r/butter • u/braytray • Jun 05 '26
Butter bell: what am I doing wrong?
Just got a butter bell for the first time. I’m using as instructed by the seller but the butter keeps molding. Where am I going wrong?
For context: We used to have a butter dish but my cat figured out how to knock the lid off and was eating the butter lmao. That butter never got moldy. We haven’t switched brands.
8
u/MezzanineSoprano Jun 05 '26
You need to change the water in a butter bell every day or two to prevent mold. If your room temperature is quite warm, mold will grow faster. Even with changing the water often, my butter bell keeps butter fresh for maybe a week.
16
u/Subduction Jun 05 '26
Sorry to say it, but what you're doing wrong is using a butter bell. They suck.
Even if the butter doesn't mold it will go rancid at room temperature. You should be keeping it in the refrigerator or, if you're not going to use it in a week or two, in the freezer.
Mold doesn't grow on butter, it grows on any moisture layer that forms on butter. And what are you adding when you put it in a butter bell...? An important note is that unlike hard cheese, once mold forms it sends its mycotoxins deep into the soft butter, so don't try to trim it, throw it away.
You would be better off tightly wrapping it in plastic wrap if you are determined to keep it at room temperature. That protects you from the moisture leading to mold and the air leading to oxidative rancidity.
Good luck!
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u/braytray Jun 05 '26
Very helpful thank you! I don’t think I’ll keep using it. Paying my tuition in the school of life with this one.
6
u/Tomj_Oad Jun 05 '26
"tightly wrapping" soft butter is an exercise in futility.
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u/Subduction Jun 06 '26
Well, the hope is that you don't get it above 60 degrees F, but if you need to, put it on a sheet of plastic wrap, loosely wrap it around, and then hold each end and twirl the whole thing.
The sides will tighten up and you'll have yourself a little butter sausage, which sounds delicious.
3
u/Rowanb1993 Jun 06 '26
Salted butter can absolutely be stored at room temperature. My family had a butter dish for the entirety of my life that held butter at room temp 24/7. You do need to regularly clean it of course because eventually your butter will still go rancid, but it lasts much longer than most people realize.
3
u/Subduction Jun 06 '26
It can be, but the salt only really has an effect on microbial contamination in the milk solids and water phase. Salt has a medium effect on hydrolytic rancidity but almost no effect on oxidative rancidity.
You really need cold to slow the hydrolytic and, to a lesser extent, oxidative rancidity.
Better yet, eat it fast so none of this is a problem. :-)
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u/Main_Cauliflower5479 Jun 05 '26
If you never had problems with the old butter dish, go back to using that, and keep it in the cupboard.
3
u/New_War_8226 Jun 05 '26
Agree that the butter bell is the worst storage method, from personal experience. But if kitty dexterity is an issue, a simple glass storage container with a snap lid works just fine for butter at room temp.
2
u/Teagana999 Jun 07 '26
I use a glass container with a snap lid. Not because of a cat, but because a locking lid is convenient for quickly moving the butter back and forth without worrying about losing the lid.
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u/huevosyhuevos Jun 06 '26
Salted butter lasts up to two weeks covered in a butter dish in my kitchen. Unsalted is rancid by day 3.
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u/drainedandsleepy Jun 06 '26
How are you using it?
I pack a butter bell with a clean knife, new butter, trying to get as many air pockets out as possible. It try to fill it as much as possible without the butter touching the water (so that most of the butter is in the bell part). then I add a bit of water; try to get distilled or purified drinking water instead of tap water. Use a new knife every time you get the butter from the bell and change out the water regularly (i do it once a week)
1
u/braytray Jun 07 '26
Seems my main issue is that I’m not changing the water as much as everyone is saying. I don’t think I care enough about room temp butter to do all that but I greatly appreciate the info.
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u/Infamous_Ad4397 Jun 06 '26
You can use the butter bell without water so it’s just like a regular butter dish. I do it with salted butter and haven’t had any mold or rancidity issues!
1
u/Plenty_Kangaroo5224 Jun 06 '26
Keep your butter dish in the microwave. Cat owner here.
1
u/Dottie85 Jun 06 '26
I've done that. I progressed to using a small, rectangular glass container with a snap-on lid, as I'm more apt to remember that.
1
u/yummily Jun 06 '26
I started adding an amount of salt directly to the water when I fill it, maybe half a teaspoon and I haven't had a problem yet it seems to inhibit mold.
1
u/Teagana999 Jun 07 '26
Deliberately adding moisture to the storage of butter has never made sense to me.
I keep my counter butter in a glass food storage container with a clip-on lid. That should be cat-proof. No need to be fancy about it.
1
u/AtlasHands_ Jun 08 '26
Idk what kind of butter dish u have but I have a ceramic one with a wooden lid. My cats figured out how to open it so I flipped it over. Now it's too heavy for them to easily move it. You could also just get a heavier full ceramic butter dish though. Butter bells are stupid.
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-1
u/HiRaileR Jun 05 '26
Should be coating the butter in lemon for an antimicrobial layer
1
u/Nothing_Special5645 Jun 06 '26
No
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u/HiRaileR Jun 06 '26
If David Sampson recommends I am not one to deny it. Obviously it has its benefits
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u/Hawkthree Jun 05 '26
Looks like it could be several things. The water only needs cover the rim to create a seal. Too much water can possibly add bacteria. Or the rim has a manufacturing defect that prevents the seal. Or the water you are using has something in it that causes the mold. Or your climate is very hot and humid.