# Has your butter become less spreadable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 17, 2021, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088 "2021-02-17T05:12:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/21 "2021-02-21T15:36:41Z")
No. I have never even considered that. If I try it, I’ll let you know how it worked. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/22 "2021-02-21T17:23:12Z")
I keep mine at room temp, which is about 74 during the summer and the winter, and it does _seem_ that the butter has become less spreadable over the last five months. I mean, it seems so enough that I instantly opened this thread to see if there was a reason for it. Now, the butter dish is somewhat close to an exterior window. Placing my hand near the butter dish, it doesn’t seem to be much, if any, temperature difference with room temperature, but maybe a couple degrees can make a big difference in spreadability. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/23 "2021-02-21T18:28:14Z")
The difference in spreadability is not a subtle thing. It is like cream cheese versus cheddar. My house is temperature controlled and it isn’t the few degrees of difference, in my view. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/24 "2021-02-21T18:44:07Z")
Where are you storing your butter, pre-spreading? We find that if we have the butter dish in a kitchen cupboard against the outdoor wall, it’s always hard to spread. We moved it to a kitchen cupboard against an interior wall, and easy-peasy spreading. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/25 "2021-02-21T18:48:03Z")
It’s on the counter, maybe I will try moving it. It’s not particularly close to anything outside. ---
**Author:** ![HughGoply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hughgoply/32/7834_2.png) [@HughGoply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HughGoply)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/26 "2021-02-21T20:23:06Z")
Could you buy a 100% grass-fed butter, instead? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/27 "2021-02-21T21:55:20Z")
Probably buying better butter would be less bitter. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/28 "2021-02-21T23:13:33Z")
Butter is way over-rated in my opinion. Give me a good tub of ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’ and I can be happy. Unless…a recipe clearly states it needs real butter. BTW: don’t buy the huge tub of fake butter. It does pick up other tastes from the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/29 "2021-02-22T01:11:42Z")
I don’t much like the taste of “I can’t believe it’s not butter”. But I **love** the incredulousness. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/30 "2021-02-22T21:08:26Z")
Ah, well, there’s the problem. Your butter bell is like a newborn baby, and it must be treated as such. When you adopt a butter bell baby into your home you must forget about sleeping through the night, taking vacations, “me” time and so on and so forth. If you care for your butter bell baby correctly, you will be rewarded with fresh, soft butter to be proud of and brag to your friends about. …until it runs off with the garlic press. On a more serious note, I find changing the water ~once/week keeps the butter bell mold-free. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2021, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/31 "2021-02-24T22:09:33Z")
Even the BBC is reporting on Buttergate now. > **[Buttergate: Why are Canadians complaining about hard butter?](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56175784)** > > Canadians say that the consistency of local butter has changed. Experts may have found the culprit. (I use canola oil margarine, personally. More money for my farming relatives and less money in the pockets of the Big Dairy cartel.) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/32 "2021-02-24T22:20:32Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > (I use canola oil margarine, personally. More money for my farming relatives and less money in the pockets of the Big Dairy cartel.) I use ghee. Big jar of it on the counter at all times. Quality is primarily dependent on brand. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/33 "2021-02-25T13:02:36Z")
NPR has jumped on the news too. > **[Baffled Canadians Spread Reports Of 'Hard' Butter](https://www.npr.org/2021/02/24/971018428/baffled-canadians-spread-reports-of-hard-butter)** > > Reports spreading about "hard" butter aren't softening Canadians. One intrepid food scholar, Sylvain Charlebois, thinks he's found the "buttergate" culprit: palm oil fats. Oh, Canada . . . Gotta check with my daughter in BC, make sure she’s ok. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/34 "2021-02-25T15:48:30Z")
The Guardian suggested Canadians were _furious_ at the change. That’s a bit dramatic, but I’d prefer my butter to spread than the alternative. I bought some garlic butter which did soften. I might have to resort to the half butter stuff which spreads like margarine. These are tough and unprecedented times. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/35 "2021-02-25T16:26:43Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > That little saltwater “moat” requires constant attention and refilling. Ultimately, the butter in the bell went moldy, while the unwrapped half-stick left lying around the counter was fine. 😠 Thus endeth my use of a butter bell. I’ve never had that problem with the butterbell - but the water can’t touch the butter. ever. if it does, the butter will mold. Cheese grating butter is just a PITA. (I’ll do it for pie crusts, but not worth it for bread.) ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2021, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088/36 "2021-02-26T08:06:46Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > NPR has jumped on the news too. And the New York Times > **[Canadians Try to Solve the Enigma of Hard Butter (Published 2021)](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/world/canada/canada-hard-butter.html)** > > Pandemic inspired baking has helped focus national attention on a burning question: Why does Canadian butter seem so firm? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-butter-become-less-spreadable/933088.md?page=1)