I put butter in the fridge, DH wants it on the counter. Who is right?

[MixedFamily]

We don’t have a huge kitchen so it will always be at least 1 mt away from hob or window. Would a butter dish “protect” it enough from it? I have always assumed butter goes in the fridge but he says it doesn’t. What do others do?

Always in a butter dish on the side.

you need one of these @MixedFamily 😊

Agreed! Shall we do chocolate and ketchup whilst we're here? 🤣

Kerrygold (i.e. the kings of butter) used to make a spreadable butter that was sold in a block but I can't find it when I google now.

On the counter in a Lakeland insulated butter dish.

It would definitely melt in our house

Some other process then. Natural butter is hard at fridge temp. But it’s fine on the side and doesn’t go rancid before I can use it (I live alone and don’t use a huge amount). I’ll opt for less processing every single time.

Not the 'spread' type stuff yuk, but the decent stuff made with actual butter and a bit of oil. Also make my own with extra salt occasionally. But both absolutely fine out of the fridge.

I don’t particularly like the idea of it out for days and days, so just put a 1/4 block in the butter dish, you use it quickly enough that it’s not out that long

I bought a butter dish from Le Creuset and unless it’s a heatwave it keeps it well. I hardly ever put it in the fridge. I find we use much less butter when it soft enough to spread.

Is putting it on the counter an English thing because I’m Scottish and I don’t know anybody keeping it on the counter.

On the side in a butter dish.

Butter in the fridge! It can become bad and rancid if not 🤢..

The official food safety answer is fridge but the practical answer is on the side. I can't imagine the food safety risks are that high really given how many people keep it on the side and still live to tell the tale.

Maybe a compromise - slice off a days worth and put it in a butter dish on the side before you go to bed.

Three in our house, so butter pat is definitely out of the fridge. House isn't toasty, so we'll adjust come the warmer weather.

Butter is currently in a terracotta dish/top we can wet to chill in the unlikely event the house gets above 18-20 degrees this side of May.

Buy proper butter and sub-divide it if you must.

This is true, when it’s rock hard you end up having a slab like cheese (rather nice though)

I hate it being left out - it goes that horrible dark yellow colour and has a bad taste. Fridge, always.

Butter in a butter dish with lid on the worksurface. I keep new packets of butter in the fridge, but once opened they’re put in the dish.
impossible to spread otherwise.

On the worktop in covered butter dish.
New pack in fridge whilst eating to be used.

I personally keep it in the fridge as I loathe the taste of soft butter but dh moans it's impossible to spread so I buy him spreadable and I keep my President butter in the fridge.

Fridge, with the caveat that I only use it for cooking. I don't like how the outside goes all yellow when left out. I use spreadable butter for bread.

What does it say on the packet?

Nope. Processed. Just have real butter and keep it on the side.

I’m Welsh.

Out of the fridge. We leave ours out all year round. Have never had rancid butter. You can’t spread butter straight out of the fridge.