Butter Dish Tips When Shopping For Butter Dishes

A butter dish sitting on the kitchen counter is a must for some people. Butter dishes used to be a common item in most kitchens until we were all taught not to use real butter. Well, some of us prefer the real thing on occasion and I'm one of those people. Wheat toast with real butter is like a delicacy! Selecting the counter top butter dish that best suits your needs may be a little more in depth than you thought.

There are numerous different types of butter dishes available; the French butter dish is a popular item (more about that later), the stainless steel butter dish, glass butter dish, covered butter dish, plastic butter dish, rubbermaid butter dish and even round butter dishes. No matter your style preferences, you'll find the perfect one for your kitchen.

Retro kitchens are a great style trend. What better way to add an extra touch of retro class to your kitchen than a retro styled butter dish. Harkens back to "the day" and looks awesome at the same time!

If you don't happen to have a retro style kitchen but you have a friend that does, these butter dishes will be a great gift for their kitchen. There are numerous retro and vintage styles to choose from and they're all affordable.

A French butter dish is a two part crock typically made from pottery. The upper section is a cup shape that you pack the butter into, then flip upside down onto the base. The base holds water and as the lip of the cup rests on the base so that the water can create a vacuum between the butter itself and the base; this effectively seals out excess oxygen. This helps to keep the butter from going rancid without being stored in a fridge. Because the butter doesn't have to be preserved in the fridge when in the French butter dish, you can leave it out on the counter and the butter remains soft enough to spread easily.

The butter will remain fresh for a couple of weeks when stored this way. The average temperature must be below 80F for this method to work.

French butter dishes are also known as French butter keepers, butter crocks and butter crocks. Originally designed in the late 19th century, the French butter dish (crock) began it's popularity in the U.S. in the 1970's.

Under some circumstances mold may form on the butter (rarely), this is usually remedied by adding a little salt to the water in the base.

French butter dishes have become a very collectable item and these are a great gift idea for the butter lovers you know.  For collector type pieces, check out the Polish pottery butter keepers.  These are beautiful, quality pieces.  Add some elegance to your morning toast and coffee!

Some really nice butter dish ideas are the small, single serving butter dishes. These are great ways to serve small condiments for parties or to simply serve each person individually and graciously.

Butter dishes don't have to be used exclusively for butter. Use yours for specialty cheeses during wine and cheese parties and you'll certainly receive huge compliments on your taste in cheeses as well as taste in presentation.

The butter dish went out of style when we were introduced to margarine and soft spread butters. But they're making a comeback with a vengeance because they are so handy and they look so nice. Real butter must be softened to room temperature to spread nicely and, therefore, small amounts of butter for daily use is best stored in a butter dish on the counter. Soft spread butters are kept in the fridge.

If you're keeping your daily butter out to keep soft enough to spread easily you'll need a butter dish. Rather than having an ugly container on the counter top, you can select a nice butter dish with a lid to store your butter and keep it from getting contaminated. If you prefer to store your butter in the fridge, it's convenient to have a small amount in a covered butter dish to set out on the counter when you're ready to use it each day. When finished, place the dish back into the refrigerator.

Keep your kitchen decor in mind when selecting your butter dish. You'll have it for many years and it can add a touch of class and elegance to your kitchen area. If you've got children that frequent your kitchen you might steer clear of the glass butter dishes to avoid injury. There are many nice stainless, acrylic and pewter dishes available if children are going to be using the butter dish.