A little lesson in physics. You only need enough water in the bottom of the crock to maintain a seal along the edge of the bell, taking into consideration altitude and temperature in your kitchen to have a slight reserve because of natural evaporation. You do not have to add more water as your butter level is depleted. The water is not going to naturally extend up into the bell, displacing air, ever. The air volume may fractionally decrease, or increase due to changes in temperature or air pressure. If you have ordered a French butter crock, you are going to love the soft creamy yet fresh butter you scoop out if it. Well worth the little bit of maintenance involved. Bon Appétit
Thanks for the tips. Water tension will prevent it from getting in the dome so you can always use the same amount of water. You can test this by submerging an empty shot glass upside down in a larger clear glass. Stay safe everyone! Cheers.
There are instructions on the side of the box. 1/2 CUP( ONE STICK) IN CROCK . 1/3 CUP OF WATER IN BASE. CHANGE WATER EVERY 3 DAYS. BUTTER STAYS FRESH 2 TO 3 WEEKS.
Unsalted butter goes bad faster. The salt in salted butter is there for preservation as much as taste. So if you're getting soured butter, use one with a higher salt content.
I just heard of Butter Bells and this video popped up for how to use one. Thanks! I will be looking for one in the thrift stores and yard sales. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Cat - I just went to a rummage sale today....found the original Butter Bell from L. Tremain, Inc. and snagged it for a quarter! 😂 ..... Found another one this summer at another church rummage sale for fifty cents! 😂😂 They're out there. Have fun ❤️
Thank you for posting this video. It has helped me to decide not to get one because I use butter but only a few times a month if that. And I was watching a few other videos about the butter bell but they didn't give the information about how often to change the water. That is very important information to have. I was seriously thinking about getting one but as I said I don't use butter often enough for it to stay fresh in one of these. I just use butter on pasta. So I can just cut off the amount I want to use and leave it out for as long as it takes to soften up for use on the pasta I'm having for dinner. 🍝
I live in the USA, and I buy organic butter. I keep a stick of butter on a covered dish next to my range, I use it within 2 weeks, and never goes sour. This leads me to question what preservatives are added (and not disclosed). When I lived in Mexico, i would buy butter directly from artisan producers, and that butter went sour within a week or two even if kept in the fridge. I just got myself a butter crock, and after seeing this video, I will use it just for the novelty. Good health and happiness to all.
Thank you. Good butter is hard to find here. I usually get 2 weeks out of mine in the crock. It’s nice having it soft and ready. Thank you for the support!
I heard about a butter bell crock and wanted to see what it is? I am happy enough to just stick with my butter dish on the counter, this seems like a lot of fuss and trouble to just keep butter. Very helpful video, thanks.
It can be annoying to use a butter bell but if you make your own butter, you probably do so by shaking a cup of whipping cream in a jar then straining and rinsing the buttermilk out, this leaves you about a half cup of butter in a ball and a butter bell is round. Of course, you can buy silicon molds to form the sticks to use in a standard butter dish but the round shape is just more natural to stuff the round ball of butter into. Problem is, all the rinsing of the butter to rinse out the butter milk can get between the butter and the ceramic bell and cause the butter to slip out so you want to dry the butter in a paper towel. If the butter does fall out, dry the butter out in a paper towel again, wash out and dry the butter bell and wad the butter back in either with a spoon or just stuff it in with the paper towel you dumped it onto. One quart of whipping cream makes the same amount of butter as a brick of butter but is less expensive and it's a bit creamier, problem is the home made butter seems to be used faster for some reason. I must admit that I also tend to think the bell is a bit too much trouble but our silver butter dish has much of the silver worn out and this is starting to darken the butter so I'm trying the bell out.
I've been using my bell for several years now. Spreadable real butter is addictive. The taste of real butter is so much better and much better for you. Thanks for stopping by. Lisa
TFS. I've had a new butter bell sitting in my pantry un-used because I just wasn't sure how to use it. Now that I know I can't wait to use it. TY again!!
Be sure the water in the bell is high enough so it touches the butter. This way you will eliminate the air in the bell and it will last longer. I go through a stick of butter about every 3 days and the taste is awesome. I clean the bell in between each stick. Thanks for tuning in. Lisa
It took about 2 months to get the hubs away from his addiction to plastic margarine. Now he wont eat anything but butter. Even he says the taste is so much better.
It would seem that any space between the butter and the bottom of the "bell" (not the outside container) would still hold an air bubble since there is no way to "burp" the air out from that space. Without that, the air will always be between the water and the butter.
