Who here hates waiting for butter to soften before you can smear it on some toast? Once upon a time in the South, your mother and your mother’s mother would leave butter out in a covered butter dish, it rarely got refrigerated, but you probably went through butter a lot faster. After a couple of days, butter left out will get rancid. But wait, there is an answer! A few years ago we acquired this funny little contraption called a butter bell or butter crock. Essentially, it’s a cup filled with butter that sits upside-down inside another cup filled with a bit of water. These nested cups then sit on the counter or your table conveniently available for use. It keeps the butter in an airtight seal, but it is soft and ready to use. the butter will last up to a week in the butter bell.
I KNOW!!! Crazy, right?! Sits right out of the fridge!
So when did this craziness start? Well it depends on who you ask. Some think it originated in Vallauris, France. Vallauris is known for its pottery crafts. Others think it may have been in Normandy where the butter bell was born. By the 70’s & 80’s, the butter bell hit the United States.
Whether it started in Vallauris or Normandy, I don’t care! I love this little gem that keeps butter the perfect spreading consistency.
So go forth to your local Target or to Amazon.com (Butter Keeper – Amazon) and procure a marvelous butter bell. Don’t blame us when you realize you’ve eaten a whole box of butter in a weekend.
Carolina Cuisines 