Scraping toast in the U.K.

[GorillaMan]

@bordelond

My understanding is that in Great Britain, butter is commonly kept unrefrigerated

In the days of no central heating, this was possible, yes! Ours is certainly in the fridge now. If there’s any true butter in the house at all. But if there is, and you’re going to use it, it’s common sense to take it out early enough for it to be spreadable, isn’t it? (Rushing-out-of-the-house always-late-for-work cases aside.)

[Ximenean]

@bordelond

This is difficult in most American households, as butter is kept in the refrigerator and is thus always rock hard. Attempting to spread cold butter on cold toast ensures that you rip the hell out of your toast. A thin pat – or three – of cold butter on hot toast will melt just so, and yield to spreading.

My understanding is that in Great Britain, butter is commonly kept unrefrigerated … and thus is easy to spread at pretty much all times.

I think it’s more that we tend to use the word “butter” as a vague term for anything you spread on bread. Most people actually “butter” their bread or toast with vegetable oil-based spreads. Actual butter is usually refrigerated and rock hard, just as in the US. Otherwise, it wouldn’t last, would it?

[bordelond]

@GorillaMan

… it’s common sense to take it out early enough for it to be spreadable, isn’t it?

My wife does this occasionally. More usually, we just use the refrigerated margarine-like product, which is formulated to spread well when cold.

[bordelond]

@Usram

I think it’s more that we tend to use the word “butter” as a vague term for anything you spread on bread. Most people actually “butter” their bread or toast with vegetable oil-based spreads.

Same usage as in America. Plenty of people use “butter” as a catch-all term for margarine, Country Crock, Blue Bonnet, Smart Balance, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, etc.

Actual butter is usually refrigerated and rock hard, just as in the US. Otherwise, it wouldn’t last, would it?

:shrug:

Dunno … maybe if it’s salted and covered with something, it’ll keep at room temperature. Maybe not.

What’s done with eggs?

[Ximenean]

Well, I’ve never known anybody not keep butter in the fridge. Eggs are kept in the fridge too. Of course.

[Myglaren]

We don’t refrigerate butter, The high fat and low water content prevent deterioration but it doesn’t last long anyway.
It is butter though and not margarine.

Rarely burn the toast but when I do I go to town and incinerate it completely (gas grill)

[Balthisar]

@Myglaren

We don’t refrigerate butter, The high fat and low water content prevent deterioration but it doesn’t last long anyway.

But it’s still subject to rancidity, which tastes nasty, and is contraindicated for your health. As long as “it doesn’t last long” you’re probably okay, though. You can help control rancidity by using opaque covers, and ensuring that it’s salted butter. I wish I could leave butter out so that it were always soft, but it’d go bad too fast. That “spread” stuff just doesn’t taste the same, so I like to use preserves and jams.

[Koxinga]

@acsenray

I have always been an addict of British television and movies and I have noticed than whenever people are shown eating breakfast, someone is invariable scraping the burnt layer off a piece of toast.

Is this really very common in the United Kingdom? I’ve rarely burnt toast in my life. Don’t the British have access to modern toaster technology?

Back to the OP, I’ve read books set in London some time before WWII, wherein the characters would reminisce about grilling toast over an open grate at school. Actually I remember Roald Dahl writing about how upperclassmen would beat plebes severely for burning toast over an open fire.

So if I had seen the episode, I would have thought it was some kind of coded reference to the misery of British boarding school.

[Mangetout]

@Koxinga

Back to the OP, I’ve read books set in London some time before WWII, wherein the characters would reminisce about grilling toast over an open grate at school. Actually I remember Roald Dahl writing about how upperclassmen would beat plebes severely for burning toast over an open fire.

So if I had seen the episode, I would have thought it was some kind of coded reference to the misery of British boarding school.

My mum hails from (what used to be) a coal mining area in the north of England. I remember spending childhood visits to elderly extended-relatives there fascinated by the coal fires in every hearth.

And there was always a toasting fork - usually just a long, four-pronged thing made from twisted coat hanger wire. Toast cooked in the radiant heat of the glowing embers has a unique crispness and flavour - the flavour isn’t from the coal itself (although the smell of the fire would infuse the room, becoming part of the flavour gestalt) - but rather, from the method of cooking - hot and fast enough to singe the fluffy roughness of the bread, create an even toasted crust, and to leave the inner part of the slice doughy, steaming and soft.

