Is there a way to whip real butter so that you can keep it in the refrigerator, but it still stays pretty soft? My DH won't eat any brand of margarine (says it's got plastic in it); and where we live is too warm (even in the winter) to keep the butter anywhere, but in the refrigerator and that means it's always hard.
I tried one of those special butter keepers that use icy, cold water in an outer container to keep the butter from spoiling at room temperature, but it didn't work; it's just too warm where we live. I tried whipping the butter with my electric mixer and then putting it back in the fridge, but it was still pretty hard. Do I need to add a little water or oil when I whip it maybe?
Lynn from Chico, CA
Lynn, I only put out what I will use to for the
day, like 2T. at a time. Also if I need more
I just put it in the microwave for a very few
seconds just to soften.
Joyce (04/04/2007)
By Joyce
Take a closer look in the butter section. Where I live they sell a whipped real butter in a little tub that stays soft in the refrigerator. I leave a half stick of regular butter at a time on my covered butter dish on my counter, but I live in Ohio so it is cold what seems like 9 months of the year. (04/04/2007)
By Cindy
I find the best way is to blend the butter with either Canola oil or some lite Olive Oil. This makes it soft enough to be refrigerated, but not hard. You will need to experiment with several amounts to find the right consistency. It really works. Canola won't add too much taste change, but the Olive Oil may. I agree, no one likes the "fake" margarine in my house. And I don't like the "foreign" ingredients. Oh, and I also got one of those butter dishes, but if you don't keep an eye on it, it does go bad. I live in Spokane, WA and it does get quite hot here for a couple of months in the summer. Sometimes reaching over 100 degrees. (04/04/2007)
By Cindy Scinto
I have a butter bowl. You put a little fresh water in the bowl. Then you put a stick of butter in the domed lid. It keeps butter fresh for up to a month without refrigeration. The only thing is that you have to change the water every other day. This is not a problem in my house, as there are six of us plus usually one guest, the butter is usually used by then. (04/04/2007)
I have been mixing my butter with an equal amount of canola oil for a few years now. Not only does it spread cold from the fridge, it cuts the saturated fat calories of butter in half and replaces them with mono and poly unsaturates which are the "good" fats. So it is healthier than margarine "or" butter. I just take half a pound of butter (1 cup) room temperature, and put it in my food processor. Add 1 cup Canola oil and blend until smooth. It will pour at room temperature, so pour it into a container, put a lid on it and store in the fridge. Olive oil will work for this also. I used light olive oil for the first year that I did this, but the nutritional value of Canola and Olive oils are almost identical, so it is more frugal to use Canola
Harlean from AR (04/04/2007)
By Harlean
Most butter contains added salt, which impedes the growth of spoilage bacteria, says John Bruhn, a dairy-foods processing specialist at the University of California at Davis. Today's salted butter, in normal usage, will rarely spoil, even if you leave it unrefrigerated all the time.
Unsalted butter might spoil in about a week, but it contains enough natural salt to slow the growth of bacteria that cause spoiling.
Just thought you would like to know this.
I leave my butter out all the time.
(04/04/2007)
You can make a wonderful butter spread that is spreadable and extends your butter. Use 1 cup warm water, add 1/2 tsp lecithin granules (health food store, becomes the emulsifier) add 1/2 tsp. salt if desired. Then add 1 cup light olive oil. Add one pound butter at room temperature. Beat until creamy and put in 4 small containers. Refrigerate and enjoy. Is spreadable and healthy. (04/04/2007)
By Carol Monson
For a sweet spread on toast, whipped butter and honey is very good and stays soft when refrigerated. (04/04/2007)
By Laura
Add about a tsp or so of canned milk to your margarine or butter and beat with your mixer. Add the canned milk only as needed to get the right consistency. Enjoy your whipped butter.
Lori (04/06/2007)
By Lori
In winter time I mix 1 cup of cooking oil to a 500g brick of butter. In summer only 3/4 cup of cooking oil. It works perfectly. Sometimes I'll use sunflower oil, or canola or even olive oil. My family doesn't like the strong taste of olive oil. I hope it works for you as well. (04/06/2007)
By Gina
I am sorry I can not disclose my name or where I work because we legally can not endorse storing butter at more than 40 deg F. Let's just say, "We know butter". The point about butter being salted is a good one. Salted butter in the USA contains 1.6%-1.7% salt. Salt does reduce bacteria growth and is a good preservative.
Years ago in Europe and Russia, before refrigeration was common, the preferred way to store butter was to put it into a bowl. Then the bowl would be filled with water. Since butter is 80% butterfat it would float. So a stone was placed on top of the lump of butter to hold it under the water. Why? Because oxygen is the enemy of any food product. Keeping the butter under water makes a hydraulic seal that protects the butter flavor from degrading because of the effects of oxidation. Oxygen does change the flavor of butter if it is exposed to air for more than 4 hours. When you need butter out of the bowl, just scoop out what you need from under the water. Remember, butter is mostly fat and it is not going to mix with the water. Change the water every other day to keep it fresh.
A modern counter storage method similar to the bowl of water method can be found at http://www.lehmans.com. Search for "Butter Crock". This is what I use.
Sir Buck
(08/28/2007)
I have tried the butter bowl and the process of putting the butter out prior to serving the meal and I was not satisfied with either process. I solved my problem by using the defrost cycle on my microwave. I made several attempts before I determined the proper time needed to just soften the butter. It only takes about 10 seconds with my microwave. I hate melted butter, but if you test your butter every few seconds until you determine the proper time needed to obtain the desired softness in your microwave. I hope this helps. (01/31/2008)
By Diane
Here is recipe for homemade whipped butter.
Best if whipped with stand mixer with wire whisk to aerate. Mix butter and oil until well blended. Add cold milk and whip on high until aerated and uniform color. (11/09/2008)
By Brad
If you whip your own butter make sure you eat it fast as oxygen in it will make the butter go rancid. They use a special gas when they do commercial butter (nitrogen I believe). (01/07/2009)
By Cerveau
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