Stella, May I know how you always have soft butter?

4:55 PM Unknown 0 Comments

Of course you may. This is our vintage butter bell. We store our butter in here. It is able to keep our butter nice and soft and ready for toast and muffins!
We don't store our butter bell in the refrigerator. That way our butter is always at room temperature. (We just keep one stick (half a cup) out, the rest of the butter is stored in the refrigerator.) Before our better bell, I found myself storing butter in the fridge out of habit. (is it weird to you that fridge has a D, while refrigerator doesn't?) If we left the rest of our dairy products (milk, cream, yogurt) out, we would be spoiling them or they start to go rancid. The difference is butter is mostly fat and the higher fat content makes a unsuitable place for bacteria growth. Many types of butter is also made with pasteurized milk, also making the butter less prone to bacteria growth. The FDA and USDA have stated that butter is able to stay safe out of the refrigerator for a couple of days as long as it is covered.
 The left side is the crock. Fill it about halfway with water. The right side is where you place the butter.
 Using room temperature butter to fill the bell is the easiest way to prevent air bubbles.
 Remember air and light is one of the main causes to bacteria growth. So I really smush in the butter.
 We are also using salted butter. The salt is another factor that makes the butter less susceptible to bacteria growth. Also we keep our home under 70°. The cooler temperature allows the butter to be solid and makes a better environment for the butter.
Mister took a torch to smooth out the top. It's not at all necessary, but it does make a smooth surface!
 Slowly tip your butter in. This creates a seal.
Here are some things to remember if you are also planning to store your butter outside your refrigerator: make sure it's covered and kept away from the light (for example, stored with wrapped in the cupboard), salted butter is able to last longer than unsalted ones, and cooler climate areas are better for room-temperature storage. If you are using a butter bell, remember to change the water every couple of days.

I hope that explain why I almost always use the butter bell in my ingredient pictures. We got our butter bell from Ebay, but there are new ones available in cooking stores. Comment below and share how you store your butter!