Hello my Foodie Friends. Recently I was watching some vintage SNL (Saturday Night Live) shows. Among my favorites is a classic skit of Mike Meyers playing Liz Rosenberg in “Coffee Talk.” During the "Coffee Talk" sketch featuring Mike Myers, Madonna, and Roseanne Barr, Barbra Streisand made a surprise appearance! In the skit, the three Jewish broads from Queens had all finished saying that Barbra was "like buttah." Barbra poked her head out and said, "All this talk about food's got me hungry, girls!"
With all of the talk about butter, this brings up how to store butter. I came to realize that while I use butter quite frequently with my cooking, having soft, spreadable butter was a missing component as I wanted my quality or high butter fat butter at room temperature from time to time, and I did not want the spreadable tubs found in the refrigerated section at the grocer which also (or only) contained margarine. My mind drifted back to my introduction to the butter bell from years past. Come to find out, the butter bell, or keeper or crock (here are a few other names: the french butter pot, the beurrier Breton, beurrier Normand, pot à beurre Breton and the beurrier à l’eau), originated in France.
A quick history lesson: said to have been created in the late 19th century in Vallauris, France, the pottery container consists of two parts: a lid which resembles a bell, in which you pack the butter into; and the base, which the lid is placed into which contains water, about 1/4 inch to a 1/2 an inch depending on how big your butter keeper is. The lid combined with the water creates an airtight seal which keeps oxygen out, thus negating the need for refrigeration, and thereby allowing the butter to remain spreadable. It is reported that Julia Child herself used one, even though the butter keeper wasn’t fully introduced in the United States until the 1970s.
The beauty of the butter keeper is that it serves as a presentation dish as well. Simply take the bell out of the base, flip over and place on the table. It looks as though it was intended to be a bowl holding butter. And when finished, no need to dirty another dish, just flip it back over into the base.
How to Use the Butter Bell crock: Make sure the butter is soft enough to work into the lid. If it is too hard, then air pockets will develop within the butter in the lid, which creates a suction affect when the lid is removed from the base of the crock. We recommend using the back of a spoon to push the butter into the lid. Make sure the butter is smoothed around and no air pockets are found. The butter must adhere to the inside of the lid, meaning there should be no space between the butter and the lid. By smoothing the butter internally within the lid, this should ensure that it properly adheres to the insides of the bell. Add the cold water to the base and replace every 3 days with fresh water. If you carefully follow these directions, you should have no problems with the butter falling into the water.
Store the Butter Bell away from heat. Once your Butter Bell is packed with butter and ready to use, do not sit it next to the stove or store in direct sunlight. If the crock becomes heated, the butter can melt and fall out of the lid.
Change the water in the base of the crock. It is recommended to replace the water in the base of your crock every 3 days, with fresh, cold water. In warm summer months, we also recommend adding a few ice chips to the water to retain its coolness.
Wash in between uses. Your Butter Bell should be cleaned in between uses. It is very important to make sure that the lid of the crock is thoroughly dry before packing butter into it – otherwise the butter will not adhere properly to the inside of the lid.
At Compliments to the Chef located at 33 Railroad Place; we carry “The Original Butter Bell Crock.” We also have a mini one if you find that you do not use a lot of butter. We also carry butter dishes for those who like to refrigerate your butter. Storing butter is a preference. I know I like soft butter especially when making toast on Sunday mornings, having a cup of coffee, and maybe even watching or listening to Barbra Streisand. Her voice is like “buttah.” Remember my Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”
Take Care,
John & Paula
