It would seem that this topic today is not very relevant. After all, the stores now have so many different types of butter that you can not think about how to store this product, but buy it as needed.
But many economical hostesses are trying to buy food, including oil, immediately after the salary, as they say, while there is money. Or wholesale, which is much cheaper than buying one pack at retail.
And then the question arises: how to keep the butter so that it remains fresh as long as possible?
How to store butter in the refrigerator
Butter easily absorbs all odors. So, it must be isolated from other products. Foil or parchment paper works well for this purpose.
- If the oil is bought by weight, then it should be divided into pieces acceptable for each family. What they will be depends on the appetites of family members, the number of eaters, and on the culinary abilities of the hostess. After all, a lonely old woman a piece of butter in 200 g will eat for two weeks, and a large family who loves sandwiches and cereal will destroy it in three days.
- It must be remembered that butter in parchment paper is stored at 0-6 ° C heat for about a week without losing its original taste. And the foil extends the shelf life of another ten days. Therefore, a piece of butter is wrapped in paper or foil and sent to the top shelf of the refrigerator - closer to the freezer.
- Now, food packaging or plastic bags are commonly used to package products. And some housewives boldly wrap butter in them. But this should not be done, as it is suffocated in the package, it turns yellow and becomes tasteless.
- If the oil is going to be used in the coming days, then it is put into the oil can. The choice of butter dish also affects the taste of the oil. Best for this purpose suitable packaging made of porcelain or stainless steel. The oil can of this material is easy to clean, removing and smell. But plastic dishes strongly absorb foreign odors, and the oil in it is stored worse. An exception is high-quality plastic food utensils.
- If you do not plan to use butter in food in the near future, you need to put it in the freezer.
How to store butter in the freezer
- Butter is wrapped in parchment or foil, and then placed in a thick plastic bag.
- Tie it well so that the oil does not absorb the smell of vegetables or meat (fish). Clean in the freezer.
- In the freezer, butter can be stored without loss of taste for about 9 months if the temperature in the compartment is -12 °, and at -18 ° - up to a year.
- Peasant butter is stored a little less - from 6 to 11 months (depending on the temperature in the freezer).
- But if the butter is not present, but a spread, then such a product should be consumed not later than 2-3 months from the moment of freezing.
How to store butter without a refrigerator
Sometimes there are situations when the oil has to be stored at room temperature. What do they do in this case?
- Butter is placed in enamel or glass dish and filled with very cold water. Close the lid. In this form, you can store it for a very long time. The main thing is that every day you need to change the water twice.
- Butter is placed in a container and filled with salt water. In such water, the oil does not turn yellow and does not become rancid. But water also needs to be changed daily.
- Portions of butter are wrapped in parchment and put in a pan. Pour the saline solution (a spoonful of salt per liter of water) and press down with a small load. Water is changed daily.
- A piece of butter is wrapped in a cloth moistened in a solution of vinegar, and placed in a saucepan. Next put a piece of sugar and close the lid.
- Sometimes hostesses store the butter in a glass jar, into which cold water, acidified with vinegar, is poured.
- The oil is placed in a jar, and that, in turn, is put in a pan with cold water. The jar is covered with a damp cotton cloth, the ends of which are dipped in water.
Mistress to note
- Butter should not be left on the table. So it spoils quickly.
- Oil becomes rancid if it has been exposed to light for a long time. Therefore, the oil can should not pass light.
- If there is an inscription “butter” on the package with butter, then this is real butter. In all other cases, it is margarine. Or, as it is now fashionable to call, “spread”.
- The color of butter is sometimes unreal, as it is often tinted with carotene.
- If butter starts to deteriorate, then it is necessary to cut it mercilessly from all sides and melt it.
- Butter is not recommended to be used for frying, since it then forms carcinogenic substances.
These simple tips will help any housewife to keep the butter fresh and tasty.
