Mine’s first in the freezer and then in the fridge as I need it. I don’t use enough butter to keep it good in the fridge let alone on the counter.
Grandma kept hers on the counter, though, and we never keeled over from the dreaded “Butter Poisoning” 
In my pants.
TMI?
I’m starting to understand your username now 
I usually leave my butter in the fridge.
OK you know the butter margerine spread stuff that comes in a big tub? Well, it’s pretty soft. My friend’s mom leaves the WHOLE tub out on the counter and it’s basiclly liquid the whole time. And it takes a LONG time to use up a tub like that, at least 2-3 weeks.
Like Oxy count me in as another butter jar user. If you’re going to leave the stuff sitting out this is really the only way to go. You have no idea how much the taste of butter is affected by air exposure until you’ve tasted the difference between jarred and dished butter.
ROFLLE!
I think it must be due to brand, but I keep my butter in the fridge, and it rarely goes unspreadably hard. It’s actually really nice stuff.
It may also be caused by the ungodly warm temperatures of this crazy city (of which I am a recently resident member).
Ok, I confess. I don’t keep butter in the house because it takes up space that could hold liquor.
In my fridge there is a butter holder tray, under it there is a butter conditioner setting which is now set to medium. I opened the tray and right now film is being stored there. So I guess I would store the butter in the fridge when we have it. But I’m partial to the tub of spreadable margerine now since I dont use much of it.
Best answer I’ve seen this whole thread!
Butter, butter, butter, butter, butter, butter, butter, butter, butter, butter, butter
Ok, I feel better now…sorry
Butter goes in a covered container on the counter. I hate using hard butter, not only to spread, but to cook with. The only exception is during the summer, where I might have to choose hard butter over incredibly cold butter.
I mean people, stop being so paranoid about everything! One of the nifty things about people making butter is that it does last longer than milk. And if you buy salted butter, even better.
Though, my roommates do give me odd looks when I put butter on the counter, but syrup, ketchup, and peanut butter in the fridge.
Umm, why do you put shelf-stable things like syrup and peanut butter in the fridge?
I never realized there were so many people who leave their butter/margerine out all the time. I mean, it’s usually on the counter at our house, but that’s because we’re usually too lazy to put it back in the fridge where it belongs right away.
I put syrup in the fridge to avoid attracting ants. (I even had to throw out my Nad’s brand hair removal “sugaring” kit after the small drips and remaining blobs of sugar on the packaging, cloth, etc. attracted some to my bathroom.) I know that many people who live in warm climes put their peanut butter in the fridge to keep it from “melting” in the heat. I also suspect that peanut butter may be refridgerated, like certain oils, nuts, etc., as it may go rancid if left out for too many months. (I’m not certain if peanut butter would have enough preservatives in it to avoid that, or not.)
Although I grew up with the butter in the butter dish on the counter, I couldn’t do it here in FL because it would be soup in a matter of minutes. Bleh!!!
Since the development of pasteurized milk in dairy products, the likelyhood of food poisoning from butter has decreased enormously. But, the possibility of becoming ill due to eating tainted butter is still present. It is a byproduct of animal fat and will spoil if not properly stored. Butter can become host to a large variety of bacteria. The most common symptom of “butter poisoning” would be a stomach-ache, diarreah, and other similar ailments associated with food poisoning. These can be mild or severe. As many of you know, food poisoning can be fatal, depending on the bacteria.
E-coli has been found to contaminate butter, this is not very common since the pasteurization of milk, but it is still a possibility.
So, the next time you have a bad case of indigestion, feel sick at your stomach or even a case of diarreah that makes no sense, remember where you store YOUR butter.
Don’t you have air conditioning? Where in Florida are you? Here in SoFla it’s the Land of the Arctic Blasts. No problem with stuff melting.