Exactly right. You only need enough water to cover the bottom of the bell when it is in the crock. No water should be in the bell no matter the butter level, unless there's a major barometric pressure shift from low pressure to high pressure. Even then, intrusion by the water is minimal.
@@prometheussmithksu I agree with Terry. If you turn the bell upside down, there is that air that fills up the rest of the bell itself. How does the container the holds the water get ride of that air?
Does the water need to be touching the butter or just come up over the rim? I just used my butter bell for the first time and my butter molded after 3 days. Thanks!
Why would I add more water if there's less butter in the bell? It seems to me the seal should work just as well, no matter the volume of water, as long as the water is high enough to hit the lip of the inverted top.
Exactly correct. A small amount of water, say an inch or so is enough. To check, simply pull the bell out and check how high the water mark is on the outside of the bell.
I have been putting my butter in a small lock-n-lock (which seal great) for like 12 years and I leave it on my counter. We use butter often. When that stick is done, I wash the container and put in another stick. I do have 4 of the same small size lock-n-locks so I just rotate them which makes it easier. I do love this butter bell but seems like more work than what it’s worth.
Hello, very informative video. Thank you. I have a question about a butter crock I bought at a thrift store. The bell has 2 sets of 2 small holes (about the diameter of a bamboo skewer). The butter crock I had years ago did not have them and I’ve not seen one on line with holes. Would you know the purpose of these holes?
Hmmm I have never had a problem with butter going rancid on the counter, which I attributed to the low water content of butter. I worry that the humidity plus the high nutrient content of butter would lead to bacterial and mold growth. But, if it’s been in use for hundreds of years, who am I to knock it!
I stopped using mine. I tried for months, changed the water often, and my butter molded after only a few days every time. I can throw my butter in a covered dish and leave it on the counter for a month and it won't mold or sour.
Air is a big killer in food. By adding the water you fill the space in between the butter and the bottom of the bell pushing all the air out. Thanks for tuning in. Lisa
Preferred water to use is either filter water (PUR, ZERO etc) or Bottled Water, which have impurities removed. Tap water in some municipalities have Chlorine in their systems.
@@gordonray Correct, however chlorine gas will probably not be dissolved in the water by the time the bottle reaches you. However the chlorine will leave the water in the crock quite quickly too, and I've never had an issue using tap water in mine.
My family goes through butter like crazy but I’m thinking a better idea would be to just put the butter in the crock with an air tight lid. Remembering to change the water would be a pain.
You don't have to change the water every 3 days. You only add fresh water and clean the cup once the butter is used all up. And you are loading it again. I've used it like this for years with no issues.
Preston Smith exactly my thoughts 😂 I truly wont even allow margarine in my home. At all. I’m very open minded to a lot of things and don’t care what others do, except margarine. Margarine will get trashed.
Are you implying the water will continue to rise to meet lowering levels of butter? If so, not so. There will be an increasing pocket of air between the rim of the bell and the butter as the butter is used, no matter how much water you put in the shell/cup. Unless you shake (burp? haha) the air out, you will need to put in more than 34 feet of water before overcoming atmospheric pressure. Get it?
The level of the water in the jar isn't the problem; water clings to the rim of the bell, and when you take it out and invert the lid to get at the butter, that water will trickle into the bell, down to the lid area; if there are any holes or cracks, the water will get in there and cause problems with the adhesion of the butter to the lid and walls.
Soft, room temperature butter that’s easily spreadable. The benefit of this as opposed to just a butter dish is the crock keeps the butter fresh and from spoiling. Eliminating bacteria.
Arkady Grinshpun the water never touches the butter. Take a shot glass and flip it over in a glass lined with water and you will see how no water goes into the shot glass. Same concept.
Yes, Laura. It's a little harder than opening a stick from the store but knowing how to do it makes a big difference. I like knowing what our forefathers did to supply their needs. I hope I never have to depend on a cow for my butter but you never know. ;) Thanks for stopping by. Lisa
You gotta look at it this way, if you only use it for spreading butter like she says it's amazing. The extra work setting it up real quick is worth all the annoying frustrations of spreading butter straight out of the refrigerator. But yeah if you only bake with butter or leave it on the counter like some sort of savage the bell is unnecessary
@C R You absolutely could, and most people do, but it doesn't create a vacuum seal like the butter bell would. Granted it doesn't really matter, most of the time the butter will get used before it spoils due to the air inside the container. But it WILL spoil faster than butter in a bell. honestly I've only met like 3 people who even have them and one of those people gave me mine, so they are super niche. I just think they are cool, look nicer than a plastic container, and are super(niche) useful.
You're camera is too far away from you, can't see clearly what you are attempting to demonstrate and explain. Narrative is useful, but the video/demo is not worth watching.
