Can butter be frozen?
We usually think about freezing other products, reaching for fruits (raspberries or blueberries), vegetables (brussel sprouts or spinach), or even mushrooms (slippery jacks, chanterelles, or parasol mushrooms).
So let’s also think about freezing butter, shall we?
Can butter be frozen?
Both “traditional” butter produced from animal milk and a plant-based one (and margarine as well!) can be frozen. Just as is the case with other products, freezing lets you retain butter’s freshness and other qualities, taste included.
It’s important because butter can’t be stored in one’s refrigerator for too long. Outside of it, it tends to go rancid pretty fast and acquires a different taste. So if you plan a longer trip, it takes you a while to use up an entire portion of butter, or you have bought a ton of butter on an unexpected sale, freezing may be the perfect solution for you.
How to freeze butter?
Once you decide to freeze butter, you need to remember a couple of things.
Most importantly, pay attention to your product’s shelf life. It’s definitely best to freeze butter that has long shelf life ahead. Freezing may hinder the bacteria growth but you have to remember that it becomes almost twice as fast for thawed products, so your thawed butter has to be used as quickly as possible. Especially if it was frozen right before its expiry date.
Equally important is the container you intend to use for freezing butter. When it comes to plant-based kinds of butter which are usually already in plastic boxes because of the product’s consistency, the original packaging is best for freezing.
An animal-based butter can hardly be frozen in its original packaging. That’s because once frozen, it’s difficult to cut it into smaller portions, and once thawed, the butter has to be used quickly.
It’s much better to prepare smaller portions of animal-based butter before it’s put in the freezer. You can wrap each portion in tin foil and place it in a way that will prevent them from touching one another. If the portion you thaw proves to be too much for your needs, you can use it to bake a cake.
How to thaw butter?
It’s recommended to use frozen butter in 3 months tops. There are a couple of ways to thaw your butter when the time comes, and the one best for you depends on what you’ll be using it for.
If you need melted butter, you can put your frozen product in the microwave or a warm water bath.
If you need it to spread some on your sandwiches, it’s best to leave your frozen butter in the refrigerator for a couple of hours first. That will help the butter soften.
You can also take your frozen butter from the freezer and leave it in a warm place, close to a warm radiator or an oven.
But if you don’t have much time, you can experiment with a glass of hot water. Fill the glass with boiling water first and then empty it, and put the warm glass upside down over your butter. It should melt just enough for you to use right away.
And if you really have no time at all, you can skip thawing altogether. Just peel layers of your butter with a peeler or a cheese knife. You’ll get thin slices that are easy to spread on the bread.