I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

On 18/04/2011 5:16 PM, wrote:
> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

We tried one. It was a short experiment.

On Apr 18, 2:16 pm, wrote:
> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

They are a solution in search of a problem, imho. You want soft
butter for spreading on bread/rolls? Then take the butter out of the
fridge when you start fixing dinner. How hard is that? Safe? Of
course it's safe. It takes a very long time for butter to go
rancid. -aem

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:16:54 -0400, wrote:

>I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
>butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
>butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
>butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
>butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

They work. You do have to change the water every couple of days, and
pay attention to the water level.

We found the water on the lip of the bell to be a minor inconvenience
to deal with at times in using the butter, so we ditched ours.

For cooking, I use ghee almost exclusively, and keep a large jar in
the cabinet closest to the stove, so the butter bell didn't help much.

-- Larry

On Apr 18, 2:37*pm, aem > wrote:
> On Apr 18, 2:16 pm, wrote:
>
> > I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
> > butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
> > butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> > butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
> > butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.
>
> They are a solution in search of a problem, imho. *You want soft
> butter for spreading on bread/rolls? *Then take the butter out of the
> fridge when you start fixing dinner. *How hard is that? * Safe? *Of
> course it's safe. *It takes a very long time for butter to go
> rancid. * *-aem

We go through butter so fast that it's always on the table in a butter
dish.

On 2011-04-18, aem > wrote:

> They are a solution in search of a problem, imho.

Strikes me as one of those gimmicks like dosing sugar jars, the one's
with the tube you're forever refilling before they're empty.

nb

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:37:51 -0700 (PDT), aem > wrote:

>On Apr 18, 2:16 pm, wrote:
>> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
>> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
>> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
>> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
>> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.
>
>They are a solution in search of a problem, imho. You want soft
>butter for spreading on bread/rolls? Then take the butter out of the
>fridge when you start fixing dinner. How hard is that? Safe? Of
>course it's safe. It takes a very long time for butter to go
>rancid. -aem

How long DOES it take for butter to go rancid/unuseable without refrigeration?

On Apr 18, 3:10*pm, wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:37:51 -0700 (PDT), aem > wrote:
> >On Apr 18, 2:16 pm, wrote:
> >> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
> >> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
> >> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> >> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
> >> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.
>
> >They are a solution in search of a problem, imho. *You want soft
> >butter for spreading on bread/rolls? *Then take the butter out of the
> >fridge when you start fixing dinner. *How hard is that? * Safe? *Of
> >course it's safe. *It takes a very long time for butter to go
> >rancid. * *-aem
>
> How long DOES it take for butter to go rancid/unuseable without refrigeration?

Plenty of info he
http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question104125.html

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:10:17 -0400, wrote:

>On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:37:51 -0700 (PDT), aem > wrote:
>
>>On Apr 18, 2:16 pm, wrote:
>>> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
>>> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
>>> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
>>> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
>>> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.
>>
>>They are a solution in search of a problem, imho. You want soft
>>butter for spreading on bread/rolls? Then take the butter out of the
>>fridge when you start fixing dinner. How hard is that? Safe? Of
>>course it's safe. It takes a very long time for butter to go
>>rancid. -aem
>
>How long DOES it take for butter to go rancid/unuseable without refrigeration?

2 weeks? I can't remember when the last time I had a stick go bad.
[1976?] We refrigerate until it hits the dish-- then it sits on the
table in a covered dish. A stick rarely lasts a week.

If I lived in GA with no a/c maybe I'd have to refrigerate it.

Jim

On Apr 18, 5:40*pm, wrote:
>
> They work. You do have to change the water every couple of days, and
> pay attention to the water level.
>
> We found the water on the lip of the bell to be a minor inconvenience
> to deal with at times in using the butter, so we ditched ours.
>
>
What's the purpose of the water? What happens if the water level is
too low?
I was never tempted to get one - I figured one more thing to spend
for, clean, take up counterspace, drop and break, check water level.
KISS.

Andy wrote:
>
> I bought a butter bell on a visit to Fantés (www.fantes.com) in South
> Philly, PA's Italian market out of interest expressed by other rfc
> members in various related threads. I never did use it, being in deep
> "fat-reducing" mode. I threw it away.
>
> I could see the novelty in them but also the awkwardness in actually
> using them.

Good point. You have to reshape and mash the butter
to load it into the butter bell. They'd probably be
a lot more popular if they accepted an unmodified
standard cube of butter (of which there are two types
in North America). A square or rectangular butter bell
makes much more sense.

Kalmia wrote:
>
> What's the purpose of the water? What happens if the water level is
> too low?

It keeps air away from the butter. Oxygen from
the air causes rancidity.

Of course, frequent water changes are necessary
because of the bugs that can live in water.

Andy wrote:
>
> And how an upsidedown bell full of butter didn't simply slip out and
> into the water upon removal? It's grease, not Elmer's Glue!!!

Suction. If the air can't get past the butter cube,
it won't fall out.

