Do You Refrigerate Butter?

[win231]

I just got a really clever butter dish on HSN (It's called a "Butterie.") The ad says you don't need to refrigerate butter & it tastes better & spreads better at room temperature. I always thought it has to be kept cold because it's a dairy product & I always kept it in the fridge.
Online, it says it's OK to keep it at room temperature only for a couple of days.
How do you guys store butter?

 

[Pink Biz]

Fridge

"According to the USDA, butter is safe at room temperature. But if it's left out for several days at room temperature, it can turn rancid causing off flavors. The USDA does not recommend leaving it out more than one to two days."

 

[win231]

Fridge

"According to the USDA, butter is safe at room temperature. But if it's left out for several days at room temperature, it can turn rancid causing off flavors. The USDA does not recommend leaving it out more than one to two days."

That's what I was thinking. Looks like HSN really wanted to sell their product. They never mentioned it turning rancid or any time limit.
Maybe I'll keep it in the fridge, & only leave some that I think I'll use that day out.
It is a great butter dish:

 

[Jules]

Fridge.

I keep a small dish out in the daytime. Back into the fridge at night.

At first I thought you were talking about a French Butter dish. https://www.frenchbutterdish.com/FAQ.php.

 

[Jules]

Personally I prefer the small dish for daily use. Nothing quite as unappetizing as a huge stick of butter that’s loaded with crumbs.

 

[terry123]

Fridge all the time. Only take out when needed.

 

[hollydolly]

Yup in the fridge... and I take it out when I need it in the morning for toast , and usually leave it out for most of the morning until lunchtime in case it's needed again , and then it goes back into the fridge....

However I almost always use spreadable butter,

 

[Tommy]

We leave it out in a covered glass butter dish. A stick may last from one to four days depending on what we're eating and we have never had it turn rancid. Refrigerated butter doesn't spread well at all and we're not always able to anticipate when we might want to use it.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I leave it out on the counter in the cooler months and refrigerate it during the hottest months. I prefer the taste of butter that has been out for a few days. It is more like the European style cultured butter as opposed to the American bland tasting cold grease.

I used to use a French butter bell that used a water seal to keep bacteria away from the butter and helped it to remain fresh for a longer period of time.

Years ago water seals were used in fermentation crocks. The water-filled groove allowed gases to escape but kept harmful bacteria away from the food. You can still find them today for making pickles, Rumtopf, etc...

 

[Fyrefox]

Now I'm reminded of an old tongue-twister from my childhood: "Betty Botta bought a batch of butter. 'But,' said she, 'this butter's bitter! If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter. But a batch of better butter will make my bitter batter better!'"

I stay up at night, thinking about such things. It's a curse, really...

 

[MarciKS]

4 Mistakes to Avoid When Storing Butter at Room Temperature | Kitchn (thekitchn.com)

 

[IrisSenior]

A pound of butter is cut into quarters (so it fits in the butter dish) and one quarter is left in the butter dish on the counter. It is usually used up in a few days. My butter has never gone rancid doing it this way.

 

[Oris Borloff]

When we still used butter we used a butter bell.. We would change the water daily, had no problems with freshness.
I should add we only used unsalted butter.

 

[rkunsaw]

We leave it out in a covered glass butter dish. A stick may last from one to four days depending on what we're eating and we have never had it turn rancid. Refrigerated butter doesn't spread well at all and we're not always able to anticipate when we might want to use it.

Same here Tommy. We've never had a problem with it.

 

[Murrmurr]

I only use butter as I do not like margarine, and I was taught that salted butter keeps longer at room temperature. I use salted butter for the "table", unsalted for baking. So if I plan to bake something, I take some butter out of the fridge the night before or morning of. The salted butter sits in a container on the counter til it gets used up; the only rule is to use a clean container when I get a fresh stick.

 

[Buckeye]

A pound of butter is cut into quarters (so it fits in the butter dish) and one quarter is left in the butter dish on the counter. It is usually used up in a few days. My butter has never gone rancid doing it this way.

Ditto this.

 

[Aunt Marg]

Always been a 100% butter home, and always kept in the fridge.

