# Butter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2018, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288 "2018-09-13T19:13:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/21 "2018-09-13T22:04:12Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > What is a person supposed to do who wants to spread butter on his toast? 1. Keep butter refrigerated. Cut slivers of cold butter and place on bread before toasting it in the toaster oven. It turns out way better than dry toast with butter spread on it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/22 "2018-09-13T22:05:17Z")
Make your own, exactly as much as needed for the toast you’re making, from fresh cream. You keep the cream in the fridge. This may not be an entirely serious answer (I have made my own butter, though) ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/23 "2018-09-13T22:10:30Z")
I take it out of the fridge for about 20 minutes. Then use it. Then back to the fridge. I figure that’s a lot better than just leaving it out all the time. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/24 "2018-09-13T22:24:16Z")
I keep a small amount out in a little butter dish. Refill as necessary. If I don’t have any out, or the house is chilly and the butter won’t spread, I take a knife and run the edge across the surface of the butter three or four times, scraping up enough butter on the edge of the knife for my toast. That warms it enough to make it spreadable. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/25 "2018-09-13T22:39:56Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Get the half butter, half something else, spreadable stuff. Land-o’-lakes makes one, I think. Or get the ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’ stuff. That shit’s good. I am not a purist about butter unless I am baking. I use both of those products and they are both good if you want spreadable butterish substances. They both taste good to my wife and I. We do use stick butter for baking and sautéed dishes though. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/26 "2018-09-13T22:42:11Z")
When I had a toaster oven: put the butter on the toast, then right back in the toaster oven while it’s still hot in there. Now that I don’t have a toaster oven: toast two pieces of bread (or whatever) then put the butter between them and let it melt. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/27 "2018-09-13T22:54:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Get a [butter keeper](https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Andersons-Baking-Earthenware-3-5-Inches/dp/B001A2YQUM). Two questions about this (these are serious questions) How do you get a stick of butter into that round-bottomed container? Also, it talks about putting water somewhere in the dish, where does the water go? For others: no toaster oven. I’ve nearly given up butter and my husband only uses it rarely, and he doesn’t seem to mind what I taste as rancidity. On the rare occasions when I do have butter, I want it to taste good. We live in SF and our in-house temperature is pretty even at around 70 day and night. Damp dishtowel sounds possible, assuming it works. Also only putting out partial sticks is probably a good idea. Maybe both together would work best. Might try the butter keeper too. I don’t think I could persuade my husband to go for the half-butter stuff, just because he can be stubborn sometimes. I suppose I could keep some in the fridge just for me, and he can have the rancid stuff on the counter. Thanks for the ideas. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/28 "2018-09-13T22:59:41Z")
The butter needs to be softened and packed into the keeper. The part with the butter goes butter down into the bowl section that has water in it. That forms an airlock so the fat in the butter can’t oxodize. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/29 "2018-09-13T23:30:40Z")
^^This. There are several models on the market and as far as I can tell, they all work just as well. We love ours. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/30 "2018-09-13T23:44:37Z")
The actual butter is crammed hanging upside-down into the “lid-like” part. The water is in the “main bowl” part. ETA: The butter hangs upside-down, not you. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/31 "2018-09-13T23:56:13Z")
I don’t use butter (or margarine for that matter) as a spread so I don’t care about it’s consistency, per se. I do keep mine in a perty little butter dish so that it’s nice and soft for baking / cooking purposes, however. Far more important is that it is pronounced “But-ter” (or "Butt-er, if you must) but NEVER “Budder”.:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Sloe\_Moe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sloe\_Moe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sloe_Moe)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/32 "2018-09-13T23:58:06Z")
Reminds me I haven’t had toast in a long time. I’ll get back to you. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/33 "2018-09-14T00:01:42Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I don’t use butter (or margarine for that matter) as a spread so I don’t care about it’s consistency, per se. I do keep mine in a perty little butter dish so that it’s nice and soft for baking / cooking purposes, however. > > Far more important is that it is pronounced “But-ter” (or "Butt-er, if you must) but NEVER “Budder”.:mad: It is in fact famously and often (by proper, educated speakers) pronounced the way you apparently don’t like. The “tt” ends up sounding like (for example) the last r in “sombrero” as a Spanish speaker would say that word. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/34 "2018-09-14T01:00:57Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > It is in fact famously and often (by proper, educated speakers) pronounced the way you apparently don’t like. The “tt” ends up sounding like (for example) the last r in “sombrero” as a Spanish speaker would say that word. Not sure if I’m parsing this correctly or perhaps being whooshed (?), but bwhaaaaaa? ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/35 "2018-09-14T01:06:00Z")
Slightly off topic - but it is about butter. Why does the butter in those little “personal serving containers” at restaurants always seem to taste better than the butter I have at home? I’ve tried salted and unsalted, and no matter what, the restaurant butter is better. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/36 "2018-09-14T01:20:56Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > The actual butter is crammed hanging upside-down into the “lid-like” part. The water is in the “main bowl” part. > > ETA: The butter hangs upside-down, not you. 😃 I get that, I think, but how do you get it to stay there and not fall out into the water? It seems like the butter would have to be soft enough to cram in there to start with. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/37 "2018-09-14T01:37:56Z")
I leave mine on the counter, but… I once read that you can use a cheese grater to grate the hard butter onto the warm toast. After finding my butter back in the fridge one morning, I tried this trick. It worked well for me. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/38 "2018-09-14T01:38:26Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I get that, I think, but how do you get it to stay there and not fall out into the water? Because it’s butter, it will stay pretty much where ever you put it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/39 "2018-09-14T01:40:38Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I get that, I think, but how do you get it to stay there and not fall out into the water? It seems like the butter would have to be soft enough to cram in there to start with. Butter is fat, lighter than water. Even if it melts, it will float on the water and stay in the bell. Unless you pull the bell out not knowing it’s melted. Hence the need to change the water if your house gets over 88F. Or stick it in the fridge to cool down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/40 "2018-09-14T01:49:31Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > I leave mine on the counter, but… > > I once read that you can use a cheese grater to grate the hard butter onto the warm toast. After finding my butter back in the fridge one morning, I tried this trick. It worked well for me. Actually, I was in BB&B today and saw a $3 small cheese grater that I thought would be just the right size for this, so I bought it and I’m going to try it at the next opportunity. Next time I have toast, that is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288.md?page=3)