On 18 Apr 2011 22:02:03 GMT, notbob > arranged
random neurons and said:

>On 2011-04-18, aem > wrote:
>
>> They are a solution in search of a problem, imho.
>
>Strikes me as one of those gimmicks like dosing sugar jars, the one's
>with the tube you're forever refilling before they're empty.

We've used a butter bell for years. Minimal fuss. Just change the
water in the bell every two or three days. We just like having the
butter soft and ready to use, but there's only two of us. If we kept
it out in a butter dish, it might go rancid and it would for sure look
messier than being kept in the bell. YMMV, but it works for us.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

To reply, remove "spambot" and replace it with "cox"

On Apr 18, 4:40*pm, Chemo the Clown > wrote:
>
>
> We go through butter so fast that it's always on the table in a butter
> dish.

>
>
Same here.

On Apr 18, 9:05*pm, Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:
>
> We've used a butter bell for years. Minimal fuss. Just change the
> water in the bell every two or three days. We just like having the
> butter soft and ready to use, but there's only two of us. If we kept
> it out in a butter dish, it might go rancid and it would for sure look
> messier than being kept in the bell. YMMV, but it works for us.
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
>
>
>

There's only me here and I can guarnatee butter will not go rancid for
many, m-a-n-y days. Mine stays in a regular plastic butter dish on
the counter 365 days a year and haven't encountered 'off' butter yet.
Sometimes I can go through a stick in a day or so or it might take me
7 or 8 days to finish off a stick.

In article >,
wrote:

> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate
> the
> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread
> ripping
> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one?
> Thanks.

I had bad luck with a Norpro butter bell - mold, in spite of changing
the water daily.

Now all I do is cut about 3 tablespoons of butter from the stick to be
kept on a dish at room temp. It lasts maybe a couple days, depending on
what I'm using it for.
--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew; sometimes in a pickle."
Pepparkakor particulars posted 11-29-2010;
http://web.me.com/barbschaller

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:02:03 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

>> They work. You do have to change the water every couple of days, and
>> pay attention to the water level.
>>
>> We found the water on the lip of the bell to be a minor inconvenience
>> to deal with at times in using the butter, so we ditched ours.
>>
>What's the purpose of the water? What happens if the water level is
>too low?

To minimize the volume of air that comes in contact with the butter.
The lower the water level, the more air trapped in the bell. If the
water drops too low, the bell isn't sealed off at all.

-- Larry

ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
>
> Sometimes I can go through a stick in a day or so or it might take me
> 7 or 8 days to finish off a stick.

A stick in a day! That's about what I would eat
if I decided to commit suicide by eating.

On Apr 18, 10:57*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
>
> > Sometimes I can go through a stick in a day or so or it might take me
> > 7 or 8 days to finish off a stick.
>
> A stick in a day! *That's about what I would eat
> if I decided to commit suicide by eating.

>
>
It's not often but does happen.

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:57:21 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

> ItsJoanNotJoann wrote:
> >
> > Sometimes I can go through a stick in a day or so or it might take me
> > 7 or 8 days to finish off a stick.
>
> A stick in a day! That's about what I would eat
> if I decided to commit suicide by eating.

She probably make a pie crust.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:23:09 -0700 (PDT), ItsJoanNotJoann
> wrote:

> On Apr 18, 4:40*pm, Chemo the Clown > wrote:
> >
> >
> > We go through butter so fast that it's always on the table in a butter
> > dish.
>
> >
> >
> Same here.

My house is constantly at war. "He" doesn't think it should be left
out... but "he" uses a soft butter now so his is soft all the time. I
still use regular butter and I'd like it to be out on the counter.
Unfortunately, we end up playing "keep it out of the refrigerator-or
not".

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Apr 18, 4:16*pm, wrote:
> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

What would be unsafe about it? I leave my butter out on the counter
in a covered cheapo plastic dish - it's used every day, so it never
goes rancid.

You would never eat rancid butter by mistake. Stop stressing over it.

N.

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
...
On Apr 18, 4:16 pm, wrote:
> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you
> put
> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate
> the
> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread
> ripping
> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one?
> Thanks.

What would be unsafe about it? I leave my butter out on the counter
in a covered cheapo plastic dish - it's used every day, so it never
goes rancid.

===========

Same here.

Cheri

On Apr 18, 7:30*pm, Andy > wrote:
> Mark Thorson > wrote:
> > Andy wrote:
>
> >> I bought a butter bell on a visit to Fant s (www.fantes.com) in South
> >> Philly, PA's Italian market out of interest expressed by other rfc
> >> members in various related threads. I never did use it, being in deep
> >> "fat-reducing" mode. I threw it away.
>
> >> I could see the novelty in them but also the awkwardness in actually
> >> using them.
>
> > Good point. *You have to reshape and mash the butter
> > to load it into the butter bell. *They'd probably be
> > a lot more popular if they accepted an unmodified
> > standard cube of butter (of which there are two types
> > in North America). *A square or rectangular butter bell
> > makes much more sense.
>
> Mark,
>
> Right!
>
> And how an upsidedown bell full of butter didn't simply slip out and
> into the water upon removal? It's grease, not Elmer's Glue!!!
>
> Best,
>
> Andy- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

That's what happened to mine. So i leave it upside down on the
counter.

