Is It Safe to Leave Butter Out on the Counter?

The answer depends on several factors, including the type of butter you use and your kitchen's climate.

If butter is your bliss, learning how to properly store it for taste, freshness, and safety is important. How long can butter sit out, and is the refrigerator always the best place to keep it? After all, you want your butter to be fresh yet soft enough to spread on toast. It turns out there isn't one pat answer—there are several factors to consider, including the type of butter (salted or unsalted), the climate (your kitchen temperature), and the type of container (manufacturer's wrapper, butter dish, or crock). Here's how to determine the right storage for your butter of choice.

Related: Should You Use Salted or Unsalted Butter for Baking?

Butter Basics

You likely know that butter is a dairy product produced by churning milk or cream. This churning process separates the solids (butterfat) from the liquid (buttermilk). Here's what else you need to know about this staple:

• It's usually pasteurized: Most commercially produced butter is pasteurized, a process that combats bacteria for safety.

• Fat content benefits: Butter is comprised mostly of fat—U.S. guidelines specify that butter must be at least 80 percent fat—which helps keep bacteria at bay.

• Color variances: The color of butter can range from white to a darker yellow, depending on what the cows eat.

How Long Can Butter Sit Out?

Should butter always be refrigerated? That largely depends on what kind of butter you have. There are three widely available types of butter: salted, unsalted, and whipped. (We’re not including vegan butter in this article.)

Salted Butter

The USDA's FoodKeeper app offers this guidance for storing butter:

• Butter may be left at room temperature for one to two days.

• One to two months when stored in the refrigerator.

• Six to nine months if stored frozen.

After that, the taste can turn rancid or sour, says the USDA. The salt in the butter also does its part to help keep it fresh. If your room rises above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, however, it's time to store the butter in the refrigerator.

Unsalted and Whipped Butter

Unsalted butter and whipped butter are more perishable than salted butter and should not be kept out on the counter for an extended period of time. They can be brought out ahead of use to soften to a spreadable consistency, which may take 30 to 60 minutes, but should not be outside of the refrigerator for longer periods of time.

Unpasteurized Butter

Homemade butter, raw milk butter, or any butter that is not pasteurized should also always be refrigerated. The FDA considers those TCS (time/temperature control for safety) foods, which means they must be refrigerated for safety.

Related: Cultured Butter Is the Secret Ingredient That Elevates Everyday Baking and Cooking

Storing Butter on the Counter

Light and air are the two main reasons butter goes rancid or spoils when stored outside of the refrigerator. When leaving salted butter out, make sure to store it in the right kind of container to protect it from exposure to those culprits, and save your countertops from melted, spoiled butter. Here are a few suggestions:

• Best storage options: Use a butter dish—or better still, a butter crock or butter keeper—to keep light and air out.

• Lock it down: The more airtight, the longer the taste is preserved.

• Crocks rule: Most butter crocks have a chamber that holds cold water, which sits on top of the surface of the butter keeping it cool and fresh.
  

Storing Butter in the Fridge

Butter is best stored in its original packaging, according to the American Butter Institute. It should be stored in the back of the refrigerator, which is the coldest part of the fridge. Ignore the special butter dish section in the door of some refrigerators and avoid storing it in the refrigerator door, which is a warmer area.

How to Know If Butter Is Off

Give your butter a sniff if you are concerned it may have turned, or take a small taste. If you detect any rancid notes or unpleasant (and unusual) sour tastes, it may have gone bad and you should discard it.

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.