So I understand that the point of a butter bell is that your cup of butter is not exposed to the outside air because the water creates a seal. What I don’t understand is that there is still some air trapped between the butter and this water seal because the water doesn’t touch the butter. Is the reason why butter lasts longer because the amount of air and consequently bacteria the butter is exposed to less than if it was not in a seal? I would’ve thought that because the butter has the same surface area exposed to the air with or without the seal, the seal is unnecessary.
Please help, my girlfriend and I are fighting.
In: 24
Food can “go bad” in a number of different ways, and only some are relevant to butter.
You don’t have to be particularly concerned about bacteria or mold in your butter, especially if it is salted. The relatively low water content makes it inhospitable to most living things.
You do have to be concerned about the fat going rancid. This is an oxidization reaction that requires air. However, just like other oxidization reactions like rust or fire, it uses the air as “fuel.” Keeping the butter under a dish does the same thing as smothering a fire in a pan – cuts off the fuel source. The butter will still oxidize, especially if you’re constantly lifting the lid of the dish, but it will do so slower than butter exposed to fresh air at all times.
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