Butter

[signseeker]

We store some butter in the freezer. I've always just bought 'salted' butter. Recently I've been stocking up on canning supplies, including 'unsalted' butter for some jam recipes I'll be doing later this summer.

Which kind is better? For just baking or everyday use? Does it matter? :confused (2):

[Noahs ARK]

Salted butter has a longer shelf life, but if you've got it in the freezer it wouldn't matter.

I like unsalted butter for baking and salted butter for everything else. Unsalted butter allows you to control the salt content a bit more.

But the bottom line - I buy whatever's on sale. :l0 (31):

[Seeker]

I used to buy whatever was on sale and on the shelf. Now, I buy unsalted due to salt restrictions for my hubby after he was diagnosed with CHF. I have a lot of butter in my freezer and continue to add more everytime it is on sale.

Seeker

[faif2d]

Anyone have an estimate on the shelf life of frozen butter?

[hiccups]

faif2d,

I found a chart here (http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/humannutrition/hrap/storage/freezsto.htm) that says 6-9 months at 0*F.

I noticed that was your first post... Welcome!! :)

[thermocouple]

Mrs Thermocouple bakes a lot. What I found on the internet is consistent with what hiccups just posted, but the wife thinks that is conservative. At least a year in her estimation. We also buy bulk butter (salted) whenever it's on sale, and even when it's not on sale - just when we have the money to stock up. We buy lots of baking goods in bulk, she is not going to risk being unable to bake for any reason. She wont use any ingredients that aren't high quality, and she's never pulled butter from the freezer that was anywhere close to being unsatisfactory.

[signseeker]

I would guess it'd be closer to a year, too. Butter is awesome. My little skinny 3yo loves to lick it off his bread. "Nope, that's not a runny nose, it's just butter smeared on his face."

Baking is fun. :thumbup:

[hiccups]

That's the way of most suggested storage times. They are low ball. Possibly to cover less than ideal storage conditions / user error.

[Noahs ARK]

If anyone's concerned about the butter keeping in their freezer, I'd suggest they invest in some small-sized Space Savers or one of those Seal-A-Meals.

The more air you get out of the bagged butter, the longer it will last.

I think. :rofl:

I just bought 3 big boxes of pancake mix and 3 big boxes of belgium waffle mix. They're going into a small Space Saver, I'll suck the air out & then they'll go in the freezer for who knows how long.

[phylm]

And you might think about canning some of that butter. It has a long shelf if it is kept reasonably cool. We use an old refrigerator to store our storage vegetable oil, etc.

[Noahs ARK]

And you might think about canning some of that butter. It has a long shelf if it is kept reasonably cool. We use an old refrigerator to store our storage vegetable oil, etc.

I have a crawl space that stays in the low 60's. How long do you think canned butter would keep in there? I have a dehumidifier in there, so it's cool and dry.

I'm in the market for a used frig to put in our basement - as soon as I find the room. Or another upright freezer. Not sure which would be better.

[Justme]

And you might think about canning some of that butter. It has a long shelf if it is kept reasonably cool. We use an old refrigerator to store our storage vegetable oil, etc.

I don't have the exact site to reference but Utah State University and many others have written quite a lot about the dangers of canning butter. I could find the references if anyone is interested.

[silverstate51]

May I suggest Red Feather brand canned butter? Very nice taste, stores quite a long time.

[Noahs ARK]

May I suggest Red Feather brand canned butter? Very nice taste, stores quite a long time.

You're right - it's very nice. I bought a case a few months ago and plan to buy more.

The canned cheese is good, too!

Ooooh - and the canned bacon!!

[signseeker]

I don't have the exact site to reference but Utah State University and many others have written quite a lot about the dangers of canning butter. I could find the references if anyone is interested.

Yes.

[Justme]

Links to warn that canning butter is not safe:


http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_Food_Preservation_2009-01.pdf

http://extension.usu.edu/htm/faq/faq_q=3177


http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#33.

[Justme]

From the third reference above:

"Although mostly fat, butter is a low-acid food. Meat, vegetables, butter, cream, etc. are low-acid products that will support the outgrowth of C. botulinum and toxin formation in a sealed jar at room temperature. Low-acid products have to be pressure-canned by tested processes to be kept in a sealed jar at room temperature. It is not clear what the botulism risk is from such a high-fat product, but to store a low-acid moist food in a sealed jar at room temperature requires processing to destroy spores. A normal salted butter has about 16-17% water, some salt, protein, vitamins and minerals. Some butter-like spreads have varying amounts of water in them. We have no kind of database in the home canning/food processing arena to know what the microbiological concerns would be in a butter stored at room temperature in a sealed jar. In the absence of that, given that it is low-acid and that fats can protect spores from heat if they are in the product during a canning process, we cannot recommend storing butter produced by these methods under vacuum sealed conditions at room temperature"

Among the spores that may be in the butter is one which produces an extremely dangerous poison that cannot be detected by smell, taste, etc. The poison is very deadly. You have probably heard of Botulism. That is it. Why take a chance?

[phylm]

time out

[phylm]

I don't have the exact site to reference but Utah State University and many others have written quite a lot about the dangers of canning butter. I could find the references if anyone is interested.

Sorry, don't know what I pressed to ship out the above! Let me start again!!

TIME OUT while I pull out some more of my hair!! I checked out the Extension site about canning butter and more.

I just don't fit into this zero-risk society. How did we ever manage before we had all these experts. My mother, my grandmothers, and their neighbors canned everything, including meat, in hot water bath canners, as I did until I got a pressure canner. In my 76 years I never heard of anyone suffering any ill effects from their canned food. They did have common sense enough not to eat from any jar that was not sealed properly.

There's no such thing as "not being sealed enough." Either it is SEALED or it is not. This includes the jars sealed with used lids.

I'll eat my canned butter, as will my friends who are storing their butter in that way, and we won't lose any sleep over "botulism" or other bogie-men in it.

Noah's Ark: 60 degrees is great. Wish I could afford to keep my storage that cool with AC!

[Noahs ARK]

Noah's Ark: 60 degrees is great. Wish I could afford to keep my storage that cool with AC!

Oh good! My basement and crawlspace are in the wooded part of my yard, so there's always shade and it's always cool or cold in both areas.

The only problem in the crawlspace was humidity and now that's not a problem cuz of the dehumidifier.