[mommy2be]

(i thought id start a new thread for this)

i had a lot of people tell me that they leave out their butter. my grandma always leaves hers out also, i grew up in her care, so i always ate it. however, she always bought the margarine spread, not actual butter. it says on the *butter* sticks i buy: must be refrigerated. so how do you know if butter has gone bad if you leave it out?? im asking about actual sticks of real butter, not spread and not margarine. (i guess the butter stick would become a spread, but you know what i mean...)

 

[DesireeH]

Hmm, I dont know because I have never had it go bad yet. LOL I use only real butter, never margarine, and I leave it out in a butter dish. I can imagine if it gets furry or smells it has gone bad. LOL I've left it out for up to a week before with no problems.

 

[oldcrunchymom]

Well according to my ex-MIL butter gets "rancid" when it goes bad. When I was still married she would constantly be sticking my butter back in the fridge (I leave it out) "so that it doesn't go rancid." In my 32 years I have never tasted rancid butter, but apparently it must happen to someone, especially if her name is Julie Krause.

 

[tboroson]

Butter will go rancid, but it takes a while unless your kitchen is really warm. I used to leave it out so it would be soft for spreading and had no trouble in the winter, but it would go rancid in a few days in the summer.

 

[girlndocs]

I remember butter going rancid once when I was a kid. It got kind of grainy and tasted (and smelled) funny.

Are you familiar with how rancid oils smell? Like maybe some old peanuts at the back of the cupboard, or sunflower seeds, and they have a really funny yucky smell? It's similar for all oils, I think.

 

[momto l&a]

IMO it takes awhile for butter to go rancid unless of course its a hot summer. Usually our butter it all used up long before it has a chance to even think about going rancid.

 

[mommy2be]

thanks everyone! now, how about the butter bell---anyone think it really works? it says it keeps butter fresh at room temp for up to thirty days...so, maybe thats when it turns rancid (on average?) but basically, youre telling me that i will know when it goes bad, right??

 

[annethcz]

Yes, you'll know when it goes bad.

Another house where the butter is left out with no problems...

 

[*solsticemama*]

I used to leave the butter out all the time. In a covered butter dish. But this last round of butter I bought was cultured unsalted and it went off in a few days of being left out of the fridge. I don't know why

The other stuff in the fridge is fine.