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?

We just leave it out in the butter dish, if it’s very cold I just slice it very thinly and put it on hot toast until it melts a little then it’s spreadable, I’ll be honest in the winter on normal bread it’s cobs of butter...

In a butter dish. Ping a little bit in a microwaveable dish for spreading on sandwiches in winter, and refrigerate in the dish for half an hour etc if too warm in summer.

I’d never eat margarine now!

I use an insulated butter dish and keep it out of the fridge.

Also eat it really quickly so it never gets a chance to go off! Mmmm...real butter.

We keep ours in the microwave which seems to keep it spreadable, not sure how! We don't heat it in the microwave, we simply keep it there when it's not in use.

In summer I only put out about 1/4 Of a block at once. The rest of the time the counter above our fridge is warmer than the rest of the kitchen. In full on winter I just use thin slices.

In the fridge. I just slice it off the block. I do like some bread with my butter though!

I just leave it out, doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Some very good ideas here, thanks all! I'll definitely be trying them out.

No butter on a sandwich, btw? OMG, no... I don't want to eat sandwiches without it!

Insulated Lakeland metal butter dish kept in the bread bin year round.

I always have it out but I just kind of scrape at the top so you only get thin smears so it spreads OK. Admittedly it doesn't work that well on fresh bread, but just very thin slivers can be "placed" on the bread.

My 800kW microwave has a 10% setting. 35 seconds on 10% is just right for getting a lump of about a quarter of a packet to spreading consistency.

I can't stand fake butters or butter-like spreads. I only have butter very occasionally as it is so high cal but I would rather have nothing on my bread most of the time and butter as an occasional treat rather than stomach anything less than the real thing.

What's wrong with spreadable butter? I use it (100% butter) and it's fabulous - spreads right out of the fridge, and if you leave it out for a minute or two it's really soft. Love it, no more faffing around with trying to use non-spreadable.

Another benefit of an Aga

Kerrygold is softer (unless your kitchen is particularly cold). Think it's supposed to be because the cows are grass fed. We thought it was just advertising, but it does actually seem to be a lot softer!

Microwave for 7 seconds in this weather. This is the precise time to be spreadable and not runny. Years of practice.

@eaglejulesk

What's wrong with spreadable butter? I use it (100% butter) and it's fabulous - spreads right out of the fridge, and if you leave it out for a minute or two it's really soft. Love it, no more faffing around with trying to use non-spreadable.

I'm intrigued I've never seen a 100% butter that's spreadable?!

I'm intrigued I've never seen a 100% butter that's spreadable?!

Sorry - should have mentioned I'm in NZ.

@Imaginetoday @schmockdown

Only two I've found that are just butter are MnS softer butter and President, they are whipped I think, and the air keeps them softer - and spread from fridge. Nothing like the crappy ones with oil in.

Love em.

I keep it in a butter dish with a lid on the side

I keep butter in a bowl in the cupboard - about 1/5 - 1/4 pack at a time. Only keep it in the fridge during the hottest summer days. Never had a problem. Why wouldn't you leave it out? What butter mysteries am I missing here?

I just abandon it for the winter and use the spreadable lurpak that goes in the fridge.

When it warms up a bit I go back to proper butter

I have Kerry Gold and keep it in a butter dish out on the work top. Never a problem
That's it's not refrigerated. Prob gets eaten in 3-4 days.

Top tip - real butter for almost everything but / Flora Buttery for sandwiches - it's AMAZING.

I keep my butter in a dish on the kitchen counter and never had a issue with it
It's always perfect for spreading and has never gone off.