@@jennifercate8996 when your life is already busy most people don't want to add unnecessary time if something can be done easier or quicker. This isn't for everyone and thats perfectly ok
ashontay owens I mean 🤷🏻♀️... I’m super busy as a single mom with loads to do, but I just don’t consider spooning butter into a dish and changing some water a lot of work. Especially for soft butter, that helps prevent bacteria and the butter going sour. I understand what you’re saying, and I do agree to each their own. And it’s just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions 😉. Have a good one!
Хобби
A little lesson in physics.
You only need enough water in the bottom of the crock to maintain a seal along the edge of the bell, taking into consideration altitude and temperature in your kitchen to have a slight reserve because of natural evaporation. You do not have to add more water as your butter level is depleted. The water is not going to naturally extend up into the bell, displacing air, ever. The air volume may fractionally decrease, or increase due to changes in temperature or air pressure.
If you have ordered a French butter crock, you are going to love the soft creamy yet fresh butter you scoop out if it. Well worth the little bit of maintenance involved.
Bon Appétit
Thanks, Marc 🌹
You made this video 8 years ago, an ocean away, and it helped me today. Thank you ma'am.
Thanks for the tips. Water tension will prevent it from getting in the dome so you can always use the same amount of water. You can test this by submerging an empty shot glass upside down in a larger clear glass. Stay safe everyone! Cheers.
Thanks for all the tips. Receiving my butter bell today!
thx for sharing how to use butter bell - was not aware of it until this morning
There are instructions on the side of the box. 1/2 CUP( ONE STICK) IN CROCK . 1/3 CUP OF WATER IN BASE. CHANGE WATER EVERY 3 DAYS. BUTTER STAYS FRESH 2 TO 3 WEEKS.
Maybe on yours! 🤣
People like you are needed in this world! ♥️👍🌹Thank you for the instructions from the box! xoxo
Unsalted butter goes bad faster. The salt in salted butter is there for preservation as much as taste. So if you're getting soured butter, use one with a higher salt content.
Never thought about this!!
I just heard of Butter Bells and this video popped up for how to use one. Thanks! I will be looking for one in the thrift stores and yard sales. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Cat - I just went to a rummage sale today....found the original Butter Bell from L. Tremain, Inc. and snagged it for a quarter! 😂 ..... Found another one this summer at another church rummage sale for fifty cents! 😂😂 They're out there. Have fun ❤️
This is a great video. Thanks for the help!
Thank you for posting this video.
It has helped me to decide not to get one because I use butter but only a few times a month if that.
And I was watching a few other videos about the butter bell but they didn't give the information about how often to change the water.
That is very important information to have.
I was seriously thinking about getting one but as I said I don't use butter often enough for it to stay fresh in one of these.
I just use butter on pasta.
So I can just cut off the amount I want to use and leave it out for as long as it takes to soften up for use on the pasta I'm having for dinner. 🍝
I live in the USA, and I buy organic butter. I keep a stick of butter on a covered dish next to my range, I use it within 2 weeks, and never goes sour. This leads me to question what preservatives are added (and not disclosed). When I lived in Mexico, i would buy butter directly from artisan producers, and that butter went sour within a week or two even if kept in the fridge. I just got myself a butter crock, and after seeing this video, I will use it just for the novelty. Good health and happiness to all.
Thank you. Good butter is hard to find here. I usually get 2 weeks out of mine in the crock. It’s nice having it soft and ready. Thank you for the support!
I heard about a butter bell crock and wanted to see what it is? I am happy enough to just stick with my butter dish on the counter, this seems like a lot of fuss and trouble to just keep butter. Very helpful video, thanks.
It can be annoying to use a butter bell but if you make your own butter, you probably do so by shaking a cup of whipping cream in a jar then straining and rinsing the buttermilk out, this leaves you about a half cup of butter in a ball and a butter bell is round. Of course, you can buy silicon molds to form the sticks to use in a standard butter dish but the round shape is just more natural to stuff the round ball of butter into. Problem is, all the rinsing of the butter to rinse out the butter milk can get between the butter and the ceramic bell and cause the butter to slip out so you want to dry the butter in a paper towel. If the butter does fall out, dry the butter out in a paper towel again, wash out and dry the butter bell and wad the butter back in either with a spoon or just stuff it in with the paper towel you dumped it onto. One quart of whipping cream makes the same amount of butter as a brick of butter but is less expensive and it's a bit creamier, problem is the home made butter seems to be used faster for some reason. I must admit that I also tend to think the bell is a bit too much trouble but our silver butter dish has much of the silver worn out and this is starting to darken the butter so I'm trying the bell out.
