# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/61 "2018-09-15T02:18:44Z")
And don’t forget the famous Ted Cruz butter meme. “Wow, a cow made of butter. My girls would love it. In fact, the first sentence Caroline ever said was “I like butter”” [http://t.co/TzBZJmVFKT](http://t.co/TzBZJmVFKT) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/62 "2018-09-15T02:45:20Z")
Butter does spoil quite quickly in hot weather, not necessarily to the point of having things growing on it, but it does change its taste and texture in undesirable ways. If some people don’t notice this, it’s still happening - they’ve just accustomed themselves to bad butter. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/63 "2018-09-15T02:59:44Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > Butter does spoil quite quickly in hot weather, not necessarily to the point of having things growing on it, but it does change its taste and texture in undesirable ways. If some people don’t notice this, it’s still happening - they’ve just accustomed themselves to bad butter. Nope, wrong ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/64 "2018-09-15T03:17:48Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Nope, wrong Your location says Chicago; where did you used to live? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/65 "2018-09-15T03:33:02Z")
Butter in the fridge can take on fridge-odor-taste if not covered properly. I don’t see a prob with butter on the counter in an container. Not at My house. My cats would get a lid off anything to lick it. For some weird reason they like butter. Go figure. ---
**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 15, 2018, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/66 "2018-09-15T03:38:44Z")
I tried the cheese grater (see earlier post, bought it yesterday) tonight. It was marginally effective but messy. You have to clean up the grater after every piece of toast. I will not be pursuing that solution any further. I wish the Gadget Guru on America’s Test Kitchen would take on this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/67 "2018-09-15T03:51:15Z")
You used to could buy a butter dish with a slicer thing. You press down and wires cut butter pats. But barring that, you could slice up a whole stick and just put them in a lidded container. Ready to serve pats of butter. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/68 "2018-09-15T04:42:09Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I wish the Gadget Guru on America’s Test Kitchen would take on this issue. There’s a device called a “butter curler” (or at least there used to be). ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/69 "2018-09-15T05:28:51Z")
Have you tried the hot glass trick? Put the butter you want softened on a plate. Rinse a glass in hot water or microwave a glass of water until hot, then pour out the water, upend the glass over the plate and wait a minute or two. Especially with smaller chunks of butter, it is supposed to soften it without melting. ETA: I see someone already mentioned this on the last page. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/70 "2018-09-15T14:24:12Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Is perceived rancidity caused by bacterial growth? I’m talking about an off flavor that interferes with enjoyment of the butter’s taste. I think this is more likely to be about the breakdown of various compounds in the butter due to exposure to light and air and (relative) heat. In other words, oxidation. > > And yes, it has happened in my home, although it can take two or three weeks before I notice. We keep the butter away from light and (as much as feasible) oxygen, but it is certainly room temperature. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yes, I’ve had butter that was lower in quality as a result of being out too long. I never worried it was going to make me sick, but it oxidizes. You can see a line or darker yellow around the exterior, and it tastes, I dunno, less good. I still use it, but I prefer to keep it in the fridge. Maybe if we had an air-tight butter dish it would keep longer. We don’t. Okay, if it takes three weeks or more for you to use up a stick of butter, maybe the solution is to only take out half a stick at a time. Have you tried whipped butter in a tub? Perhaps the tub seals out enough light and air to prevent oxidation. Or you just need to EAT MORE BUTTER so you use it up faster. (This post brought to you by the Butter Churners Association.) > [@blob](#): > > If you leave butter out here in the summer, it isn’t that it spoils, but that it melts. a big soggy melted blob of yuck. Not a problem if you have airconditioning everywhere, but many of us don’t. I’d guesstimate the temperature in my kitchen when it’s really hot to be in the high 20s/ low-mid 30s (celsius). when it’s in the 40s out there, it gets pretty hot in here. Yes, it’s not summer all the time, but it tends to “program” us not to leave anything out of the fridge. Well, yes, if your house gets very warm (over 80 F, 27 C, IME) your butter will get messy. That’s when you need one of those butter bells. