# Will butter soften if set out in your kitchen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676 "2024-12-15T16:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cwturner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Cwturner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cwturner)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/21 "2024-12-15T23:32:52Z")
Dont all fridges have a butter chamber on the door? I used to think that it was warmer than the fridge, so that the butter wasnt hard. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/22 "2024-12-15T23:46:39Z")
The old fashioned way to get a good seal on the butter dish, before silicone, was to put a little groove in the bottom dish where the lid would sit on it, and then fill that groove with water. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/23 "2024-12-15T23:53:11Z")
In a previous thread, perhaps years ago, I learned of [French butter dishes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_butter_dish), which keep butter fresh at room temperature, though I never started to use one. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/FrenchButterDishOpened.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/FrenchButterDishOpened.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/24 "2024-12-16T01:20:32Z")
That’s what we have, a LeCreuset butter bell. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/25 "2024-12-16T01:21:38Z")
I keep butter in a mason jar on the counter. OTOH, I like to sleep cold - 62° - so it’s not really spreadable for breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/26 "2024-12-16T01:24:28Z")
I’m amazed a human could survive the night sleeping in such temperatures. 😉 For sure in the morning your butter would be the consistency of uncooked beef fat surrounding a good steak. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/27 "2024-12-16T01:29:19Z")
The softening of butter may have great significance. > [@](#): > > You will remember, Watson, how the dreadful business of the Abernetty family was first brought to my notice by the depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter upon a hot day.” - Sherlock Holmes, in The Adventure of the Six Napoleons ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/28 "2024-12-16T01:33:25Z")
Any time of day (not just morning) if I want to spread butter on something, I have to microwave it on the lowest setting for 1 min. or more. Otherwise it’s far too hard. We put butter on an uncovered saucer (no cats or ferrets) when it is first unwrapped, and it stays there till replaced. It never goes rancid, and I have never noticed any change in the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/29 "2024-12-16T01:34:12Z")
Yeah, I tried those butter bells. I generally like their artistry and craftmanship (and pottery), but they didn’t really work all that well for me. I tried. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/30 "2024-12-16T02:23:18Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > That’s what we have, a LeCreuset butter bell. I have one of these, and a warning to anyone who wants to buy one, you have the change the water every few days or it goes bad. It’s a little high maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/31 "2024-12-16T11:43:24Z")
This. All of it. Yea, even unto the unmelted butter and marmite. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/32 "2024-12-16T12:01:39Z")
As a brit here, this doesn’t surprise me at all. British houses generally have terrible insulation considering how cold the country is, and right now some of the highest energy prices in Europe. For these reasons many people’s homes are quite cold. In terms of hard butter though, I would think it’s not so much that the kitchen is always that cold (despite what the friend said) but every \*morning\*, when you’re most inclined to have some toast, the butter has had all night to harden. Especially if that person closes the door to the kitchen overnight and the room doesn’t have it’s own heating. Therefore just keeping the butter in a suitable container would be sufficient to keep it soft. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2024, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/33 "2024-12-16T12:43:28Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Am I the only one who thinks that butter for bread should not be too spreadable? Butter in Europe seems to sometimes have something added so that it is spreadable even right out of the fridge. I don’t like it, I prefer my butter on my bread to have some texture. No, i also like my butter to have some texture. I feel like i get more of a butter hit if there are small bits of solid butter melting on my tongue than if it’s already molten. > [@carrps](#): > > Maybe I’m hypersensitive, but butter kept at room temperature tastes less good (not really bad, per se) to me. I love butter. Depends how long it’s been out, but it oxidizes a bit, and loses a bit of freshness. I mostly use butter to cook, though, and not to spread. When you butter your toast every morning, maybe it makes sense to keep some at room temp. I cook with butter most of the days I cook at all, but I might butter a slice of something every other week. So of course i don’t leave butter on the counter to get stale. But i really do prefer my butter with some texture. When i make toast, i always set it aside to cool a bit before i butter it, to prevent the butter from just melting. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/34 "2024-12-16T14:47:20Z")
I have had various types of butter dishes in the past, but it’s just not feasible with cats. They smell it and pry it open or break the dish. So I’ll cut a bit off the stick and let it come to room temp hidden in a kitchen cabinet. > [@Mijin](#): > > As a brit here, this doesn’t surprise me at all. British houses generally have terrible insulation considering how cold the country is, and right now some of the highest energy prices in Europe. > For these reasons many people’s homes are quite cold. Interesting - based on this and a couple of other replies, it does sound like it’s not uncommon for this to happen in certain regions. But I’ve also never lived in a home where the kitchen wasn’t heated, although I’m not sure if that may be more common in some older American homes. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > 78F in the kitchen year-round. Good grief man, what is _wrong_ with you? (Kidding… only not…) ---
**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:** [December 16, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/35 "2024-12-16T14:59:09Z")
I think we determined in a previous thread that LSLGuy is actually a lizard, and does best under heat lamps. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/36 "2024-12-16T15:00:11Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > Any time of day (not just morning) if I want to spread butter on something, I have to microwave it on the lowest setting for 1 min. or more. Otherwise it’s far too hard. If I want to _pour_ butter over something I put it in the microwave (regular setting) for _less_ than a minute ---
**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:** [December 16, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/37 "2024-12-16T17:20:11Z")
Our butter (&eggs) is kept at room temperature. It is spreadable in the winter. During extreme hot weather it becomes too soft and retreats to the refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/38 "2024-12-16T17:46:43Z")
> [@chela](#): > > It might soften a bit in my 64ferrets kitchen but the cat TBone butterface will scope it out. _ **64 Ferrets’ Kitchen** _ _ **T-Bone Butterface** _ These are band names. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/39 "2024-12-16T18:55:36Z")
If I ever get another ferret, I will for sure name him, TBone butterface. However, having owned a ferret in the past, I can assure you that 64 is way too many (in a kitchen or anywhere else) and would be quite unmanageable. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676/40 "2024-12-16T18:58:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Butter keeps far better at room temp than people think it will. Doubly so in a container that keeps the air mostly out. We keep our butter on the counter as God intended because I want to spread it easily on bread. My mother-in-law kept putting the butter in the refrigerator every time we turned our backs on her. Salted butter is perfectly fine at room temperature for awhile. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-butter-soften-if-set-out-in-your-kitchen/1011676.md?page=3)