Looking for a spreadable butter!

[Peanut Giggleface]

I stopped using margarine years ago after learning how bad it is for your heart. Give me good old butter any day. So I've been using butter for years now and always leave it out on the counter. It's never spoiled on me or made anyone sick. Sometimes in summertime it will melt and pool. When it does that I throw it out and get a new stick. But between toast for breakfast to cooking dinner, sticks of butter don't last too long. Funny thing is now that I've used butter as long as I have, I can tell margarine by its taste when it's used in cooking as a replacement for butter.

 

[GraysMom]

I've always left my stick of butter on a plate in the cabinet (so it doesn't get dusty ). My parents and grandparents have always done the same thing (with unsalted butter) with no issues. I'm very picky about food safety (I use a separate pair of tongs or spoon on meat when it's still raw and then a clean pair/spoon when the meat is cooked) and the butter issue has never bothered me. Technically it's a dairy product, but the amount of fat and salt do a lot to help resist spoilage.

A stick of butter lasts our family of 3 anywhere from 2-4 days depending on what we are eating, but I've had a stick out for a week without a problem. If you know you'll only eat half of a stick in the next few days, just cut half a stick off and let that sit out so it's spreadable.

 

[Maridw]

This is what I use:

http://www.landolakes.com/Products/Custom/15127.aspx

We use that too. My DH uses the light version (with the green lid). I tried it but don't care for it that much. I have found that you don't want to put it on the table too soon as it gets soft very fast.

My sister uses regular butter and she puts hers in the microwave for a few seconds. She knows exactly how long to do it with out it getting too soft in the middle. I can't remember what she told it was when I was visiting.