Having a small supply of butter never hurts, as it is used in many ways. Some people are economical and like to buy extra certain foods when they are on sale, including butter. But what do you do when you have more than you can use? At this point, the question often arises: Can you freeze butter?
The short and clear answer is: Yes, of course.
According to Pensionist.dk, freezing can actually make butter last for many months without affecting its taste or texture. Even after thawing, butter can be used ideally as a spread or for cooking and baking. This applies not only to regular butter but also to homemade herb butter, wild garlic butter, and salted butter.
Tips for Freezing Butter:
Portioning: Butter can be frozen as a whole piece or in smaller amounts as desired. Pre-portioning has the advantage of making it easier to take the desired amount for recipes. It is sensible to note the contained amount on the packaging.
Packaging: If butter is frozen unopened, it can be placed in the freezer in its original packaging. However, the packaging should not have any cracks or other damage. Alternatively, suitable glass or plastic containers and freezer bags can be used for storage. It is important to ensure that everything is airtight.
Shelf Life: Regular butter lasts in the freezer for about six to nine months. However, herb butter and wild garlic butter should be used within about six months. Salted butter can even be frozen for up to twelve months.
How to Do It Right:
Like freezing butter, thawing it is also easy, but it requires time depending on how you want to use it. Generally, it is recommended to consume thawed butter within a few days and keep it cool during this period.
Butter thaws in the refrigerator in about two to three hours. If you want to use the butter for spreading on your bread or bun, you should take it out of the freezer in good time. If the frozen butter is for immediate use in cooking or baking, it can also be thawed at room temperature.
It can even be heated in the microwave by heating the butter several times for ten seconds each time. Afterward, it should be consumed completely. It is possible to use deep-frozen butter lumps directly from the freezer during cooking.
Note: Thawed butter can be frozen again, but it is not recommended. Partly because the cold chain must not be broken, and partly because both the taste and quality of the butter suffer.
Can Frozen Butter Go Bad?
Even though butter is quite durable with proper storage (cold, airtight) and use (only with a clean knife), it can go bad at some point. The same applies to butter that has been frozen or thawed for too long. You can identify bad butter by the following signs:
Unusually dark yellow discoloration
Sour, rancid smell
Sour taste If at least one of these signs is observed, the butter should not be used and instead discarded.
