The storage of butter is a topic that has sparked some debate over the years. We ask a butter maker whether it should be refrigerated or not.
Lemon Curd and Almond Butter Cake
It’s the most common question he’s asked at his Carriageworks, Sydney market stand and cultured butter factory in Tempe and Caringbah.
“I came from one of those households where they would leave the butter out on the table for days and days. But in our house now? Never. We never leave it out. Ever,” Pepe emphatically says.
While it’s not uncommon to see butter bells on kitchen counters, Pepe says this is primarily a European tradition and not one that is not compatible with the Australian climate.
“If you lived in Norway you could probably get away with it as the temperatures don’t really get high enough to cause it to stink or melt, but in Australia, you can only leave it out for around two to three days in summer and five to seven days in winter. After that, it’s gone,” Pepe says.
Pepe Saya’s Pierre ‘Pepe’ Issa making butter.
“If you can’t consume a whole block of butter in that time then it needs to be kept in the fridge.”
It’s also worth noting that cultured (unhomogenised) butter, like that made by Pepe Saya, tends to go off quicker than the homogenised blocks found in the supermarket aisles.
Should butter be always stored in the fridge?
While it’s unlikely, there also the chance that butter left out may become contaminated by a secondary source, such as a dirty utensil.
“If a harmful pathogen like E. coli or listeria finds its way into the butter, it will also multiply at a much quicker rate,” says Pepe.
Essentially, butter will last longer and stay safer in the fridge, plus it’s also more likely to keep its good taste.
For those who like the texture of soft butter, Pepe says cultured butter is naturally more spreadable than homogenised butter, and only needs to be out of the fridge for a few minutes before it starts to get soft.
If you need to keep butter out of the fridge for an extended period of time, like for a camping trip, plant-based butter is a safer bet than dairy-based butter.
“I’ll admit, there’s also an element of preference to it,” says Pepe.
“I really like my butter hard. In our house we slice it down and put it on the bread like a piece of cheese.”
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