Refrigerate Butter?

[valerie]

"They" now say that re-using that grease is a carcinogenic...(causes cancers) but who knew? And what doesn't cause cancer these days? lol

Well apparently this "butter bell" crock is supposed to guarantee to keep the butter fresh left on the counter/cabinet...... my friend swears by it. Hmmm...I am thinking about trying it.

On the healthier side of things I just ate a Lean Cuisine Chicken Fried Rice and it wasn't bad...doctored it up a bit with some teriaki sauce but not bad. Yes it is only 10 am but hey i am a stay home mom, what the heck?

Oh, the things my Mom used to do back then! I think I've mentioned it
before: stuff the turkey the night before Thanksgiving, and then, because
there wasn't enough room in the fridge, LEAVE IT OUT ON THE KITCHEN
COUNTER OVERNIGHT! Margarine and white bread every day on the table
for meals. Canned watery spinach.

Our only saving grace was a HUGE garden, all that fresh stuff for months
on end... and meats my dad brought in.

(BTW, Lean Cuisines are not bad at all... they've got some new ones out
by I always have really liked their 'sghetti and meatballs!

[jennyswan]

I wouldn't refrigerate real homemade butter but you should also use it quickly. I would refrigerate margarine though.
There is nothing like a big slice of hot toast with real melting butter on it. Yummy

[Nomad]

from Land 'o Lakes....(i would never keep a dairy product at room temp. but i know lots of people who do. ) Storage

• Always keep butter refrigerated. Store it in its original container in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not the warmer "butter keeper" on the door. Store it away from foods with a distinctive odor like cheese, onions, garlic, etc..
• Refrigerate unused portions of opened butter in a covered dish.
• LAND O LAKES® Butter has a shelf life of four months. For longer storage, freeze in carton.

Butter is salted which acts as a preservative, its safe to keep out.

[lady cop]

Butter is salted which acts as a preservative, its safe to keep out.

oh, so you're going to argue with land 'o lakes? the butter people?? and what about unsalted butter, HUH??? how much salt do you think is in butter anyway? it's not exactly salted cod you know. pffffttttt

[Nomad]

Land o Lakes, hmmm I wonder where that could be ? This has been a debate in my own house, we called Land o Lakes and that was their reply.

[lady cop]

it was their website ..but i agree it does get rancid if left out for too long.

[Nomad]

They said its ok for a few days due to the salt but the unsalted must be refrigerated. Theyre probably just playing it safe.

[Lil~Basco]

it's not exactly salted cod you know. pffffttttt

Sorry LC....but that was a good one!

[robinseggs]

They said its ok for a few days due to the salt but the unsalted must be refrigerated. Theyre probably just playing it safe.

AH-HA!! So the unsalted is not safe to leave out? Hmmm...its the only kind I like. I think the salted butters taste stale. It's the only kind my parents buy.... really ruins a whole meal in my opinion!! Anyhow, so now I still wonder....and will have to ask Land o Lakes about this "Butter Bell" thing.......can I store unsalted butter in THERE??????? UGH!!!! What do you guys think?

[robinseggs]

Well if anybody is still reading this thread...saw this in an email I got today and thought I'd share it....checked it out w/ Snopes already so it is valid....



Claim: Ingestion of some types of margarine increases the risk of coronary disease.
Status: True.

Example: [Collected via e-mail, 2003]


The difference between butter and margarine?

Both have the same amount of calories, butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams. Eating margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.

Eating butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods, butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few only because they are added! Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavours of other foods. Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years.

Now for Margarine, very high in trans fatty acids triple risk of Coronary Heart Disease, Increases total and LDL ( This is the bad Cholesterol), Lowers HDL cholesterol and this is the good one, Increases the risk of cancers by up to five fold, lowers quality of breast milk, decreases immune response, and decreases insulin response.

And here is the most disturbing fact......

Margarine is but one molecule from being PLASTIC..... (This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated, this means hydrogen is added changing the molecular structure of the food.)

You can try this for yourself, purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area, within a couple of days you will note a couple of things, no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it, (that should tell you something) it does not rot, smell differently... Because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow on it, even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow... Why?

Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?


Origins: This
compilation began circulating on the Internet in June 2003, often under the title "Butter vs. Margarine."

Surprisingly enough, there is a fair bit of truth to it. According to the latest findings in the medical world, margarine can increase the risk of heart disease, depending upon the type of fat contained in the spread. Previously, the dietary villain in the development of coronary disease was presumed to be saturated fat, but new evidence points the finger to trans fat (also known as trans fatty acids). Although butter has its own set of dietary shortcomings, it does not contain trans fat.

In 1994, Harvard University researchers reported that people who ate partially hydrogenated oils, which are high in trans fats, had nearly twice the risk of heart attacks as those who consumed much less of the substance. Several large studies in the United States and elsewhere, including the Nurses' Health Study conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, have also suggested a strong link between earlier death and consumption of foods high in trans fat.

Trans fats occur naturally in small amounts in some foods, including meat and dairy products, but most trans fats in the American diet are formed when vegetable oils are chemically changed to give them a longer shelf life. Cookies, potato chips, baked products, and the like are particularly loaded with trans fats.

The Food and Drug Administration, the National Academy, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. and the American Heart Association all recommend consumers limit their intake of trans fat wherever possible. Moreover, the federal government has insisted that by 2006 all food labels disclose how much trans fat products contain.

Until that labelling change comes into effect, consumers should be wary of any foodstuff that makes mention of containing "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" ingredients. They should also not make the mistake of assuming saturated fats are now good for them or no longer pose any danger to their health. This is not a time to be wallowing in butter.

Those still tussling with the "butter versus margarine" controversy, or who just want to know how their margarine stacks up against others might find the following comparison chart informative. Numbers given in grams refer to how many grams of each particular type of fat there are per tablespoon of that brand. (A tablespoon of butter or margarine contains 14 grams.) Numbers given as percentages represent the impact of one tablespoon of that spread on the recommended daily allowance of that substance. Margarines sampled were of the "tub" variety. (The same margarines in "stick" form had consistently higher numbers.) Total Fat Saturated Polyunsaturated Monounsaturated
Butter 11g (17%) 7g (36%) 0 0
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter 10g (15%) 2g (10%) 4.5g 4.5g
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light 5g (8%) 1g (5%) 2.5g 1.5g
Parkay 8g (13%) 1.5g (8%) 4g 2g
Fleischmann's 9g (14%) 1.5g (10%) 4g 3g
Blue Bonnet 7g (14%) 1.5g (10%) 3g 2g
Imperial 7g (10%) 1.5g (7%) 3g 1.5g
Country Crock (Shedd's Spread) 7g (10%) 1.5g (7%) 3g 1.5g
Because butter is an animal product, it contains cholesterol, amounting to 30 mg per tablespoon or 10% of the USDA recommended daily allowance. Margarines, because they are non-animal products, do not.

The preceeding chart says nothing about which margarines contain trans fats or how much because this information is not always included on product labels.

Although a great deal of the information given in the e-mail is valid, one bit of intelligence is nothing more than hyperbole tossed in by the author in an effort to make his point more strongly. The claim that some comestible is but a "single molecule away" from being a decidedly inedible (or even toxic) substance has been applied to a variety of processed foods.

[Collected via e-mail, 2005]