One of my wife’s friends got persistently sick last year. She just could not get better. Sometimes she’d be fine for a week or two, but then she’d get sick again. Eventually it came down to her needing to document everything she did each day - and they discovered she was getting sick from warm butter.
Turns out her mom had come over at some point and saw that she refrigerated butter and said “you don’t need to do that, it’s so much easier to use when warm and it doesn’t go bad.” Yeah, that’s the case if you eat a stick of butter in a few short days. But you can’t leave it out for more than that or it starts getting filled with all sorts of germs.
Was it unsalted butter? Salted butter can be left out for a while, certainly more than a few days without concern, but unsalted needs to be refrigerated.
For the last few years, I’ve been using butter I leave out in a covered butter dish on the counter since I learned that’s fine. It’s always been a stick of salted butter which I typically finish within 2-3 weeks and that’s never caused any problems. I wonder if it being unsalted would really change things that much…
I’ve been made fun of for thinking butter tastes/feels off after sitting out on the counter, but it absolutely does. If you want soft butter, take it out like an hour before or soften it with heat and whip it back into a homogeneous mixture. I usually cut a pad and melt it on top of whatever I’m making before spreading it. Anything but leaving it on the counter to go bad…
Cheese is a weird one though. Definitely refrigerate cheese.
I always thought it was OK to leave salted butter out. Been doing it for years never had a problem I can remember. I also don’t eat tons of butter so would guess I’ve left it out longer than two weeks
Today’s salted butter doesn’t have enough salt in it to preserve itself like that.
Back in like Oregon Trail days they would pack butter in enough salt to preserve it for travel, and people got used to the taste (hence why they still make the two types) but today’s butter is just not salty enough.
Interesting thanks for the info. Like I said I haven’t had any issues so far, but now I think ill pay attention to how long it takes me to go through a stick of butter
I also did that for years, with 5 people in the house we went through softened butter fast.
Then as kids grew up and moved out, I realized it was taking WAY longer to go through. I gave up and leave it in the fridge now. Then again, going through it much slower means that I’m buying much nicer quality butter 😁.
This is the first I’ve heard of a butter bell. I’ve been leaving salted butter out for years, but I bought a glass food storage container with a snap on lid that is basically the exact size of a stick of butter. I suppose it’s accomplishing almost the same thing, although a tiny amount of air does get inside especially as the stick is eaten.
Mine refuse to refrigerate cheese (other than cream-cheese) and butter. Infuriates me as it gets super oily and rancid real fast.
One of my wife’s friends got persistently sick last year. She just could not get better. Sometimes she’d be fine for a week or two, but then she’d get sick again. Eventually it came down to her needing to document everything she did each day - and they discovered she was getting sick from warm butter.
Turns out her mom had come over at some point and saw that she refrigerated butter and said “you don’t need to do that, it’s so much easier to use when warm and it doesn’t go bad.” Yeah, that’s the case if you eat a stick of butter in a few short days. But you can’t leave it out for more than that or it starts getting filled with all sorts of germs.
Was it unsalted butter? Salted butter can be left out for a while, certainly more than a few days without concern, but unsalted needs to be refrigerated.
Not sure. Sounds like unsalted based on what you said.
i eat salted butter that stay days outside the freezer without getting sick, never tested with unsalted, or my immune system is better idk
For the last few years, I’ve been using butter I leave out in a covered butter dish on the counter since I learned that’s fine. It’s always been a stick of salted butter which I typically finish within 2-3 weeks and that’s never caused any problems. I wonder if it being unsalted would really change things that much…
did she just leave it out uncovered? one of those ceramic dish things with a cover seems to keep it out fine.
Not sure. But those dishes definitely aren’t airtight.
I’ve been made fun of for thinking butter tastes/feels off after sitting out on the counter, but it absolutely does. If you want soft butter, take it out like an hour before or soften it with heat and whip it back into a homogeneous mixture. I usually cut a pad and melt it on top of whatever I’m making before spreading it. Anything but leaving it on the counter to go bad…
Cheese is a weird one though. Definitely refrigerate cheese.
They claim cheese needs to “breathe” and apparently that is indeed a thing for some French cheese, but not have it sit unrefrigerated for a few days 😒
Depending on the cheese, breathing just means being exposed to oxygen, you can do that INSIDE the refrigerator if it is clean
Someone tried to convince me to get a heated butter knife. I think I’m seeing their point on it
Can also just heat a regular butter knife over the stove or more ideally in hot water
My SO is a counter butter er. I’ve told her it’s grow but she won’t listen. She gets her own butter now.
My SO does leave butter in a butter dish but only a small amount.
We got a butter bell, which is the best of both worlds. Room temperature butter kept airtight. Lasts 10-14 days, I’d estimate.
I always thought it was OK to leave salted butter out. Been doing it for years never had a problem I can remember. I also don’t eat tons of butter so would guess I’ve left it out longer than two weeks
Today’s salted butter doesn’t have enough salt in it to preserve itself like that.
Back in like Oregon Trail days they would pack butter in enough salt to preserve it for travel, and people got used to the taste (hence why they still make the two types) but today’s butter is just not salty enough.
I think that goes way further back, because Brittany’s butter is traditionally salty. Like, cronchy salty.
Never had a problem with salted butter but mine’s European, dunno how y’all do it.
Interesting thanks for the info. Like I said I haven’t had any issues so far, but now I think ill pay attention to how long it takes me to go through a stick of butter
I also did that for years, with 5 people in the house we went through softened butter fast.
Then as kids grew up and moved out, I realized it was taking WAY longer to go through. I gave up and leave it in the fridge now. Then again, going through it much slower means that I’m buying much nicer quality butter 😁.
I’ve never heard that, but if it works, it works!
It will eventually go rancid. More oxygen getting to it and more heat will speed that up.
This is the first I’ve heard of a butter bell. I’ve been leaving salted butter out for years, but I bought a glass food storage container with a snap on lid that is basically the exact size of a stick of butter. I suppose it’s accomplishing almost the same thing, although a tiny amount of air does get inside especially as the stick is eaten.
Yeah, butter changes color too. Something happens if it turns soft.
I do this with Colby cheese. mmmm, greasy cheese