Butter Bell

If you're like me, when it comes time to serve fresh bread with.....well, anything, I like to have nice, soft, spreadable real butter on hand. Not margarine or a butter substitute. Real. Butter.

Not saying it needs to be done every day, but there are times. Considering that I usually serve homemade soup twice a week,
there is a chance that fresh bread and salad are served also. Not always, sometimes you just have to change things up and keep people guessing.

To keep butter at room temperature, I use a Butter Bell. Also called a French Butter Bell or a Butter Crock. It's a wonderful kitchen gadget. They come in many styles and colors to compliment any kitchen decor.

But what is it? Glad you asked. It consists of two parts, the top which has a bell shape, and the bottom into which the bell shape is placed into, inverted.

The bottom holds a small amount of water. Room temperature butter is placed in the top bell portion.

The top is then inverted into the bottom, where the water creates a seal against oxygen, allowing you to keep butter at room temperature, without it going rancid. Brilliant!!

Simple, easy, low-tech. If you've never heard of this little darling, do a quick search and see how many different styles there are floating around the internet.

If you serve fresh butter for any occasion, you will be happy to have one.

Doesn't that bread look delicious? It's Calabrese bread from a small local bakery. Love stopping in this bakery, unfortunately it is very difficult to resist the fresh baked breads and pastries. Sometimes you just have to splurge a little.

Glad you stopped by. Come back soon, there's lots to see and do.