If butter is your bliss, learning how to properly store it for taste, freshness, and safety is important. You want the golden bars to be fresh yet soft to spread on your toast. Is the refrigerator always the best place to store butter, or can butter be left out? To learn the right way to store butter you’ll need to consider the type of butter (salted or unsalted), the climate (your kitchen temperature), and the type of container (manufacturer's wrapper, butter dish, or crock).
What Is Butter?
You likely know that butter is a dairy product, produced by churning milk or cream. This churning process separates the solids (butterfat) from the liquid (buttermilk).
Most commercially produced butter is pasteurized, which is a process that combats bacteria for safety. And because butter is comprised mostly of fat—U.S. guidelines specify that butter must be at least 80 percent fat—that helps keep bacteria at bay.
The color of butter can range from white to a darker yellow, depending on what the cows eat. Beyond these basics, there are three widely available types of butter: salted, unsalted, and whipped. (We’re not including vegan butter in this article.)
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Proper Storage Based on Butter Types
When deciding whether to leave butter out on the counter, first check to see what kind of butter you have.
Salted Butter
According to the American Butter Institute, the trade organization for American butter makers. salted butter is fine to leave out at room temperature anywhere from a few days to two weeks, taking into account factors such as the climate and container. The USDA's FoodKeeper app offers this guidance for storing butter: "May be left at room temperature for one to two days; one to two months when stored in refrigerator; six to nine months if stored frozen." After that, the taste can turn rancid or sour, says the USDA. The salt in the butter also does its part to help keep it fresh. If your room rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, however, it's time to store the butter in the refrigerator.
Unsalted and Whipped Butter
Unsalted butter and whipped butter are more perishable than salted butter and should not be kept out on the counter for an extended period of time. They can be brought out ahead of use to soften to a spreadable consistency, which may take 30 to 60 minutes, but should not be outside of the refrigerator for longer periods of time.
Unpasteurized Butter
Homemade butter, raw milk butter , or any butter that is not pasteurized should also always be refrigerated. The FDA considers those TCS (time/temperature control for safety) foods, which means they must be refrigerated for safety.
The Right Way to Store Butter on the Counter
Light and air are the two main reasons butter goes rancid or spoils when stored outside of the refrigerator. When leaving salted butter out, be sure to store it in the right kind of container in order to protect from exposure to light and air, and to save your countertops from melted, rancid butter. Use a butter dish—or better still, a butter crock or butter keeper—to keep light and air out. The more air-tight, the longer the taste is preserved. Most butter crocks have a chamber that holds cold water, which sits on top of the surface of the butter keeping it cool and fresh.
Storing Butter in the Refrigerator
Butter is best stored in its original packaging, according to the American Butter Institute. It should be stored in the back of the refrigerator, which is the coldest part of the fridge. Ignore the special butter dish section in the door of some refrigerators and avoid storing it in the refrigerator door, which is a warmer area.
How to Know If Butter Is Off
Give your butter a sniff if you are concerned it may be off, or take a small taste. If you detect any rancid notes or unpleasant (and unusual) sour tastes, it may be off and you should discard it.