For toast, I either take a sliver out and pop it into the microwave for 15-20 seconds to soften it, or leave the sliver out on the counter for 30-40 minutes to reach a workable, spreadable consistency.

Same goes if I'm baking or making a beurre manié, I take enough out to cover whatever it is that I'm using it for, otherwise, butter stays in the fridge.

 

[Ceege]

Here's an interesting site to reference when in doubt about food safety:

Food Storage Guidelines – How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator​

https://www.myfearlesskitchen.com/how-long-to-store-food-in-refrigerator/

After suffering a bad case of food poisoning in 1970 that included a stomach pumped and a few days in the hospital, I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to food. Because of that, I wouldn't leave butter out for more than a few hours. I believe those who say it's safe to leave butter out longer, but I would still feel a bit uneasy about it and wouldn't do it.

 

[Lewkat]

I leave it out on the counter in the cooler months and refrigerate it during the hottest months. I prefer the taste of butter that has been out for a few days. It is more like the European style cultured butter as opposed to the American bland tasting cold grease.

I used to use a French butter bell that used a water seal to keep bacteria away from the butter and helped it to remain fresh for a longer period of time.

Years ago water seals were used in fermentation crocks. The water-filled groove allowed gases to escape but kept harmful bacteria away from the food. You can still find them today for making pickles, Rumtopf, etc...

I use these for my butter, but in the hot months I put the butter in the fridge at night.

 

[win231]

Here's an interesting site to reference when in doubt about food safety:

Food Storage Guidelines – How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator​

https://www.myfearlesskitchen.com/how-long-to-store-food-in-refrigerator/

After suffering a bad case of food poisoning in 1970 that included a stomach pumped and a few days in the hospital, I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to food. Because of that, I wouldn't leave butter out for more than a few hours. I believe those who say it's safe to leave butter out longer, but I would still feel a bit uneasy about it and wouldn't do it.

And who could blame you? I'm also a bit paranoid, after 2 food poisoning adventures that were not as serious as yours - just the usual fever & running at both ends.

 

[StarSong]

Here's an interesting site to reference when in doubt about food safety:

Food Storage Guidelines – How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator​

https://www.myfearlesskitchen.com/how-long-to-store-food-in-refrigerator/

After suffering a bad case of food poisoning in 1970 that included a stomach pumped and a few days in the hospital, I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to food. Because of that, I wouldn't leave butter out for more than a few hours. I believe those who say it's safe to leave butter out longer, but I would still feel a bit uneasy about it and wouldn't do it.

What culprit created this food poisoning incident, Ceege?

 

[Ceege]

What culprit created this food poisoning incident, Ceege?

A restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We stopped for lunch on our way back from a trip to Florida. We heard that others who ate there had also gotten sick from bad ground beef. It was over 2 years before I could eat out or eat any meat. An experience like that just seems to stay with you.

 

[Nathan]

Never had butter go bad, it gets used up in probably 3 or 4 days.

 

[Mrs. Robinson]

I grew up with butter being left out once the stick is taken out of the fridge and unwrapped,so I have always done it this way. Never had it turn rancid. I do use unsalted butter for cooking on occasion and that comes straight out of the fridge and any unused goes back in. But that`s because I don`t use it that often. A stick of salted butter left out in the butter dish seldom lasts more than a day or two in my house.

 

[win231]

A restaurant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We stopped for lunch on our way back from a trip to Florida. We heard that others who ate there had also gotten sick from bad ground beef. It was over 2 years before I could eat out or eat any meat. An experience like that just seems to stay with you.

One of my food poisoning adventures also involved a restaurant - "Lucille's Smokehouse" in Woodland Hills, CA.
It can be difficult to determine what food caused the problem or what restaurant, but in my case, that was the only food I ate a couple of hours before I got sick and uh....I could tell from its appearance it was not digested. Food has to be really bad when your stomach sends it back up in the same condition as when you ate it without even starting to digest it. And a fever of 102. Plus, several other reviewers also got sick after eating there; one posted a review that included his info from the ER that described the contaminants.
After the owner read my review, he offered me a $70.00 gift card to eat there again. I said, "Uh.....no thanks."