[Rayne_Man]

@Mangetout

My mum hails from (what used to be) a coal mining area in the north of England. I remember spending childhood visits to elderly extended-relatives there fascinated by the coal fires in every hearth.

And there was always a toasting fork - usually just a long, four-pronged thing made from twisted coat hanger wire. Toast cooked in the radiant heat of the glowing embers has a unique crispness and flavour - the flavour isn’t from the coal itself (although the smell of the fire would infuse the room, becoming part of the flavour gestalt) - but rather, from the method of cooking - hot and fast enough to singe the fluffy roughness of the bread, create an even toasted crust, and to leave the inner part of the slice doughy, steaming and soft.

And fantastic with some home-made pork dripping.

[Myglaren]

@Balthisar

But it’s still subject to rancidity, which tastes nasty, and is contraindicated for your health. As long as “it doesn’t last long” you’re probably okay, though. You can help control rancidity by using opaque covers, and ensuring that it’s salted butter. I wish I could leave butter out so that it were always soft, but it’d go bad too fast. That “spread” stuff just doesn’t taste the same, so I like to use preserves and jams.

True, but I haven’t encountered rancid butter in 50 years so we must be doing something right. Probably the rapid turnover. The salt too although I’m not aware of the mechanism that turns it rancid. I don’t think microorganisms are a factor, off implement a little googleology.

[Myglaren]

@Koxinga

Back to the OP, I’ve read books set in London some time before WWII, wherein the characters would reminisce about grilling toast over an open grate at school. Actually I remember Roald Dahl writing about how upperclassmen would beat plebes severely for burning toast over an open fire.

So if I had seen the episode, I would have thought it was some kind of coded reference to the misery of British boarding school.

I’m ancient enough to have regularly partaken in the toasting in front of the coal fire ceremony, even though we had a snazzy gas drill and electric toaster at the time.

[Mk_VII]

It seldom gets hot or humid enough here to really need to keep butter in the fridge, except occasionally in the summer.
We never keep eggs in the fridge. Completely unnecessary.

[Rayne_Man]

@Mk VII

It seldom gets hot or humid enough here to really need to keep butter in the fridge, except occasionally in the summer.
We never keep eggs in the fridge. Completely unnecessary.

We keep are eggs in the fridge but, apart from a few very hot days, the butter sits on the counter-top of our kitchen, and its fine.

[Myglaren]

Rancidity can be defined as “the development of any disagreeable flavors in a fat”. Butter mainly tends to become rancid due to the action of atmospheric oxygen, light, heat, water, metals, enzymes (lipases) and microorganisms. When butter becomes rancid it breaks down into glycerol and fatty acids.

The “rancid” smell is due to the formation of butyric acid (n-Butanoic acid) : CH3CH2CH2-COOH

also

Commercial butter is about 80% butterfat and 15% water; traditionally-made butter may have as little as 65% fat and 30% water. Butterfat consists of many moderate-sized, saturated hydrocarbon chain fatty acids. It is a triglyceride, an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acid groups. Butter becomes rancid when these chains break down into smaller components, like butyric acid and diacetyl. The density of butter is .911 g/cm³, about the same as ice.

As I had presumed, rancidity is not due to the usual rotting process but to chemical breakdown. Still pretty unpleasant from what I remember.

[Boozahol_Squid_P.I]

@chowder

I suppose you insist on soldiers with your soft boiled eggs so you can dip 'em in.

What else is the point of a soft-boiled egg? How else do you get the yolk out? Tip the egg back, after cracking, and bottom’s up?

[Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party]

With a spoon.

[amarone]

@bordelond

This is difficult in most American households, as butter is kept in the refrigerator and is thus always rock hard.

11 seconds on full power in the microwave solves that.

[chowder]

@Rayne Man

And fantastic with some home-made pork dripping.

Slobber, drool, dribble and the like.

Personally I prefer the Olde Fashionede Beefe Drippinge like what me mum used to make and give us after our 18 hour shift down t’pit

[TheLoadedDog]

@chowder

Slobber, drool, dribble and the like.

Personally I prefer the Olde Fashionede Beefe Drippinge like what me mum used to make and give us after our 18 hour shift down t’pit

Yeah. Sure it was cold and had gravel in it, but we ate it, and we liked it!