# Do "Butter Keepers" really work, and if so, how?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-butter-keepers-really-work-and-if-so-how/311224>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2005, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-butter-keepers-really-work-and-if-so-how/311224 "2005-07-06T01:43:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-butter-keepers-really-work-and-if-so-how/311224/21 "2005-07-06T18:51:01Z")

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I’m not sure how it happened, but once the butter I had in our keeper developed blue mold. It smelled just like a good gorgonzola. I was almost tempted to taste it. Almost.

The keeper was brokens shortly thereafter, so I was never able to repeat the experiment.

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-butter-keepers-really-work-and-if-so-how/311224/22 "2005-07-06T19:26:29Z")

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> [@GaryM](#):
>
> According to Alton Brown, host of “Good Eats” on the Food Network, butter is 20% water.

True, but it’s in an emulsion, which makes the water unavailable for microbial growth.

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**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-butter-keepers-really-work-and-if-so-how/311224/23 "2005-07-06T20:33:57Z")

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So, are butter dishes in general ant-proof? (I’m assuming that the Butter Bell is ant-proof, since they can’t swim underwater too wel)

Our house has a big problem with ants in the kitchen and bathroom. Little bastards don’t even pay rent. (It’d be nice if I could split $945 a month 6,000,000 ways)

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