Certain kitchen items are so full of custom and nostalgia that they can force us to stop and smile even on a hectic day. Many of us grew up in homes where butter could be retrieved from the cupboard rather than the refrigerator. In any thrift store you can find a plain Corelle butter dish and in antique stores you can find fancy china butter dishes but does anyone still use one? Most will agree that butter covered and air tight can sit in a cupboard for a week. Butter does grow bacteria (salted butter less quickly) but most bacteria is harmless. Harmful bacteria can contaminate your lovely butter via unwashed hands or utensils, but left up to its own devices, butter is very safe.
If you would like to try using a butter dish for lovely soft butter but are still a little grossed out by the idea, then try leaving out only a half or a quarter of the stick.
Fergus the slug butter dish on etsy
I love using a butter dish so much that I keep it in the refrigerator on humid summer days. In the fridge the butter dish serves only as ritual but I just enjoy lifting that lid so much. Butter deserves a little bit of pomp-and-circumstance.
