Is it necessary to refrigerate butter?

1. 75

   MickiSposted 11 years ago

   Is it necessary to refrigerate butter?

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2. 91

   Georgie Loweryposted 11 years ago

   Although I would normally say yes, my Grandma kept a dish of real butter softened on her kitchn counter. I don't guess it ever went bad, it got eaten too quickly.

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3. 0

   susanm23bposted 11 years ago

   You are supposed to refrigerate butter for longterm storage.  I have a special dish that I keep on the counter for everyday use.  It has 3 parts--an outer dish that you fill with water, an inner dish made of unglazed ceramic where the butter goes and a lid.  It keeps the butter fresh--and soft for spreading.  You only have to change the water every few days.

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   1. 75

      MickiSposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Where did you get that dish, susanm23b, if you don't mind me asking?

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      susanm23bposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi MickiS,
      I ordered mine from QVC years ago.  I'm not sure if they still have anything like that anymore.  I have seen similar products around and about--mine is similar to "Silvermark Butter Boat" on Amazon.  Hope this was helpful

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   3. 75

      MickiSposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It was. Thanks, Susan.

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   4. 85

      DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      RE:  susann23b's dish:  you can also sometimes find these as hand-crafted items at craft fairs.  We had a booth next to a potter one year, and she was sellling these kinds of butter keepers that she'd made herself.

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4. 89

   nochanceposted 11 years ago

   Nope. I leave mine out on the counter and never have a problem with it... except during the summer months. I don't have air conditioning so it just turns into a liquefied blob.

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   JThomp42posted 11 years ago

   My Grandmother never did. Which made it so easy to spread. It even seemed like it tasted better?

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6. 78

   rex michaelsposted 11 years ago

   I have found that real butter gets so hard in the fridge it is almost impossible to spread without tearing up the toast. I always leave mine out. In fact I have made my own butter in the past and I believe I could build a house with it because it sets up so hard.

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7. 85

   DzyMsLizzyposted 11 years ago

   I grew up in San Francisco--the butter lived on a cupboard shelf in its dish.  San Francisco gets very few days of temperatures high enough to melt butter.  I do recall one or two "melted-overflow" messes however..  ;-)
   
   I have never refrigerated the butter currently in the serving dish--only the 'backstock.'

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8. 92

   vespawoolfposted 11 years ago

   It depends on the climate. When we lived in the Andes where it's cold, butter never spoiled. But when we lived in the North near Ecuador, the semi-tropical climate wrecked havoc on everything. Butter left on the counter too long either melted or spoiled in a short period of time.

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