Butter: store it cold or room temp?

[braumeister]

Yep, Kerrygold butter from Costco is our butter of choice. (Once or twice DH bought home some Kerrygold cheese, but it was gone before the groceries were unpacked.)

Funny story about how we learned about it in the first place.

A number of years ago, DW was at a friend's house and tried some Kerrygold cheese. She really liked it and told me to look for it (I do all the grocery shopping). I accidentally grabbed the butter instead of the cheese, and when we tried it we were blown away by how good it tasted. Nothing else in our house ever since!

 

[Rustic23]

Unopened lb in the freezer
Opened pack in the fridge
Open stick on the counter

 

[meleana]

Fridge

 

[KarenF]

I try to avoid seed oils because they are terrible from a food quality standpoint and buy Irish butter. I keep some in the freezer and a block in the fridge.

 

[isisdave]

Speaking of butter, having lived all my live in the West until recently, I was quite surprised to learn this upon arrival in the Midwest:

The dominant shape east of the Rocky Mountains is the Elgin, or Eastern-pack shape, named for a dairy in Elgin, Illinois. The sticks are 121 millimetres (4.8 in) long and 32 millimetres (1.3 in) wide and are typically sold stacked two by two in elongated cube-shaped boxes.

West of the Rocky Mountains, butter printers standardized on a different shape that is now referred to as the Western-pack shape. These butter sticks are 80 millimetres (3.1 in) long and 38 millimetres (1.5 in) wide and are usually sold with four sticks packed side-by-side in a flat, rectangular box.​

 

[GaryInCO]

Yellow margarine was illegal in Wisconsin until 1967.

I grew up in NE Iowa, an hour from Wisconsin. Once when I was about 7 we went to "the river" (Mississippi) and, on the Iowa side, I saw signs advertising "colored margarine." I was very confused, and asked my mom why anybody would want red or green or blue margarine

 

[Morricol61]

In the fridge.

Living in a warm climate butter will turn to liquid and quickly go rancid, but is quite spreadable within a few minutes if a small amount is cut from the block before use.

 

[ncbill]

Stick butter in the fridge for cooking...too warm a climate here to leave it out on the counter.

Though the cat would approve of that.

We also buy tub butter (also in fridge) for spreadable applications.

 

[MarieIG]

Funny story about how we learned about it in the first place.

A number of years ago, DW was at a friend's house and tried some Kerrygold cheese. She really liked it and told me to look for it (I do all the grocery shopping). I accidentally grabbed the butter instead of the cheese, and when we tried it we were blown away by how good it tasted. Nothing else in our house ever since!

 

[53anddone]

We leave our butter on the counter and it rarely goes a week before we need another stick.

We buy our butter locally which helps with freshness and its a rare day our counter top sees 80 degrees here in VT. Goes without saying its salted - unsalted butter needs to be refrigerated.

 

[Archman]

Ever tasted rancid butter? I keep it in the fridge.

Actually, I don't even use real butter any more. This year I switched to "Ican'tbelieveitsnotbutter". I keep that in the fridge, too.

I like to keep icantbelieveitsbutter on the counter, so I can easily spread it on food. My DW always places it backn the fridge. That aggravates me.

 

[Archman]

Now the next debate

Refrigerate eggs or not.

When I was in France they did not refrigerate them. In the US, I have never seen them not.

When I was young, I remember eggs being in the unrefrigidated aisles of the grocery store.

 

[Philliefan33]

My DD has laying hens, and keeps the unwashed eggs on her countertop. According to her, eggs direct from the hen have some sort of coating that keeps them fresh. Once washed, eggs should be refrigerated. We wash the eggs right before using, otherwise we risk getting extra fiber or other undesirable additives (straw or chicken poop) in our meal.

 

[bloom2708]

I store mine at the grocery store.

Saturated fat (solid at room temp) should be avoided at all arterial costs.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Butter can be whipped together @ about 50:50 or greater with the oil of your choice to make a homemade spreadable tub "better butter".
Canola or similar will give a neutral flavor, seed oil phobes can use avocado or a mild flavored olive oil.
Start with a cube of soft butter and slowly whip in a little of the oil at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
Will also work with most baked goods recipes.
Store in the fridge of course.
P.S. - Whip with a fork for easy clean up.

 

[Sunset]

When I was young, I remember eggs being in the unrefrigidated aisles of the grocery store.

Were you raised in Europe ?

In Europe I saw eggs outside and on the shelves, what I didn't know then, was in Europe they don't wash the eggs when gathered from the chicken like we do here in USA/Canada.

Here we wash off the natural protective coating, and then have to refrigerate the eggs.

Sort of a make work exercise

 

[rk911]

I like to keep icantbelieveitsbutter on the counter, so I can easily spread it on food. My DW always places it backn the fridge. That aggravates me.

we keep it in the fridge. that does not seem to affect the spreadability.

 

[Piper20]

You could water glass the eggs like my grandmother did and they’ll last 12-18 months.

https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/water-glassing-eggs

 

[W2R]

I like to keep icantbelieveitsnotbutter on the counter, so I can easily spread it on food. My DW always places it backn the fridge. That aggravates me.

I keep mine in the fridge too, but it's good to know that some others don't; maybe I'll change my ways one of these days.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

+1 for Kerrygold. They don't sell it in Canada so we need to stock up at Costco when we make a Trader Joe's run.

Kerrygold in a butter bell on the counter, and regular stick butter in the fridge. We hardly ever use the stick butter.

+1 to a butter bell to keep spreadable butter.
The rest of the sticks of butter we use for baking and cooking stays in the fridge.

 

[rk911]

I was curious what the makers of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter had to say regarding refrigeration...

Click For Full-Size Image.

 

[W2R]

I keep mine in the fridge too, but it's good to know that some others don't; maybe I'll change my ways one of these days.

I was curious what the makers of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter had to say regarding refrigeration...

Well, maybe I won't, then! Actually it doesn't really matter much in my case, because my frig is right next to my kitchen countertop peninsula, where I eat. So, I can open my frig and reach the ICBINB (or put it back) without even getting up to do so.

Thanks!

 

[Sanbenito1]

Primarily Americans keep butter in the fridge. My European relatives roll their eyes at habit. I grew up with butter on the counter 24/7, no rancid taste (and I don’t eat butter very often). Keep the next bar in the fridge though

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

 

[Archman]

Were you raised in Europe ?

:

No. Indiana. This was in the sixties.