You have made me want to try a butter bell!!
I've been using my bell for several years now. Spreadable real butter is addictive. The taste of real butter is so much better and much better for you. Thanks for stopping by. Lisa
thank you, that was helpful.
TFS. I've had a new butter bell sitting in my pantry un-used because I just wasn't sure how to use it. Now that I know I can't wait to use it. TY again!!
Be sure the water in the bell is high enough so it touches the butter. This way you will eliminate the air in the bell and it will last longer. I go through a stick of butter about every 3 days and the taste is awesome. I clean the bell in between each stick. Thanks for tuning in. Lisa
Doesn’t the water get nasty just sitting there? As in stale, start getting bacteria, etc.?
@@nwadmartin Which is why the water is changed out every few days for butter bells/crocks to keep the butter from going bad from stale water.
Thank you Lisa for this wonderful tutorial... Happy Holidays and blessings for you and your family.
Yep Lisa I luv my butter bell too 👍😉
It took about 2 months to get the hubs away from his addiction to plastic margarine. Now he wont eat anything but butter. Even he says the taste is so much better.
Thank you!
thank you for sharing
You're welcome. Thank you for watching. Lisa
I just got one and my butter fell out of the bell part; now I know why! Great information.
thank you
Oh wow, I didn't use mine correctly before getting rid of it! It came with no directions. Thanks for this and the tips.
Thats why its good to look into things before acting
It would seem that any space between the butter and the bottom of the "bell" (not the outside container) would still hold an air bubble since there is no way to "burp" the air out from that space. Without that, the air will always be between the water and the butter.
Exactly right. You only need enough water to cover the bottom of the bell when it is in the crock. No water should be in the bell no matter the butter level, unless there's a major barometric pressure shift from low pressure to high pressure. Even then, intrusion by the water is minimal.
@@prometheussmithksu I agree with Terry. If you turn the bell upside down, there is that air that fills up the rest of the bell itself. How does the container the holds the water get ride of that air?
Lol here because of @sam the cooking guy
Does the water need to be touching the butter or just come up over the rim? I just used my butter bell for the first time and my butter molded after 3 days. Thanks!
Why would I add more water if there's less butter in the bell? It seems to me the seal should work just as well, no matter the volume of water, as long as the water is high enough to hit the lip of the inverted top.
Exactly correct. A small amount of water, say an inch or so is enough. To check, simply pull the bell out and check how high the water mark is on the outside of the bell.
I believe this to be correct. The box says 1/3 cup will seal it.
You dont add more water, shes just incorrect about that .
Thx’s
I always use a spoon too!!!
I have been putting my butter in a small lock-n-lock (which seal great) for like 12 years and I leave it on my counter. We use butter often. When that stick is done, I wash the container and put in another stick. I do have 4 of the same small size lock-n-locks so I just rotate them which makes it easier. I do love this butter bell but seems like more work than what it’s worth.
Some people want to get away from the ugly stuff and the plastic stuff. That lock-n-lock is both.
Hello, very informative video. Thank you. I have a question about a butter crock I bought at a thrift store. The bell has 2 sets of 2 small holes (about the diameter of a bamboo skewer). The butter crock I had years ago did not have them and I’ve not seen one on line with holes. Would you know the purpose of these holes?
They’re probably there to allow the air to escape. Air and light are what effects the butter.
I thought she shared her other video links in the comments, looking for those.
I’m looking for that link you promised for making butter. 🤔
If you use unsalted butter, salt the water. I think that prevents it from going sour
Not gonna lie. Parents have one of these, had no clue how it works so I came here to refill it correctly without looking dumb lol
At least you’re filling it for them instead of leaving it empty. Your parents raised you right! :)
I've made fresh butter, it turns sour fast on counter, I will try it with the butter bell
Add Salt
I keep butter in my cabinet I don't have much issue but then again I use a stick of butter every wonder two days
Hmmm I have never had a problem with butter going rancid on the counter, which I attributed to the low water content of butter.
I worry that the humidity plus the high nutrient content of butter would lead to bacterial and mold growth. But, if it’s been in use for hundreds of years, who am I to knock it!
Nice, but you should be using Kerrygold Irish butter.
It's the best.
I stopped using mine. I tried for months, changed the water often, and my butter molded after only a few days every time. I can throw my butter in a covered dish and leave it on the counter for a month and it won't mold or sour.
I am confused. Is the water touching the butter? I just dont understand how to know how much water to add.
Disregard question. I read many comments, which answered my question.
So should the water be touching the butter?
No
What is the purpose of the water?
Air is a big killer in food. By adding the water you fill the space in between the butter and the bottom of the bell pushing all the air out. Thanks for tuning in. Lisa
alleviate - eliminate?