Lucille

"Nancy2" > wrote in message
...
> On Apr 18, 4:16 pm, wrote:
>> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you
>> put
>> butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to
>> refrigerate the
>> butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always
>> refrigerated
>> butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread
>> ripping
>> butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one?
>> Thanks.
>
> What would be unsafe about it? I leave my butter out on the counter
> in a covered cheapo plastic dish - it's used every day, so it never
> goes rancid.
>
> You would never eat rancid butter by mistake. Stop stressing over it.
>
> N.


It's been discussed here before but I love my butter bell. You do have to
keep changing the water to fresh cold water frequently but that's a simple
thing to do. When I first came to my current home I didn't have it with me,
so I did like you do, Nancy... leave the butter in a butter dish on the
counter. Never had a problem with it, in either case.

Jill

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:16:54 -0400, wrote:

>I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
>butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
>butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
>butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
>butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

When I was a kid, we had milk cows and all the other usual farm
animals. The fresh milk was something much better than what is in the
jugs at the store and we had almost unlimited butter. The real, milk
sweating awesome tasting stuff that made me a butteroholic.

Hi, my name is Landon and I'm a butteroholic.

hehe, I'm serious. I really, really love butter. the more I can taste
butter in a food, the better I love it.

No wonder I had a quad done when I was 45. My folks were depression
era people who had the "more is better" attitude when the depression
ended. When they could again find and buy all the rich foods like
butter, cream, eggs, meats....well they figured that having all of it
at once at ever meal was just dandy if you could afford it.

I was raised on pie at breakfast with fresh biscuits, sausage gravy
and eggs as basic breakfast foods. At the time, my folks owned a
rooming house and we had more than a dozen roomers at supper every
evening, as that was the only meal they were invited to join in on the
deal my folks gave them.

Supper was so much food by today's standard, it would make a Doctor
gasp. Heart attack city.

Oh well, that was why I ate so much butter. We had all of it we wanted
and a cake of it was under the glass in the center of the kitchen
table, 24/7. No refrigeration. It didn't last long enough. Two or
three cakes a day would go.

That was a fun trip down memory lane. I was about 9 when the farm
could no longer make a profit with the big Co-ops caused all the small
farms to close down. My Dad got a job in "The City" and we sold off
the land bit by bit until it was gone.

Butter? Even store-bought butter is pretty good stuff.

In article >,
wrote:

> I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that
> you put butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have
> to refrigerate the butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh?
> I've always refrigerated butter and as much as I'd like to have soft
> butter and not hard, bread ripping butter for everyday use, I wonder
> if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.

Don't confuse unsafe with unpleasant. I wanted so much to like my
butter bell -- I think they're cool -- but it just didn't work for me; I
had mold in spite of daily water changes. Maybe it's my water. <shrug>
My solution is to keep a couple tablespoons at room temp for easy
spreading, replenishing as needed. That works. :-)

--
Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Holy Order of the Sacred Sisters of St. Pectina of Jella
"Always in a jam, never in a stew; sometimes in a pickle."
Pepparkakor particulars posted 11-29-2010;
http://web.me.com/barbschaller

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:16:54 -0400, wrote:

>I think that's what they're called. Those little jar type things that you put
>butter in, the invert into a jar of water so You don't have to refrigerate the
>butter? Anyway, do they really keep butter fresh? I've always refrigerated
>butter and as much as I'd like to have soft butter and not hard, bread ripping
>butter for everyday use, I wonder if it's really safe. Anyone using one? Thanks.


I have one I have been using for a number of years, can't remember
exactly when I bought it. It works just fine if you change the water
fairly frequently. If it starts to get moldy before I remember to
change the water I toss the butter and wash the bell. You must use
very cold water. If you do not have very cold tap water or water from
the refrigerator you might put an ice cube in the water when you
change it.

Remember, in the days when not everyone had a refrigerator, maybe an
icebox, families used to leave the butter on the table all the time.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:23:42 -0400, The Cook >
arranged random neurons and said:

>I have one I have been using for a number of years, can't remember
>exactly when I bought it. It works just fine if you change the water
>fairly frequently. If it starts to get moldy before I remember to
>change the water I toss the butter and wash the bell. You must use
>very cold water. If you do not have very cold tap water or water from
>the refrigerator you might put an ice cube in the water when you
>change it.

I don't think it's the temperature of the water. It's the water itself
that acts as a seal. I've had a butter bell for years. Never had a
problem with it. Change the water, straight out of the tap (I'm in
SoCal, so doubt the water's much colder than room temp), throw it in
the dishwasher every time it empties. No prob.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

To reply, remove "spambot" and replace it with "cox"