Can I leave butter at room temperature?

Butter in your fridge is always too hard to spread for your toast? Well great news! You can actually store your butter at room temperature for up to 2 weeks if stored correctly. Just think about the soft creamy spreadable butter that you’ll get for your breakfast from now onwards.

Which type of butter can be stored at room temperature?

• Unsalted butter can only be left out at room temperature for a couple hours if you are using it for baking/cooking.
• Salted Butter on the other hand can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks in a butter dish or 1-2 days in a normal container.
• Salt adds an extra protection against any bacterial growth, so if you’re planning to leave your butter out, try to buy the salted type.

Is my butter spoilt?

• Butter has a high fat content and fats go rancid from a process called oxidation.
• Exposure to HEAT, LIGHT & AIR over a prolonged period is the main cause of it spoiling.
• It will smell and taste unpleasantly sour as it has become old and stale.
• Refrigeration helps to slow down the oxidation process.

Container to use for storage

Storing on your kitchen counter

• Invest in a butter dish or an airtight container that is opaque
• Alternatively you can get a butter crock as well
• Never leave butter in the wax paper packaging or on a plate exposed on your counter top.
• Keep it away from direct sunlight, near stove tops or any heat source.
• Only store butter on your kitchen counter if the room temperature is around 21-25°C.
• If your kitchen is hot all the time from heavy cooking or summer time, It might be better to leave a very small quantity in your butter dish that you will eat within 1-2 days and constantly top it up.

Storing in the fridge

• You can leave the butter wrapped in the wax paper that it came with in your fridge.

Reference:

Jones, T., 2017. Does Butter Go Bad If You Don’t Refrigerate It?. [online] Healthline. Available at: <.”>https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/can-you-freeze-butter#bottom-line&gt;.