From your dal makhani to corn soup, just a teaspoon of butter is all that is required to make everything incredibly creamy. Butter continues to be a terrific topping for any dish and the go-to spread for toast. But, butter only has a wonderful flavour when it is fresh. You must have observed that butter loses flavour and changes colour if it is left out of the refrigerator. So, storing the butter properly is essential if you want to keep it fresh and creamy for a longer period. But how do you go about it? We do, however, have some advice that can help you keep your butter.
Storing butter properly is important for a few reasons:
Preservation
Storing butter properly can help extend its shelf life and prevent it from going rancid. When butter is exposed to air, light, and heat, it can start to break down and develop off-flavours and odours. Proper storage can help slow down this process and keep your butter fresh for longer.
Food safety
Properly storing butter can also help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, such as listeria, which can cause foodborne illness. Butter should be stored at a cool temperature to reduce the risk of bacterial growth.
Flavour and texture
Storing butter properly can help preserve its flavour and texture. Butter that has been exposed to air, light, or heat for too long can develop a rancid taste and unpleasant texture.
Keep it in the fridge
Even though we are aware that this is the most popular method of butter storage, some of us still fail to use it, causing the butter to spoil. Butter tends to oxidise when left out in the air, changing its flavour, consistency, and appearance. Butter lives longer when kept at a lower temperature because oxidation is less likely.
Store it away from the sunlight
If kept at room temperature, salted butter takes longer to go bad than fresh white butter. To prevent bacterial growth, even if you are keeping the butter on your kitchen counter, make sure to keep it out of the sun.
Don't use aluminium foil
You might believe that wrapping your butter in aluminium foil is a smart move, but it is not. Butter can become rancid by oxidation, which is accelerated by aluminium foil.
Always store in an airtight container
To store butter, there are many different airtight containers available on the market. By using this technique, the butter is shielded from elements that could cause bacterial growth, such as heat, sunshine, and oxygen.
Don't throw butter paper away
Avoid discarding the butter paper that comes with your butter. It improves butter preservation and is invariably preferable to keeping butter on a plate.