How to store butter in the refrigerator: shelf life of the product, does it freeze, video and photo

Many housewives, who are accustomed to buying food for future use and for a long time, are interested in the question of how much butter is stored in the refrigerator and in the freezer, how to store it correctly. And most importantly: how to determine its quality when buying. Indeed, according to statistics, oil is faked almost as often as alcoholic beverages, and the composition declared on the packaging does not always correspond to reality.

Butter is one of the most sought-after foods

Rules for storing butter

It is well known that when exposed to sunlight and high positive temperatures, oil oxidizes, losing its beneficial properties and creamy taste. The optimal storage temperature is +6 degrees and below, which requires a refrigerator.

But if you have large stocks of the product or for some reason you live without a refrigerator (for example, in a country house or on a hike), then the storage instructions will be different.

In a refrigerator

First of all, the shelf life of butter in the refrigerator depends on how and in what it is packed.

• Translucent and transparent packaging transmits light harmful to the product, so it is advisable to put it in opaque plastic container or wrap in foil if you expect to store more than three weeks.
• Opaque packaging made of foil with laminated paper does not require any additional precautions - the oil in it can calmly lie in its prescribed storage rules for three weeks. If the term may turn out to be longer, it is still better to put it in a tightly closed dishes.

The shelf life and quality of oil storage largely depends on the type of packaging

Recommendations for using containers are given for a reason. The fact is that there may be other foods in the refrigerator, including those with a pungent or specific smell. So that the oil does not absorb these odors and does not acquire a foreign taste, and you need to try to protect it from them.

You can also increase the shelf life of butter in the refrigerator with the help of a durable impervious to odors of the shell, for example, thick plastic film or a bag with a special lock, or clamp.

In the freezer

Today, finding real oil is a whole problem. Many people make it with their own hands from village milk or buy it in bulk at the farms. In such cases, you have to keep it for a long time, and this is possible only at negative temperatures.

A freezer with a temperature of up to -18 degrees is ideal for this, in which the product in the correct packaging can be stored for about a year. True, this only applies to salted oil, since microbes develop worse in a salty environment. Unsalted will last 3-5 months, after which it will begin to lose its taste and absorb odors from the freezer.

Since real butter freezes in the refrigerator, it is it is advisable to divide storage into portioned pieces, pack each separately and take out as needs.

Convenient storage in the freezer

Without refrigerator

If you buy oil for a summer residence or on a trip, be sure to pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life in the store. Usually it is 10-20 days, depending on the packaging, but subject to being in the refrigerator. Do not take a product that has already expired.

And you can keep it fresh in one of the following ways:

• A large piece of butter should be cut into 200-250 gram pieces and wrapped tightly in parchment or baking paper. Then you need to prepare a saline solution, dissolving 20 grams of salt in one liter of water, and pour it folded into a saucepan or glass jar pieces. It is advisable to press them with a load, close the dishes with a lid and put them in a cool, dark place.

In the photo there are pieces of butter prepared for "conservation"

• You can wrap the portioned pieces in a clean cloth soaked in vinegar, fold into a resealable container, sprinkle with sugar on top and close. Also store in a cool, dark place out of the sun's rays.

Either way will keep your butter fresh and tasty for up to three weeks.

It just can stand at room temperature for about a week. The main thing is that the sun's rays do not fall on it, otherwise it will lose its nutritional value, turn yellow and begin to sour.

The oiler for storage at room temperature should be opaque

If you use this product mainly for frying, then immediately after purchasing, melt the butter in a frying pan, heat it up, drain into a glass container and close the lid.

How to recognize a natural product

Real butter should contain nothing but animal fat and water, the latter being no more than 16%. But today counterfeits containing vegetable oils often appear on the shelves in stores, the most unpleasant and even dangerous of which is palm.

And not all manufacturers honestly write on the packaging that this is a spread - a mixture of butter and vegetable oils. Many even claim that it is made in accordance with GOST. But when we bring it home, we wonder why the butter doesn't freeze in the refrigerator? Yes, just because it contains a lot of vegetable fats.

How to distinguish a fake?

There are several signs by which you can do this even in the store.

• Pick up the package from the refrigerator and press down on the package with your finger. It should not give in, while remaining firm. If you feel a pliable plastic consistency, then this is a fake product.

Such traces should not remain

• Now peel back the packaging, if possible, and inspect the inside of it.: there should be no oil traces on it.

The inside cover is clean - a quality product

• You can also check the quality of a natural product, but for this you need to wait until it warms up a little. When you press on the surface with your finger, not serum should be released, but transparent water droplets. If whey, then the product is poorly washed and quickly deteriorates.
• The price of real butter cannot be very low. This is also one of the quality indicators.

But at home, you can make more thorough and demonstrative research, since no one limits us here and there are more opportunities for this.

• Heat a piece of butter in the microwave until it boils. The spread will turn into a homogeneous yellowish liquid, and there should be small lumps in the natural product.
• Place the pack in the freezer for a few hours, then remove and cut with a knife. Should butter freeze in the refrigerator - yes, of course. Therefore, when you try to cut it, it will crumble. If the product gives in easily, leaving marks on the knife, vegetable fats are definitely present in its composition.
• Melt butter in a skillet on the stove. A real creamy product, when heated, begins to exude a pleasant milky smell, and when it boils, it foams.

Foam and grains when boiling are a sign of good oil

These easy ways will help you avoid making mistakes in the store next time.

Conclusion

Surely many housewives know perfectly well how to determine the quality of oil and how to store it correctly. But we still recommend watching the video in this article: it will not take much time, and the information may be useful. If you have any questions or have your own ways of storing or recognizing natural oil - leave comments.