Why does a Butter Bell need water?

Why does a Butter Bell need water? The answer remains in whether you keep your butter on the bench or in the fridge? The butter bell and it's butter keeping technique was developed before refrigeration as a way to keep butter fresh.  Back then (and what is becoming more and more common today with home cooks)  butter was made from fresh cream and salt. Without a fridge to keep the butter fresh, the water in the bottom of the butter bell as a 'seal' to keep bacteria out. 

How to make Homemade Butter: All You Need is Cream and a Mixer

Why Make Your Own Butter? Making butter at home is a wonderful way to reconnect with traditional food preparation. For generations, families made butter from fresh cream, using what they had on hand and storing it carefully for everyday use. Today, homemade butter is enjoying a resurgence as more people embrace slow living, home baking and farmhouse-inspired kitchens. Homemade butter is: Easy to make Made from a single ingredient Delicious on fresh bread and sourdough Perfect for flavouring with herbs, honey or sea salt A satisfying kitchen project for beginners and experienced cooks alike What You'll Need

How Does a Butter Crock Work? The Complete Australian Guide

How Does a Butter Crock Work? The Complete Australian Guide By The Eumundi Trading Co · Eumundi, Queensland If you've ever pulled cold, hard butter straight from the fridge and watched it tear your morning toast to pieces, you've already identified the problem a butter crock solves. A butter crock — also called a Butter Bell®, French butter keeper or butter crock pot — keeps your butter soft, spreadable and perfectly fresh at room temperature for up to 30 days. No fridge required. In this guide, we explain exactly how a butter crock works, why the science behind it is surprisingly clever, how to use one in an Australian climate, and why this centuries-old French kitchen tool deserves a permanent place on your bench. What Is a Butter Crock? A butter crock is a two-piece ceramic vessel designed to store butter at room temperature while keeping it fresh. It consists of a small cup or bell-shaped lid that holds the butter, and a base that holds a small amount of cold water. When the butter-filled lid is pressed down into the water, the water creates an airtight seal around the butter — blocking out oxygen, the primary cause of butter going rancid. The most well-known version is the Butter Bell®, a design trademarked in the United States but based on a French design that dates back hundreds of years. In France, leaving butter on the bench has always been the norm — and the butter crock is the tool that made it safe and practical.