Butter!

[wonkywinch]

100% Natural Butter Canned - Emergency Food - MRE - Canned - Ration | eBay

How much (again!)

 

[Black Sheep]

A lot cheaper on the continent:
Dosenbutter, leicht gesalzen (250g)
But for some reason they don't ship to the UK

 

[Merrick]

I'm amazed that nobody has suggested Ghee from Tescos. We've been using it for several seasons and it keeps forever. Plus also it's much cheaper than the other stuff!

 

[Slowboat35]

Ghee's pretty pungent stuff. I'm not sure I'd want it on toast!

What surprises me is that no one has mentioned the numerous video how-tos on Youtube that show how to 'can' (in the American sense - ie preserve) butter in glass jars. Apparently it lasts years.
It's not hard...

 

[Zing]

Ghee's pretty pungent stuff. I'm not sure I'd want it on toast!

What surprises me is that no one has mentioned the numerous video how-tos on Youtube that show how to 'can' (in the American sense - ie preserve) butter in glass jars.
It's not hard...

That one linked to is bland. I used to buy it. I now make it myself. I did a batch last night. No pungency at all. You can make it that way and it can be right for the right dish just by cooking longer, but it's more a caramel taste. Pungent is not the right word.

You could can or jar your own butter. Or just let it melt. It will be fine for a while. Certainly a week or two.

Another suggestion for those desperate for small quantities of non-refrigerated butter is to buy catering mini-portion packs, the type you get in hotels. Lurpak do sealed ones.

 

[steadyeddy]

Tins of Spam are good.

 

[TwoFish]

Dare I say it-- Fray Bentos meat pies.
There,! someone had to say it.

and tinned haggis.

I think it might have been @wully1 who introduced me to that. It's surprisingly good.

 

[ylop]

Another suggestion for those desperate for small quantities of non-refrigerated butter is to buy catering mini-portion packs, the type you get in hotels. Lurpak do sealed ones.

That was precisely the point of my thread. Are those actually fine out the fridge for long times? I've only seen them in the fridge and many years ago when I worked in a restaurant we kept them in the walk in fridge - but I don't know if they need to be kept there or its just a habit people have? Its fat in a sealed air tight container so even if it melts nothing is going to grow in it - right?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

That was precisely the point of my thread. Are those actually fine out the fridge for long times? I've only seen them in the fridge and many years ago when I worked in a restaurant we kept them in the walk in fridge - but I don't know if they need to be kept there or its just a habit people have? Its fat in a sealed air tight container so even if it melts nothing is going to grow in it - right?

My late wife tended to take things like unused butter in sealed portion packs when we dined out! But I recall that even in the fridge, they didn't keep very well

 

[Fr J Hackett]

That was precisely the point of my thread. Are those actually fine out the fridge for long times? I've only seen them in the fridge and many years ago when I worked in a restaurant we kept them in the walk in fridge - but I don't know if they need to be kept there or its just a habit people have? Its fat in a sealed air tight container so even if it melts nothing is going to grow in it - right?

Butter will spoil in one of two ways, bacteria and or oxidation/ molecular change via light, heat and or air. It will last covered or wrapped in "normal" UK temperature ie out of the fridge for about a week, in the fridge several weeks, in a freezer months depending on how it was stored before it was frozen.

 

[ylop]

My late wife tended to take things like unused butter in sealed portion packs when we dined out! But I recall that even in the fridge, they didn't keep very well

are we talking traditional butter here which is just wrapped in a grease proof foil but not air tight? or the modern spreads which usually are in a little plastic pot with a peel off foil lid?

Butter will spoil in one of two ways, bacteria and or oxidation/ molecular change via light, heat and or air. It will last covered or wrapped in "normal" UK temperature ie out of the fridge for about a week, in the fridge several weeks, in a freezer months depending on how it was stored before it was frozen.

right - but I'm assuming the little tubs with sealed foil lids are actually better at being virtually oxygen free, probably close to sterile to start and if stored cool and our of daylight should last longer than that? I guess more importantly - is it obvious if its gone bad? then I can do my own experiments.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

are we talking traditional butter here which is just wrapped in a grease proof foil but not air tight? or the modern spreads which usually are in a little plastic pot with a peel off foil lid?

right - but I'm assuming the little tubs with sealed foil lids are actually better at being virtually oxygen free, probably close to sterile to start and if stored cool and our of daylight should last longer than that? I guess more importantly - is it obvious if its gone bad? then I can do my own experiments.

Yes the tubs will last reasonably well perhaps a few weeks before they begin to deteriorate, expect colour taste and smell all to progressively change. However the moment you open it then the deterioration will be quicker.

 

[doug748]

That was precisely the point of my thread. Are those actually fine out the fridge for long times? I've only seen them in the fridge and many years ago when I worked in a restaurant we kept them in the walk in fridge - but I don't know if they need to be kept there or its just a habit people have? Its fat in a sealed air tight container so even if it melts nothing is going to grow in it - right?

Butter is good for several weeks, probably a month, depending. I know this because I keep unrefrigerated butter on a sailing boat in the UK. You must keep it in a cool dark place esp in heatwaves.

In post 8 I speculated that salted butter was best. Here is some information from the scientists:

"It Doesn’t Spoil as Quickly as Other Dairy..

