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A Clever 19th-Century French Design for a Butter Dispenser

The Butter Bell lets you store easy-to-spread butter at room temperature, yet keeps it fresh

By Rain Noe - July 18, 2018

in Food

In the 1800s, prior to the invention of refrigeration, some unknown French inventor figured out how to store butter while maximizing its freshness. The object's design is clever in that water is used as the seal, and the container for the butter is also used as the dispenser (with the aid of a knife). This storage object has been recreated today and is now called the Butter Bell. Here's how it works:

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Here's how you use it:

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Need something more new-fangled for your butter? Check out the Butter Twist.

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Bobtato Smith

6 years ago

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It's annoying that the video commentary keeps implying that "safety" might be a concern with unrefrigerated butter. It's not. Like most uncooked foods, it doesn't become dangerous, it just starts to smell and taste bad. Actually, the more pressing concern is just that it melts, and your former-Edwardian-peasant grandmother accurately points out that it is still edible, so yes, you do have to eat that bread with lumps of re-congealed butter on it, and you should be grateful too, because during THE WAR (of 1914-18) you'd be lucky to even have THAT.

Anyway

This seems like a good idea, and I might try printing one to see how I get on with it.

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Ludger Monsooning

6 years ago

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With this bell shaped design the butter can/will fall into the water if it shrinks should the room it's stored in get cold. If the container is slightly narrower at the bottom than at the top when it's upside down the probability of that happening is reduced. This design is from a climate with consistently warm temperatures all year round, so it is not for everyone.

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Alex Netz

6 years ago

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I think lee valley sells something similar... clever

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Steven Martens

6 years ago

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We have used one of these in our house for many years, Love it. Good old school tech.

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Donald Jones

6 years ago

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But.......what about those Butter Fairies?

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