Butter dish is a special type of dish used to hold and serve the butter. The dish has special base and a lid with handle. A typical dish used for serving the butter measures 8 X 5 inches. These dishes are made up of materials like porcelain, stainless steel, and silver. The butter crock or French butter dish is an alternate to this kind of dish. This dish is specially used to retain the softness and freshness of butter without refrigeration. This dish is distinguished by its bell shaped lid which also doubles up as a container and a hollow cylinder base. The butter is added to the lid or cup and the water is added to the base of the butter dish. The water keeps the oxygen away from butter and helps to retain its freshness. In such a dish, the freshness of butter can be retained for a month given to the point the dish is stored at 27 degree Celsius and the water is changed regularly.
Origin of Butter Dish
There are historical evidences which suggest that butter was a common food item even during the time of King Tut because it was one of the culinary treasures buried with his tomb. It became a regular but luxury food item in 19th century tables across the globe. Before that, in most of the countries women made butter to be consumed at home and rarely commercialized it. When the commercialization began, the manufacturers began molding it into the pound cake which measured 4 inches in diameter. These butter pound cakes were commercialized placed on a round shaped dish. This dish was fitted with an ice chamber with pierced liner which helped to retain the freshness of the butter over the melting ice. The first butter dishes were made up of silver and were mainly used by kings and other upper classes of the society. Today they are made up of different materials and come in different shapes too.
How to Use a Butter Dish
The stick of the butter which ought to be served, needs to be removed from refrigerator atleast 30 to 60 minutes before the serving time. This allows the butter to soften and also enhances its taste. Most of the commercially available butter dishes are developed so as to hold single butter sticks. Once the butter stick is unwrapped from its foil it should be placed at the base of the butter dish. And, it is always better to place it in the center to avoid getting crushed by the lid. After centering the butter stick, it is advisable to cover the dish with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for up to an hour before the serving time. The butter tastes good if the butter dish is taken out of the refrigerator at least an hour before the serving time.