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/71 "2018-09-15T18:05:21Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Butter in the fridge can take on fridge-odor-taste if not covered properly. I don’t see a prob with butter on the counter in an container. Not at My house. My cats would get a lid off anything to lick it. For some weird reason they like butter. Go figure. One of my cats adores butter. That’s another reason I don’t like leaving it out – she’ll knock the lid off the butter dish sometimes. But mostly, it keep better in the fridge. > [@commasense](#): > > Okay, if it takes three weeks or more for you to use up a stick of butter, maybe the solution is to only take out half a stick at a time. Have you tried whipped butter in a tub? Perhaps the tub seals out enough light and air to prevent oxidation… Yes, a stick often lasts us a couple of weeks. And yes, I’ve tried whipped butter. It doesn’t taste as good as the butter I get in sticks, perhaps because it’s been processed more. And it’s useless for cooking, because it’s too hard to measure accurately. (I guess I could weigh it.) It does spread easily even when cold, though. I’m quite satisfied with my “cut off little slivers of butter with a sharpish knife” method. Works fine. Also, I don’t like the butter melted into the bread, I feel like I get more of a butter flavor kick when some of it is visibly solid on the surface – like having bits of salt on the surface, you just notice it more. My husband likes it softer, and sometimes leaves it out when he’s using it, but then it’s his job to keep an eye on the cat. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/72 "2018-09-15T20:58:18Z")
For what it is worth, I have long ago switched to Land-O-Lakes half-sticks of butter. Since I’m alone in the house, I don’t churn through butter quite like a family does. But I can usually get through a 1/4 cup half-stick in a reasonable time. Also, since rancidity is in part a result of exposure to light, you can always use a non-transparent cover on your butter dish. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/73 "2018-09-17T13:06:26Z")
If I need to soften some cold butter quickly, I heat up something in the microwave and then put the stick of butter in the microwave. The air temp of the MW will be higher than room temperature. Even a couple cups of hot tap water will do although a little slower. Its not immediate, but within 10-15 minutes, the butter is spreadable. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/74 "2018-09-17T13:09:01Z")
OR you could use [Ghee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee). Once opened, it will store at room temperature for a number of months. ---
**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 17, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/75 "2018-09-17T16:29:53Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > OR you could use [Ghee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee). Once opened, it will store at room temperature for a number of months. Interesting idea. How does the taste compare with ordinary salted table butter? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/76 "2018-09-18T02:36:31Z")
Depends on the brand. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/77 "2018-09-18T06:41:44Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Holy moley what a terribly misinformed page. Unrefrigerated butter goes bad after a day or two? Have these people ever been around butter in their lives??? Misinformed? It’s written by a nutritionist and an award-winning journalist. Their primary cites are > [@](#): > > United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/78 "2018-09-18T08:46:50Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I tried the cheese grater (see earlier post, bought it yesterday) tonight. It was marginally effective but messy. You have to clean up the grater after every piece of toast. I will not be pursuing that solution any further Which grater did you buy? Use a [slim one](http://vizagholidays.co/wp-content/uploads//2018/05/hand-held-grater-get-quotations-a-fine-professional-hand-held-cheese-grater-lemon-heavy-duty-hand-held-electric-grater-hand-held-cheese-graters-reviews.jpg) about the length of a butter knife. Grate a little butter over the toast and toss it in the dishwasher when done. Or just run some very hot water over it. The excess will melt off and it’s clean! The toast will melt the butter quickly. Use only the front tip of the grater and you won’t get a lot of left over butter stuck in it. Been doing it this way for almost 60 years, it works grate! (pun intended;)). Does it really take a [Wisconsin](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7ymxA2Cxt8) boy to teach you folks how to properly put chilled butter on toast? Next I’ll have to explain how we mix it in our coffee. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/79 "2018-09-18T11:55:36Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Interesting idea. How does the taste compare with ordinary salted table butter? I find that ghee tastes different enough that it is not a straight substitute for butter for things like spreading on bread, but YMMV. It has a much “nuttier” taste without the milky creaminess of butter. Or at least that’s how I’d describe it. Anyhow, before I just kept the butter on the counter, I would just use the edge of my butterknife to scrape chilled butter off the top of the stick in little ribbons. I always assumed that’s what those little “teeth” on the knife were for. (They’re not properly deep serrations that you can use to cut stuff like meat, but they are serrated enough that you can scrape off the top of the butter. Of course, the disadvantage of this method is that you end up with a rather odd looking stick of butter after awhile.) I still do this when I forget to restock the butter dish and I need some butter immediately from the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/80 "2018-09-18T12:33:21Z")
This is equivalent to whati do, except i keep the stick tidy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288.md?page=5)