To keep spreadable butter in the cupboard

[willywallaby]

Every time MIL comes round she moves the spreadable butter from the cupboard to the fridge and explains that it spreads straight from the fridge, so it needs to be kept in the fridge. Spreadable butter does not spread straight from the fridge though. None of the own brand ones do and Anchor doesn't. I don't know about Lurpak. MIL bakes all her own sourdough so maybe it spreads better on there. And it spreads okay on toast. But making a regular sandwich on supermarket sliced bread is a ridiculous experience with spreadable butter unless it's at room temp. I only keep spreadable butter in the fridge if the weather is hot enough to liquify the butter. Or if MIL has been round and I haven't put things right again.

Lurpak absolutely does. That’s the point of spreadable butter…

Spreadable butter must be kept in the fridge to retain its ability to spread. Once it warms up, if yo7 put it back in the fridge it is no longer is spreadable.
Butter, is so much better. You can leave that out

@willywallaby , I'm 'between fridges' at the moment and have a cold kitchen. Haven't used a fridge for weeks. There's only me though.

We didn't have a fridge when I was a child.

(Might be relevant that I am a vegetarian.)

Yeah but why would I put it back in the fridge? It retains its ability to spread just fine if you leave it out.

Because it goes mouldy.

I'm with you OP, apart from the fact I use lurpak spreadable. It stays out on the worktop, kitchen is cool so hasn't ever melted or went off 🤷🏼‍♀️

My butter has never gone mouldy.

Also has never went mouldy... your kitchens are clearly far too hot!!

It needs to go straight in the bin. Sorry.

Surely the problem here is your MIL's interference. Keep your butter wherever you like, if it's not going off then it's fine. Tell your MIL not to interfere - or get your husband to tell her.

Maybe our fridge is set too cold but spreadable Lurpak doesn't spread straight from the fridge except onto hot toast. On bread it mashes it up as it's too hard.

OP I agree with you. Ours lives on top of the bread bin. It's never once gone mouldy.

I genuinely don’t know anyone who wouldn’t put spreadable butter in the fridge. It’s the whole point of it. 🤮 warm oily butter goop, yum!

My kitchen has no heating. Butter won't go mouldy but spreadable will especially if you let crumbs get in it.

Ok but I don't know what you mean by spreadable butter Vs block butter so I can't give you an opinion.

By "spreadable butter" do you mean stuff you get in plastic tubs like clover or I can't believe it's not butter or something?

Because I've never referred to that as butter (because it's not)

If that is what you mean, then it is supposed to be in the fridge.

If you mean actual butter, a spreadable type made a certain way that I haven't heard of or aren't aware of (very likely as I often hear on Mumsnet everyone seems aware of except me) then yeah, it should stay out of the fridge, because it's butter.

But either way, regardless of what does or doesn't go in the fridge, you are right and she is wrong by default, because she is interfering in stuff that isn't her business and should stop being an interfering old busybody.

So yeah, I voted YANBU but would be grateful for clarification on the butter naming situation

Real butter on the side, Danepak (Lidl brand) in the fridge, spreads just fine

I mean lurpak spreadable and own brand knockoffs thereof. Although I haven't tried actual lurpak, that might spread straight from the fridge. MIL herself used anchor spreadable and I used her tub straight from the fridge to make a pile of sandwiches last week. The bread got SHREDDED.

@Cantheowneroftheredcorsapleasemovetheircar , I agree. The Danpak/Norpak ones are nearly (but not quite) butter. Clover and I Can't Believe Anyone Would Think This Was Butter are 'spreads'.

Oooooh right.

OK, well now I understand, I've never heard it called spreadable butter before. We always refer to it by it's brand name (we buy clover). It stays in the fridge.

We also buy butter which stays out, in the butter dish.

I think the issue is the lurpack/danepack. It really doesn't spread well if kept in the fridge, hence why I never buy it even though I like the taste. Other spreads like clover do spread well from the fridge, so maybe your MIL doesn't know how annoying danepack is.

I can understand why you leave it out, but I think it is meant to be in the fridge.

I do t think you have a butter issue though. I think you have a MIL issue. You can keep your butter in the bloody washing machine if you see fit, it's your house and she needs to keep her nose out.

Yes, exactly. I call them spreads, or by their names.

Exactly. If you want to risk botulism or something equally deadly, then that’s your choice. Tell your MIL to butt out. My MIL rearranges the position of our bathroom towel every time she’s here. I don’t understand people who do stuff like that.

I think it's utterly bizarre.

I'm always surprised to hear that mums and MILs do these things. Mine might tidy up for me or maybe even suggest something she thinks might help, or laugh with me about something "weird" I do good-naturedly but they'd never just rearrange my stuff.

Imagine going to someone else's house and doing that. Very strange behaviour.

There's a conspiracy theory on spreadable butter?
That was not on my bingo card for 2026 😂

Lurpak spreadable here.
It lives in the fridge as any other diary products. It spreads absolutely fine apart from when I do DD’s sandwich on a very thin untoasted homemade bread, than it needs to be out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before.
Your MIL is right 100%

As per PP - normal butter kept on the side is the way to go.

She’s wrong. I buy M&S “softer” butter, the only one I’ve found without added oil or cream, and proper block butter which goes in a butter dish. Both stay out on the counter