Butter dishes and crocks
Butter is better when it's stored...cutely.
Today’s rec request comes from a new Substack friend of mine, Meghan Splawn. Meghan is the talented writer behind the newsletter Stir & Scribble, where she takes her experience as a long-time food editor — she worked for Alton Brown for over a decade and at the Kitchn, and as a freelancer — and creates inspiring recipes and meal plans for her hungry followers. Also, her art is really good and makes me wish I could draw.
So Meghan came to me the other day with a request. She needs a new butter dish. Challenge, accepted.
Meghan’s current set-up is an enamel dish with a wooden lid that holds four sticks. Unfortunately, it ends up “greasy and weird,” as she puts it. She tends to also keep butter in the fridge for baking, but also needs butter for toast and cooking that’s contained but accessible.
A few other things she noted:
She is butter keeper–curious but isn’t sure how to properly use one.
She’ll be keeping the butter dish out by her cutting board.
She’d like to avoid plastic.
Her kitchen is full of vintage ceramic pottery and East Fork ceramics, and she also loves colorful vintage enamel. Her home is mid-century modern but her style is decidedly ‘70s summer camp-mountain eclectic. (How cool!)
Budget: We’re going for $50 and under, since she wants to start a collection.
The types of butter she uses: For everyday baking, she uses Cabot salted butter, but she also uses Kerrygold and the Aldi knockoff.
The picks:
I had a blast putting together this set of picks, especially since Meghan had a Pinterest board of her home aesthetic all ready for me. Want to jump straight to the full collection? Click the button below. Otherwise, stick around for a few favorites.
Considerations:
Variety: I wanted a mix of bells and dishes for Meghan to choose from, and kept away from glass since she doesn’t seem to like the look of schmeary butter.
Function and aesthetics: To get the retro vibes she’s going for, I looked a lot at Etsy and resale sites. You’ll see a few vintage options sprinkled into the collection. That being said, I wanted to balance style with durability and longevity, so I included some newer models that are dishwasher- and microwave-safe because Meghan is a busy mom and, while some of these might be for show if she’s collecting, some of these she’ll be using, and need to really work.
Size: East Coast butter sticks (also known as Elgin sticks) are 4.8 inches long and 1.3 inches wide. West Coast butter sticks (also called Western Stubbies, hehe) are 3.125 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Kerrygold is 4.4 inches long by 2.5 inches wide.
Let’s start with this vintage butter-yellow dish. The handle offers a little intrigue and I appreciate the lip on the dish, so if you swipe your knife over the butter, the whole stick won’t go with it.
This handmade butter keeper from Etsy is very handsome and well-reviewed. It’s a nice size, especially if you’re buying Western Stubbies.
I couldn’t help but include this slightly pricy Atelier Saucier butter dish. Just look at it.
With a 4.84-inch width, this Hay butter dish should accommodate you Kerrygold butter fans. It’s also 20% off right now.
When it comes to bells, it doesn’t get much more iconic than Le Creuset. It comes in several colors and is just beautiful. If you’re anxious about how these bells work, I’ll get to that below.
How a butter keeper works
So it’s funny we should be talking about butter keepers because I was just introduced to one a few weeks ago when I was visiting my friend Jess. We were sitting on her couch and I was remarking at her beautiful Le Creuset butter keeper. I picked it up and flipped it over to look at it, unknowingly dumping a whole bunch of water all over a tray that holds beautiful photo books of her new son. Great job, me! We dried everything off and no harm was done. But it seems we all need an education in butter keepers.
If you do end up with a butter keeper, you’ll fill the bell with your butter and the lid with water. Then you’ll flip the bell and put it butter-side down into the water, creating an airtight seal. This seal should keep your butter from spoiling and help your butter stay at a spreadable consistency.
If you do use a butter keeper, you need to change your water often and consistently — if you don’t, it’ll become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. More on food safety below.
A note on food safety
I want to just touch on this because it’s important from a food safety and flavor perspective. Because I am not a food scientist, I think the best thing to do is look for a reliable resource, like the USDA or FDA. Of course, when you actually Google if it’s okay to leave butter at room temperature, most food publications (from Food52 to Bon Appetit to Food & Wine) link to this page on the USDA site, which now has nothing. Interesting.
According to Harold McGee in On Food & Cooking, “Because its scant water is dispersed in tiny droplets, properly made butter resists gross contamination by microbes, and keeps well for some days at room temperature.”
So okay, you’re probably fine leaving it out. If your butter tastes or smells weird, give it a toss. If you’re stressed or anxious about leaving it out, keep it in the fridge and zap it in the microwave to soften. Problem solved. If you’re wondering, I don’t leave butter out. I don’t really…like butter on its own? Don’t be mad. Please.
Thanks so much for being here and reading today’s Rel’s Recs. Need help finding something specific? A gift? An objet? Whether it’s big, small, feels random, or immensely important — from the best SPF for your face to the best food gifts and three ways to spruce up your pantry — I am here to help. (It’s all important to me, anyway.)
XO,
Rel