# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/81 "2018-09-18T12:45:09Z")
I hate being in France. Well, actually, I hate that France has all these cute cooking gizmos and I want to buy all of them damnit and it’s not as if I have a kitchen the size of Versailles. I guess I need to play Euromillions and just buy a bigger kitchen! But anyway, I use very little butter and I’ve seen these butter knives which are specifically designed to make[thin curls](https://www.tousergo.com/couverts-ergonomiques/3973-couteau-a-beurre-malin--3559380182549.html) from fridge-kept butter. The house I’m staying at has one so I was able to try it and it works great. I am sooooo buying one! ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/82 "2018-09-18T13:24:55Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > 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. The same organizations that issue dire warnings against eating rare steak and over easy eggs? :rolleyes: I’ll continue to keep my butter on the counter. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/83 "2018-09-18T13:33:11Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > What is a person supposed to do who wants to spread butter on his toast? Cut off an appropriate amount and if the butter is not sufficiently plastic (ductile?) you mash/work the butter on your side-plate with your knife a bit. When it is suitably plastic you spread it on your toast. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/84 "2018-09-18T14:06:46Z")
I wonder if perhaps people aren’t paying attention to the expiration date on their butter if it’s going bad in 1-2 days at room temp. Shelf life is 3 months for unsalted, 5 months for salted- _past the date of manufacture._ In my experience, the butter on the shelves is usually a few weeks old to begin with. So if you’re in the crowd that doesn’t have high butter turnover, and your butter is expired or nearly expired, and you leave it out, it’s entirely conceivable that it might taste funky after a day or two (or even just when it warms up enough). But fresh butter? Even in the summer (air-conditioned house) in a kitchen that stays about 74 degrees, salted butter stays fine for about a week or so. The real issue is that the butter is semi-liquid if the temperature gets any higher. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/85 "2018-09-18T16:38:29Z")
We keep a stick of butter out for use and have never had a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/86 "2018-09-18T20:08:32Z")
Slice it thinly and lay it on the warm toast for a while, then spread it. ---
**Author:** ![GuyTanzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@GuyTanzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyTanzer)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/87 "2018-09-18T21:12:44Z")
My brother’s a potter, and he recently started making French butter dishes. Google image search that phrase. It’s an interesting doohickey or maybe even a gizmo. He handed me one he’d made and I had no idea what it was until he explained it. ---
**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, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/88 "2018-09-18T23:03:51Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I wonder if perhaps people aren’t paying attention to the expiration date on their butter if it’s going bad in 1-2 days at room temp. > > Shelf life is 3 months for unsalted, 5 months for salted- _past the date of manufacture._ In my experience, the butter on the shelves is usually a few weeks old to begin with. > > So if you’re in the crowd that doesn’t have high butter turnover, and your butter is expired or nearly expired, and you leave it out, it’s entirely conceivable that it might taste funky after a day or two (or even just when it warms up enough). > > But fresh butter? Even in the summer (air-conditioned house) in a kitchen that stays about 74 degrees, salted butter stays fine for about a week or so. The real issue is that the butter is semi-liquid if the temperature gets any higher. Has anyone complained about their butter going bad in two days at room temp? I said it oxidizes a bit, but i didn’t say it would do that in two days at cool room temp. Just that it would over the lifetime of a stick, which is often a couple of weeks at my house. And i can’t imagine worrying about it getting unsafe, even in a couple of weeks. The rest of my oils, and my palm oil shortening, live fora couple of months at room temp and seem fine. (Except I won’t buy canola oil, which uniquely goes rancid in my house and tastes nasty.) ---
**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 18, 2018, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/89 "2018-09-18T23:16:51Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Slice it thinly and lay it on the warm toast for a while, then spread it. “A while?” Toast doesn’t stay warm that long. I’m not fond of tepid toast. > [@GuyTanzer](#): > > My brother’s a potter, and he recently started making French butter dishes. Google image search that phrase. It’s an interesting doohickey or maybe even a gizmo. He handed me one he’d made and I had no idea what it was until he explained it. Someone suggested those way upthread. Something I’m considering trying. ---
**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 19, 2018, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/90 "2018-09-19T01:24:30Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > “A while?” Toast doesn’t stay warm that long. It does if you use sourdough or rye (or sourdough rye). Hot as the hobs of hell, and stays warm longer. ---
**Author:** ![GuyTanzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@GuyTanzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyTanzer)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2018, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/91 "2018-09-19T02:10:54Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > “A while?” Toast doesn’t stay warm that long. I’m not fond of tepid toast. > > Someone suggested those way upthread. Something I’m considering trying. I searched for the word “French” and it didn’t match. I didn’t check both pages. But if you end up wanting one I’ll be glad to recommend my brother’s pottery 😉 ---
**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 19, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/92 "2018-09-19T02:55:12Z")
> [@GuyTanzer](#): > > I searched for the word “French” and it didn’t match. I didn’t check both pages. butter bell or butter crock ---
**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 19, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288/93 "2018-09-19T03:27:24Z")
> [@blob](#): > > butter bell or butter crock Butter keeper in this case. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/butter/821288.md?page=4)