French butter dish

My cousin gave me a French butter dish--the one that uses water to keep the butter spreadable and fresh. Anyone else use one? And how do you like it?

Larry, I'm glad you posed this question. I've always been curious about those myself...

I always leave butter on the counter so that it's room temp for baking, and have never noticed any freshness degradation, but I've been curious whether there would be a real and noticeable advantage with one of the butter bells. I hope someone here has an informative reply for Larry (and me!).

You might enjoy this site that has some answers: http://www.frenchbutterdish.com/

Gadzooks. Everything has its own URL....

I'd be interested to hear results as well. I leave butter on our counter in a butter dish. I have had no problem with salted butter, but have found that unsalted butter goes off pretty quickly (in a day or two).

I'm such a Luddite....I just take the butter out of the fridge 30-60 minutes ahead of time.
Bill

I previously posted about the butter bell at this location:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5934&p=46297&hilit=butter+bell#p46297

As a follow on to that thread, we are quite pleased with our butter bell. If you don't go through butter at a breakneck clip, and we don't, it works great. Butter stays soft and does not spoil regardless of kitchen temp. We have given them as hostess gifts with confidence they would be useful. If you do use a lot of butter, then spoilage isn't an issue.

I'd be interested to hear results as well. I leave butter on our counter in a butter dish. I have had no problem with salted butter, but have found that unsalted butter goes off pretty quickly (in a day or two).

Take a look at the URL.

I'd be interested to hear results as well. I leave butter on our counter in a butter dish. I have had no problem with salted butter, but have found that unsalted butter goes off pretty quickly (in a day or two).

Our norm is Land o' Lakes unsalted butter, tap water, no additives. Never had butter go bad inside the butter bell. Typically we're at least 5 days if not a week between refills.

I'd be interested to hear results as well. I leave butter on our counter in a butter dish. I have had no problem with salted butter, but have found that unsalted butter goes off pretty quickly (in a day or two).

Take a look at the URL.

That little part of the web site is interesting and confusing. They state you should salt the water if you are storing unsalted or low-salt butter in the French butter dish. Wouldn't that change the butter? Wouldn't the salt in the water leech into the butter via osmosis? Or at a minimum, salt crystals might precipitate out of the water and cling to the surface of the butter? Seems one is gonna end up with salted butter!!!

What do our resident chemists have to say about this?

Our norm is Land o' Lakes unsalted butter

I remember Land o' Lakes butter from when I was a kid! My Mom always wondered why my buddies and I wanted the empty butter cartons.

[Jenise]

Our norm is Land o' Lakes unsalted butter

I remember Land o' Lakes butter from when I was a kid! My Mom always wondered why my buddies and I wanted the empty butter cartons.

And why did you? Are there scantily clad nymphs among the lakes? (Never looked closely.)

Our norm is Land o' Lakes unsalted butter

I remember Land o' Lakes butter from when I was a kid! My Mom always wondered why my buddies and I wanted the empty butter cartons.

And why did you? Are there scantily clad nymphs among the lakes? (Never looked closely.)

IIRC, executing a precise fold on the front panel had that effect!

Our norm is Land o' Lakes unsalted butter

I remember Land o' Lakes butter from when I was a kid! My Mom always wondered why my buddies and I wanted the empty butter cartons.

And why did you? Are there scantily clad nymphs among the lakes? (Never looked closely.)

What Mike said. If you folded the carton in a special way it looked like the woman on the box holding the carton of butter was actually exposing her breasts. Gateway pornography.

Did you girls have a similar sort of entertainment? You know, before the Burt Reynolds Playgirl issue came along and changed your lives?

I'm such a Luddite....I just take the butter out of the fridge 30-60 minutes ahead of time.
Bill

And using the fridge makes you a Luddite how?

I'm such a Luddite....I just take the butter out of the fridge 30-60 minutes ahead of time.
Bill

And using the fridge makes you a Luddite how?

Well, it actually is an icebox not a fridge.

My cousin gave me a French butter dish--the one that uses water to keep the butter spreadable and fresh. Anyone else use one? And how do you like it?

Now I want one, but am not sure I want one enough to spend $25 plus shipping.

Jump over to e-bay. There are several for $10, including a yellow one that's located in Nashville.

Jump over to e-bay. There are several for $10, including a yellow one that's located in Nashville.

Thanks Larry. I got one from Amazon for $7.98 plus tax, and free shipping. Do you leave the butter dish sitting on your table or counter top? I am not too sure of how SWMBO will react to that.

Bob,
You could always put it in the icebox.
Helpful William

Bob, You could always put it in the icebox.
Helpful William

Bill, getting it out of the "icebox" is the reason to have a French butter dish.

Jump over to e-bay. There are several for $10, including a yellow one that's located in Nashville.

Thanks Larry. I got one from Amazon for $7.98 plus tax, and free shipping. Do you leave the butter dish sitting on your table or counter top? I am not too sure of how SWMBO will react to that.

On the table.

Jump over to e-bay. There are several for $10, including a yellow one that's located in Nashville.

Thanks Larry. I got one from Amazon for $7.98 plus tax, and free shipping. Do you leave the butter dish sitting on your table or counter top? I am not too sure of how SWMBO will react to that.

Ours is on the counter, near the toaster. Thats where its needed most often.