To leave the butter out?

[YeahYesYup]

Was reading some article yesterday about things you didnt know about food and came across one fact that said butter is only ok to be out of the fridge for a few days before the possibiliy that it might go off etc.

I hate butter in the fridge (real butter not marg of course) as it is too hard to spread and i always leave it out on the side wrapped up so none of it is exposed, no matter the weather and depending on whether i use alot or a little sometimes it probably takes me a good month to use it all.

I've never been ill from it (as far as i know!) am i being risky keeping it out of the fridge?? It is mostly me and DD that eats it as DP uses marg and DS doesn't like butter, but i put it in mash potato and other dishes.

It's never looked or tasted dodgy, does everyone keep it in the fridge?

I only keep a day or so worth of butter out when the weather is hot but at this time of year, I put the whole block in the dish.

It's pretty obvious when it's off because it goes rancid.

I have a butter crock with a lid and I have always left butter out, as did my mum. I have never had my butter go rancid aside from 1 time when I went on holiday for 2 weeks and forgot to stick it in the fridge.

Mine is in a butter dish on the side.

We have an Aga so our kitchen is on the toasty side.

@PiggyPlumPie

I cut a chunk out of the block, maybe a quarter max, and put this in the butter dish and leave out.

The rest goes back in the fridge. It's still fairly hard in the dish at the moment tbh.

Yes, that’s what I do. Mind you my kitchen is not much warmer thsn th3 fridge at the moment.

@EBearhug

If I'm baking, I don't often have enough butter out, but 10 minutes in the microwave softens it enough to cream for a cake.

10 minutes! I think you need to get your microwave checked @EBearhug

I find that some of the slightly pricier butters spread better when the kit hen is cold. I've been using the M&S organic.

My butter literally lives on the counter top. The only time it’s gone in the fridge is when there’s a heatwave - and I don’t think I’ve bothered the last couple of years.

I always put two blocks out as it’s a big dish. We go through about 1.5kg-2kg a week depending on whether we’ve done any baking. Have never known rancid butter in my life.

My butter stays out for a while, I just assume that as with other dairy products it's pretty obvious if it's gone off?

10 mins in microwave! Isn’t is just running out the door in a steaming puddle?

Same as above here, cut about 1/3 block and keep out, put the rest back in the fridge. You can obviously cut a bigger or smaller depending on your useage, but I would aim to use it up within a week max

Mine lives out in a butter dish, it takes us weeks to use it. Doesn’t go off and there have no ill effects so won’t be changing that!

you'll know if it goes off, it tastes and smells rancid.
I think if you have a very warm house this may be a problem more quickly.

To me, the reaosn they sell butter dishes is for butter to sit on the side with a lid on.

Here too. Butter in a butter dish on the side , the unused pack stays in the fridge until needed (and annoyingly I always miss time that resulting in me swearing trying to spread it because I took it put as needed )

Dm does the same and they are in their 70's and have always done so.

No one ill but granted my butter never makes it a month.

I keep my giant block of butter out and haven't been ill yet. If the weather's hot, I keep a lump out and put the rest back in the fridge. But I'm in NI so you're talking a couple of weeks a year

Yes we put half a pack of butter in a dish too. Prob there for a week maximum. Never had a problem. My mum has done this too. She's 76.

This time of year in a butter dish in the cupboard. In summer, in the fridge.

(My kitchen is currently 16°)

Doesn't last long enough to worry here . We have a butter dish and the only time it goes in the fridge is mid summer when it's too hot.

@YeahYesYup

A month? We get through a block a week (2 people )

My Great grandmother, Grandma, Mum and I all kept it in the butter dish and on the side. Rarely in fridge unless its ridiculously hot.

Never known butter to go off personally.

I keep butter (as in the kind you buy as a block in paper) out permanently. No problems.

I only leave a bit out at a time as I find it goes off (unsalted though - perhaps that makes a difference).

Rancid butter won't do you any harm anyway. You'd know about it long before you ate enough for it to be an issue; it is not a pleasant taste.

I have never kept butter in the fridge, nor have any of my family. I can only remember one incident of rancid butter and that had been in a boiling caravan. That said, there is no way my butter lasts a month either.

I usually take it out 30-60 mins before using it

My MIL grates rock hard butter onto her toast! It works but I'd rather use clover than wash butter off the grater.

I cut some off and keep it in a butter dish. Even in the height of summer it rarely gets warm enough for the butter to be spreadable at room temperature. Thank you north coast of Ireland weather.

In a lidded butter dish will be fine - my family have done that for the best part of 100 years to no ill effects