Butter crock

I like to make Amish butter from time to time:
That is - buy the best and most natural heavy cream. Shake heavy cream till it becomes butter, strain, rinse with cold water, put curds together with spatula.

Otherwise I buy Kate's Homemade butter.

I like to spread my butter on bread by itself or to underline cheese, jam, honey, fish row...

You got it - I need to be able to spread it.
So, take the butter from the fridge and keep it at room temperature for half an hour... Never works this way.

Recently I used butter from butter bell crock at my friends' house and fell in love with the idea. The idea actually belongs to our grand-grands who lived without the fridge or electricity.

Below is a helpful review as how to use the crock. I found it on Amazon (Credit):

I make homemade butter from fresh raw (unpasteurized) milk and the butter bell keeps it fresh on my counter top. The butter bell works well in cooler months but when summer sets in, it is possible for the butter to slide into the water --butter is still good, just scoop it out of the water. In winter months, change the water every few days; in summer months, use very cold water and change it everyday. Use around 1.5" of salted tap water in your butter bell to make the seal. The purpose of the water is to seal the butter off so it will not oxidize as quickly. The purpose of the salt is to stop mold in the summer months. It sounds like a lot work but it doesn't take 10 seconds. For those of you who buy retail butter, it is pasteurized and usually salted so it keeps longer than homemade butter. In Summer, place your butter bell in the fridge after retiring for the evening. First thing in the morning, take it out for the day. In winter, if changing the water regularly your butter will stay fresh on the counter for several weeks; however, in summer, your butter will only stay fresh for a week. If using raw butter in the butter bell you can only leave it out for a week in winter and a few days in summer. You must wash your butter bell in hot water and soap when all butter has been used before putting in more butter or it might mold (especially if you don't use salt in your water). Again, it may seem like a lot of time spent but it is not once you do it a few times it only takes seconds.  




Can't decide though whether I should buy Le Creuset or a plain one. 10 bucks vs. 30 bucks. 

Norpro Stoneware Butter Keeper (Amazon)

Le Creuset Stoneware Butter Crock (Williams-Sonoma)