the water acts as a seal and will help keep your butter from going rancid much longer than leaving it out in the open.
The water creates an airtight seal that keeps oxygen away from the butter (oxygen is what turns butter rancid). In the bell shaped lid your butter will stay soft and fresh!
The water helps to create a seal that keeps oxygen from getting to the butter (oxygen is what makes the butter go rancid). Some French Butter Crocks even have a water fill line.
Pop the bell into the crock and the water level will rise around the bell, sealing it off and keeping it cool. Change the water every two to four days to keep things fresh.
The water creates an airtight seal that preserves the freshness of the butter while keeping it at room temperature. The secret to keeping your butter fresh and spreadably soft is to keep a butter crock on your counter.
The cup containing butter is placed into the base, where water creates an airtight seal that keeps the air (and thus oxygen) away from the butter so that refrigeration is not needed, and the butter can be used in its soft form.
A butter dish is a traditional choice, but an airtight container is even better, and a French butter dish, also known as a ceramic butter crock or French butter keeper can keep butter fresh at room temperature for approximately one month.
According to the USDA, butter is safe at room temperature. But if it's left out for several days at room temperature, it can turn rancid causing off flavors. The USDA does not recommend leaving it out more than one to two days. As such, Chad Galer, VP of Product Science and Food Safety at Dairy Management Inc.
Culturing is a process most commonly used in France, which means that the cream from the milk is left to ferment before it is churned. By introducing bacteria to the cream, the sugars are converted to lactic acid, giving it a sourer and 'buttery' taste. This culturing is what makes French butter so irresistible.
The major difference between a butter dish and a butter crock is that a butter crock uses water to seal off the bottom of the butter from the air, keeping it fresh for longer than butter exposed in a butter dish.
The butter crock, also known as a butter bell or butter keeper, is a two-piece contraption that keeps butter fresh on the counter for up to 30 days. The butter goes in the “bell,” which you place in the water-filled crock.
What keeps the butter fresh is a small amount of water in the crock, just enough to touch the lip of the lid to seal it from air circulation. In most climates, water is enough to keep the butter fresh, but if the temperature is hot enough to melt butter, chipped ice can be added to the water.
A french butter keeper is a lidded vessel used to keep your butter fresh and at a perfect spreadable consistency outside of the refrigerator. It is a two part design that originated in the 19th century: a base that holds water, and a lid with a cavity for holding butter. Shop our butter keepers.
The churning process is slightly different than here in the US, resulting in a creamier consistency. Many butter producers insist on exclusively grass-fed cows, which contributes to the richness in flavor and the deeper yellow color (this is natural, they do not add coloring).
Why Is Irish Butter Yellow? The moist climate in Ireland creates fertile soil and extra-green grass, which results in higher levels of beta-carotene. In turn, this adds an even brighter yellow hue to the Irish cow's milk. Grass-fed cows absorb beta-carotene through their diet and store it in their fat.
A butter dish is essential if you want to keep your butter fresh for a longer time as well as ensure its softness so that it can be spread easily. In early ages, when there were no refrigerators, people used to keep the butter in earthenware pots which were sometimes immersed in water.
Yes, butter is a dairy product, and dairy products degrade when left out at room temperature, but butter is at least 80 percent fat and has a much lower water content than other dairy, which makes for a product that's much less susceptible to bacterial growth.
Sure. But that shouldn't keep you from having spreadable butter on hand at all times. Meanwhile, in the fridge, it can last as long as your box tells you—usually four months in its original packaging. In the freezer, about a year, but it depends if your freezer turns things to weird, dry crystals like mine does.
So the short answer is: PLEASE DO NOT REFRIGERATE YOUR BUTTER.
Crafted from the finest quality stoneware in our iconic colors, the butter dish can go from refrigerator to microwave to table and is finished with a vibrant glaze which is easy to clean, dishwasher-safe, and resistant to chips, scratches and stains.
Then it's time to chuck it and start with a fresh stick." Counter butter should always be stored in an airtight container, rather than left uncovered on a butter dish. Generally speaking, the butter will last on the counter for a few days.
Come to find out, the butter bell, or keeper or crock (here are a few other names: the french butter pot, the beurrier Breton, beurrier Normand, pot à beurre Breton and the beurrier à l'eau), originated in France.