How Long Is Butter Good For

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Butter tin can be stored in the fridge, the freezer, or covered on the counter. While most people store their butter in the fridge, all types of butter can be frozen without noticeably affecting quality. Salted butter and ghee can even exist stored at room temperature and so that it is ever soft and fix to exist used. Most butter companies produce butter with the expectation that it volition not be refrigerated one time information technology leaves the grocery shop, and then equally long as you have the proper precautions, you lot tin store your butter just about anywhere!^[1]

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Wrap the butter tightly in its original packaging or in aluminum foil. Butter tin be stored in the fridge in its original greaseproof paper as long as information technology is tightly sealed. If the paper came is ripped and you lot cannot reseal it tightly, only wrap information technology up in aluminum foil to proceed it fresh.^[2]
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Place the butter in the refrigerator away from other foods. Butter compartments keep your butter dissever from other items in your fridge, preventing it from absorbing flavors and smells from other foods. Go along the butter in that compartment or, if y'all do not have ane, store it equally far every bit y'all can from foods with strong smells or tastes.
- Both salted and unsalted butter will stay fresh wrapped up in the fridge for about 3 weeks.^[3]
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Double-wrap the butter for lasting freshness if you won't employ it shortly. You can become a niggling extra life out of your butter if you double-wrap it in foil before putting it in the refrigerator. If y'all call up y'all will not employ the butter within iii weeks of buying information technology, wrap it twice and store it away from your other foods.
- Salted butter can stay fresh another couple of weeks if it is double-wrapped. Unsalted butter may but last another calendar week, and so endeavour to use it up as soon as y'all can.
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Cut the butter into ¹⁄₄ c (4.0 US tbsp) chunks for easy thawing. Non all recipes call for a full stick of butter, then chop up your butter into smaller bits to make it more convenient and easy to thaw when you demand it. Yous tin cutting it into 1 inch (2.five cm) sections or measure it out into ¹⁄₄ c (4.0 U.s. tbsp) portions.
- How big you cut it doesn't really matter. You lot can make it bigger or smaller based on how you normally use your butter.
- It'south not necessary to cut up the butter before freezing. You lot tin can freeze whole sticks or blocks as well. Only keep in mind that you volition have to thaw the entire cake when yous desire to employ it.
- Thaw frozen butter the same way you'd soften refrigerated butter. You can leave it at room temperature, grate it, heat it up, or just get out it in the fridge until you are ready for information technology.
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Protect the butter by wrapping information technology tightly in aluminum foil. Yous desire to keep the butter protected from freezer burn and from absorbing smells in the freezer. Wrap it completely in the foil, making certain none of the butter is exposed to the air.
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Place the wrapped butter in a freezer storage bag. For added protection, place the foil-wrapped butter in a plastic freezer storage purse. Y'all can put several of pieces of wrapped butter in i bag, depending on how much infinite yous have in your freezer.^[4]
- Consider using reusable storage bags because they are improve for the environment.
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Label the bag with the date and the type of butter. Salted butter will keep fresh for about i twelvemonth in the freezer and unsalted butter is good for about three months.^[five] Write the date that you put the butter in the freezer on the handbag so you can always tell how long it has been in there.^[6]
- If you want to shop the salted and unsalted butter in one handbag, yous'll take to mark the portions of butter individually.
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Choose salted butter for storing at room temperature. Bacteria are less likely to grow on salted butter because of its loftier fat content and added salt.^[seven] Considering of this, salted butter tin be kept on the counter for ii to three weeks. ^[8]
- Unsalted or whipped butter should not be kept on the countertop as it will go bad chop-chop.^[9]
- Y'all can also store ghee at room temperature because information technology has a very low milk content. This means information technology won't spoil as quickly as other dairy products.
- If it'due south summertime and you lot practise not have A/C, it's probably too warm in your kitchen to keep the butter on the counter. To avoid a melty mess or rancid butter in the hot summertime months, keep information technology in the fridge instead.^[10]
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Seal the butter tightly in a airtight container or a butter crock. You can get a specially-made airtight butter crock or use any sealed container to store your butter on the counter. You merely need to make sure your container doesn't betrayal the butter to the air when yous are non using it.^[11]
- French bong crocks use water to create a vacuum seal. If you are concerned almost air exposure, consider getting one of those.
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Keep the sealed butter away from heat. Don't keep the butter anywhere near your stove or your kitchen appliances. Excess heat can crusade the butter to go rancid or melt into a greasy mess. The best place to store it is on a counter or in a cupboard abroad from the cooking equipment.^[12]
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Avoid cross-contamination with utensils when you use the butter. Leaner from your eating or cooking utensils will contaminate the butter and make it spoil faster.^[thirteen] Go on a dedicated butter spoon or knife with the butter and don't use it for annihilation else.
- Launder the butter spoon or knife after every use to ensure it does not go contaminated with bacteria.
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Question

What is the optimal storage temperature of butter?

Anywhere betwixt 2 and 10 degrees Celsius is good for storing butter.
Question

How long does butter final in the freezer?

half-dozen - 9 months before the oils begin to get rancid.

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Things You'll Need

Salted or unsalted butter
Aluminum foil

Salted or unsalted butter
Aluminum foil
Freezer bags
Permanent marker

Salted butter or ghee
An airtight container or butter crock
Butter spoon or knife

Cheers for submitting a tip for review!

If the butter smells or tastes bad, it has get rancid. Listen to your senses and do non use it if y'all suspect it is no longer good.^[fourteen]

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Article Summary X

Y'all tin store butter at room temperature for up to 3 weeks as long as it's salted. Don't store unsalted or whipped butter at room temperature or it will get bad. Instead, store unsalted or whipped butter in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Simply make sure information technology'south sealed in the original container it came in, or wrap it in aluminum foil so it stays fresh. For long-term storage, you lot can freeze butter. Just wrap the butter in aluminum foil, seal it in a freezer purse, and proceed it in the freezer up to 3 months if it'south unsalted or 1 year if it's salted. For tips on how to brand your butter last longer in the fridge, keep reading!

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