To ask how you keep your real butter useable?

[SpudsandGravy]

Hello all,

Following on from the yummy food worth paying extra for thread, how do those who use it keep 'real' i.e. block butter (not spreadable versions) usable? I always have some in a butter dish and I keep it out of the fridge, but for large parts of the year I can't use it for sandwiches etc.

What am I missing?

A few seconds on defrost in the microwave.

I don't know however we do cut bits off and put int the meecro-waaaavey for about 3 to 4 secs....

I do exactly the same as you

I hear you. When I need to use it for spreading in the winter I put a chunk in the microwave for five second bursts till its soft enough. I have on occasion ended up with liquid though so you need to keep an eye.

I just slice thin bits off.

I put a slice in the microwave for about 10 seconds when it's solid even at room temperature

We leave it out...it’s so cold in my kitchen it doesn’t go off.

Thanks all. When I put it in the MW I've found that it develops a soft/liquid hole in the middle, and when it solidifies again it's not the same. I'll try m/waving smaller pieces, though.

Insulated butter dish from Lakeland. It’s on the counter all day and night - we don’t need to put it in the fridge except in high summer.

We leave ours out in the dish, i squish it against the plate with my knife to soften it up a bit first.

I use a butter curler, put a few on a plate at room temp and they're soft enough to use in a couple of minutes

Friend cuts hers into slices and keeps slices in butter dish

We always keep it out and when it's too cold to spread, just sort of dab thin bits onto the bread, like you do with Marmite. Not ideal except when it melts straight away onto toast. Might try microwaving it.

I just use M+S softer butter or President Softer butter, which is just butter whipped with water/milk rather then evil oil. So it is just slighter watery-er butter but you don't notice that unless baking. Spreads from fridge.

Only use it on hot food. Butter in a sandwich is a waste!

I cute off a few bits into a ramekin (those ones from Gu) and microwave for 10 seconds. Makes it soft enough to spread, but not melt. That much will last 2-3 days so I just leave it on the side.

Cut it like cheese

Ours is in a butter dish on the counter. I only keep it in the fridge before it goes in the butter dish. I've never had any go off.

You could "work it" with a knife on the side of your plate before you try to spread it: it's what we do (no microwave here and a cold house).

Or eat toast where it's less of a problem

Curl off bits with a steak knife

@Bargebill19

Only use it on hot food. Butter in a sandwich is a waste!

Nooooooooo....😱😱😱 Makes the toast soggy

(If it doesn’t for you, what am I doing wrong with all those soft butter spreads?)

I only really use butter on toast. When the toast pops I stick my knife between the two slices (on the plate! Not in the toaster! ) for a few seconds then it melts the butter as I scrape.

Cut slices that are so thin it could be mistaken for filo pastry. That's how you get real butter on bread.

Sorry barge bill...fat fingers

That was meant for party at the palace and her spread buttery thing

More reliable than a microwave is to soften the butter by covering it with a hot mug or small bowl for a couple of minutes. You can heat the mug or bowl by filling it with boiling water. Pour the water out when the mug feels hot to the touch and upturn the mug over the butter straight away. By the time you've got the rest of your stuff ready the mug has cooled and the butter has softened. It works best if the butter is on a plate, rather than inside a deep butter dish.