom]

I keep mine in the fridge, but we don't spread butter on bread or anything. I have a "wipe it all over the cast iron" stick in there, and the rest is used in cooking and baking and gets melted anyway.

[HS Mom in NC]

We live in the same oven 😰

I think it's funny that 107 is listed as "very warm" and 113 is listed as "very hot."  I wonder what the weatherfolk think counts as just plain "hot?"