Because butter has a high fat content and relatively low water content, it is less likely to support bacterial growth than other types of dairy products.
This is especially true if the butter is salted, which lowers the water content further and makes the environment inhospitable to bacteria.
Salted Varieties Resist Bacterial Growth
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while most types of bacteria would be able to survive on unsalted butter, there is only one type of bacteria that can survive the conditions of salted butter (4Trusted Source).
In one study to determine the shelf life of butter, scientists added several types of bacteria to the butter to see how well they would grow.
After three weeks, the bacterial content was significantly lower than the amount added, demonstrating that butter doesn’t support most bacterial growth (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
Therefore, regular, salted butter has a low risk of bacterial contamination, even when kept at room temperature.

In fact, butter is actually produced with the expectation that consumers will not keep it in the fridge (4Trusted Source)."


When it eventually goes off it has a distinct niff that you won't miss, It's rare 'cos butter tends to get eaten, I have have still used it and cooked with it, you live.

.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

are we talking traditional butter here which is just wrapped in a grease proof foil but not air tight? or the modern spreads which usually are in a little plastic pot with a peel off foil lid?

right - but I'm assuming the little tubs with sealed foil lids are actually better at being virtually oxygen free, probably close to sterile to start and if stored cool and our of daylight should last longer than that? I guess more importantly - is it obvious if its gone bad? then I can do my own experiments.

The former - she didn't bother with foil or paper-wrapped ones.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Butter is good for several weeks, probably a month, depending. I know this because I keep unrefrigerated butter on a sailing boat in the UK. You must keep it in a cool dark place esp in heatwaves.

In post 8 I speculated that salted butter was best. Here is some information from the scientists:

"It Doesn’t Spoil as Quickly as Other Dairy..

Because butter has a high fat content and relatively low water content, it is less likely to support bacterial growth than other types of dairy products.
This is especially true if the butter is salted, which lowers the water content further and makes the environment inhospitable to bacteria.
Salted Varieties Resist Bacterial Growth
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while most types of bacteria would be able to survive on unsalted butter, there is only one type of bacteria that can survive the conditions of salted butter (4Trusted Source).
In one study to determine the shelf life of butter, scientists added several types of bacteria to the butter to see how well they would grow.
After three weeks, the bacterial content was significantly lower than the amount added, demonstrating that butter doesn’t support most bacterial growth (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
Therefore, regular, salted butter has a low risk of bacterial contamination, even when kept at room temperature.

In fact, butter is actually produced with the expectation that consumers will not keep it in the fridge (4Trusted Source)."


When it eventually goes off it has a distinct niff that you won't miss, It's rare 'cos butter tends to get eaten, I have have still used it and cooked with it, you live.

.

But "spreadable" butter, has a high water content to make it spreadable, doesn't it?

 

[doug748]

But "spreadable" butter, has a high water content to make it spreadable, doesn't it?

Yes, best avoided on a boat without a fridge, I think. As are other non butter spreads if your only requirement is longer shelf life.

On sealed butter portions of the vacuum pack "Lurpak" variety, I see that respondents on the Amazon site feel they are usable from between a month, or so, and six months after their Best Before date.

.

 

[MM5AHO]

I have no fridge, but sail on and off most of the summer. I've found several things that last a long time without special storage. It's cooler in Scotland!
Lurpak (standard) butter will last about 4-6 weeks. Tries many others which don't last as long.
Olive spread (Bertolli) I came across when a Vegan joined as crew once. It seems to last all summer!
UHT semiskimmed milk in 1 litre tetrapaks. Lasts monuths unopened, and about 5-7 days opened temp dependent.
Bananas should be kept separate from everything. The ethylene gas they emit affects most fruit and some veg. I string them up from the bunch under the coachroof.
Cheese. Lasts long enough if not eaten! Brie seems to just get better with age, and is best when it starts to flow!
Fruit. and Veg. In the locker under a bunk, next to the hull, coolest place I have.
Jam: scrape the mould off the top if it forms, then rest is OK. Home made jams don't go mouldy.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Butter is good for several weeks, probably a month, depending. I know this because I keep unrefrigerated butter on a sailing boat in the UK. You must keep it in a cool dark place esp in heatwaves.

In post 8 I speculated that salted butter was best. Here is some information from the scientists:

"It Doesn’t Spoil as Quickly as Other Dairy..

Because butter has a high fat content and relatively low water content, it is less likely to support bacterial growth than other types of dairy products.
This is especially true if the butter is salted, which lowers the water content further and makes the environment inhospitable to bacteria.
Salted Varieties Resist Bacterial Growth
According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while most types of bacteria would be able to survive on unsalted butter, there is only one type of bacteria that can survive the conditions of salted butter (4Trusted Source).
In one study to determine the shelf life of butter, scientists added several types of bacteria to the butter to see how well they would grow.
After three weeks, the bacterial content was significantly lower than the amount added, demonstrating that butter doesn’t support most bacterial growth (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
Therefore, regular, salted butter has a low risk of bacterial contamination, even when kept at room temperature.

In fact, butter is actually produced with the expectation that consumers will not keep it in the fridge (4Trusted Source)."


When it eventually goes off it has a distinct niff that you won't miss, It's rare 'cos butter tends to get eaten, I have have still used it and cooked with it, you live.

.

In Ireland, the use of unsalted butter is almost unknown, as is the phenomenon of butter going off. As I mentioned earlier, in the early 20th Century, peat harvesters unearthed kegs of still edible butter that had been buried during the Middle Ages.
As I type, an ad for Òr Butter has magically appeared at the bottom of the page, but I would place my faith in Kerrygold, if you can still get it in the UK in these post-Bxxxxt times.?

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Tins of Spam are good.

For ballast!

 

[Rhylsailer99]

One day I will sail south until the butter melts.