How long will butter last out of the fridge?

[LyraBelacqua]

I've recently switched to real butter after years using the soft spread stuff but it's so hard and impossible to spread on bread. How long can I expect it to last in a covered butter dish if I don't put it in the fridge?

It lasts AGES. I don't put butter in the fridge except in the height of a hot summer (hardley at all this year).

How about splitting the pack into 2 or 4 portions, and keeping one out of the fridge, rest ion the fridge until you need it.

If it's not in direct sunlight I'd say about a week

We keep ours in a covered butter dish and it keeps fine until it's used up. But we use it quite a lot so it gets used up in 4-5 days. If this is a lot faster than you use it then yo ucould do what my parents do and just cut off a bit to keep in the butter dish and replenish from the fridge as necessary.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of splitting a pack and keeping the rest in the fridge. Think I'll do that.

Right, off to take ds2 to football. I'm going to drive around a bit first so he'll hopefully have a bit of a nap. We're both tired and irritable today.

Oops, posted on wrong thread.
Ignore that last post.

I keep it in the fridge and just put in microwave for 5 seconds when I want to spread it on fragile bread.

also, and i don't know why this should be, organic butter spreads much easier than other stuff if you take it out of the fridge for a few minutes but also separates less quickly if you do leave it out all the time.

I never put butter in the fridge once I've started using it. It's fine if out of direct sunlight

Message withdrawn

Does the terracotta keep it fresher then?

the theory of the unglazed terracotta ones is if you wet the terracotta the water gradually evaporates, keeping the butter cool but not fridge-cold ie still spreadable