Preferred water to use is either filter water (PUR, ZERO etc) or Bottled Water, which have impurities removed. Tap water in some municipalities have Chlorine in their systems.
Bottled water mostly comes from tap water sources and not natural springs.
@@gordonray Correct, however chlorine gas will probably not be dissolved in the water by the time the bottle reaches you. However the chlorine will leave the water in the crock quite quickly too, and I've never had an issue using tap water in mine.
5 days, I leave butter opened for months
My family goes through butter like crazy but I’m thinking a better idea would be to just put the butter in the crock with an air tight lid. Remembering to change the water would be a pain.
You don't have to change the water every 3 days. You only add fresh water and clean the cup once the butter is used all up. And you are loading it again. I've used it like this for years with no issues.
Can I use it for country crock spread?
That goes in the trash can, not a butter bell.
Preston Smith exactly my thoughts 😂 I truly wont even allow margarine in my home. At all. I’m very open minded to a lot of things and don’t care what others do, except margarine. Margarine will get trashed.
Are you implying the water will continue to rise to meet lowering levels of butter? If so, not so. There will be an increasing pocket of air between the rim of the bell and the butter as the butter is used, no matter how much water you put in the shell/cup. Unless you shake (burp? haha) the air out, you will need to put in more than 34 feet of water before overcoming atmospheric pressure. Get it?
Nope. Not implying that at all. Thank for stopping by. Lisa
The level of the water in the jar isn't the problem; water clings to the rim of the bell, and when you take it out and invert the lid to get at the butter, that water will trickle into the bell, down to the lid area; if there are any holes or cracks, the water will get in there and cause problems with the adhesion of the butter to the lid and walls.
That answers how; but why use this? What are the benefits?
@Mark Beckert is the butter supposed to come in contact with the water? Or is there supposed to be some air space between the water and the butter?
@Mark Beckert ... And there is no problem with the top (bottom, when inverted) of the butter being in contact with water the whole time?
Soft butter
Soft, room temperature butter that’s easily spreadable. The benefit of this as opposed to just a butter dish is the crock keeps the butter fresh and from spoiling. Eliminating bacteria.
Arkady Grinshpun the water never touches the butter. Take a shot glass and flip it over in a glass lined with water and you will see how no water goes into the shot glass. Same concept.
Seems like a lot of work for butter
Yes, Laura. It's a little harder than opening a stick from the store but knowing how to do it makes a big difference. I like knowing what our forefathers did to supply their needs. I hope I never have to depend on a cow for my butter but you never know. ;) Thanks for stopping by. Lisa
You gotta look at it this way, if you only use it for spreading butter like she says it's amazing. The extra work setting it up real quick is worth all the annoying frustrations of spreading butter straight out of the refrigerator.
But yeah if you only bake with butter or leave it on the counter like some sort of savage the bell is unnecessary
@C R You absolutely could, and most people do, but it doesn't create a vacuum seal like the butter bell would.
Granted it doesn't really matter, most of the time the butter will get used before it spoils due to the air inside the container. But it WILL spoil faster than butter in a bell.
honestly I've only met like 3 people who even have them and one of those people gave me mine, so they are super niche.
I just think they are cool, look nicer than a plastic container, and are super(niche) useful.
@C R Yerpp exactly perfect analogy
Wow, pocket full of crazy!
Suzaynn Schick 🤪😂
Salted butter lasts longer ...
Informative video, but coukd be better or great, if you weren’t so far demo’ing. Otherwise I listened to your info.:)
I fart
You're camera is too far away from you, can't see clearly what you are attempting to demonstrate and explain. Narrative is useful, but the video/demo is not worth watching.
I think you mean "eliminate."
It's a shame the crock is white and so is your top - no contrast so not easy to see 🙄
I have one question...... Why? This is too much work for me! It's butter for christ sake.
exactly. butter dish is nice and easy for me LOL
This is considered a lot of work?
@@jennifercate8996 when your life is already busy most people don't want to add unnecessary time if something can be done easier or quicker. This isn't for everyone and thats perfectly ok
ashontay owens I mean 🤷🏻♀️... I’m super busy as a single mom with loads to do, but I just don’t consider spooning butter into a dish and changing some water a lot of work. Especially for soft butter, that helps prevent bacteria and the butter going sour. I understand what you’re saying, and I do agree to each their own. And it’s just my opinion, and you know what they say about opinions 😉. Have a good one!
ashontay owens - no sarcasm in my reply. Just clarifying, because text can be very hard to interpret at times. 😊
Two many words for a simple thing ...keep your words less