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How to use a Butter Bell
The secret to keeping your butter fresh and spreadably soft is to keep a butter crock on your counter. Before the age of refrigeration, butter was often kept in earthenware pots large and small, sometimes submerged in water. The modern water-submerged butter crock is thought to have first appeared in France in the Middle Ages, and many (not all!) French have been using them since. Such crocks are recently being rediscovered by people who want soft butter.
Crocks keep butter fresh at room temperature (up to about 80° F) on the counter for several weeks without spoiling. At higher temperatures, the butter may slip out. This is better than a refrigerator because the butter is protected from the air, and it remains at room temperature. It won't tear bread and is easy to measure. Each crock holds a stick of butter.
Tips:
• Do not allow the butter to become too soft before packing it into the bell shaped lid. The butter should be firm enough so that is not slipping off the knife before packing the lid. When the butter is slightly firmer it packs into the lid better - just use a little "elbow grease".
• When packing the butter into the bell shaped lid, make sure you press the butter firmly into the lid, removing all air pockets. Air pockets within the butter create a suction affect when the lid is removed from the water, pulling the butter out of the lid.
• When using your Butter Bell, do not let the "Bell" sit out of the crock base for extended periods of time.
• After each use, check the remaining butter in lid to ensure there aren't any air pockets. Use your knife to redistribute the remaining butter within the lid for better adherence tension.
• Make sure that the Butter Bell is stored away from sunlight and heat. For instance, do not store on a counter near a stove/oven or in a window sill.
• Use the coldest water possible when adding water in the base of the crock. Perhaps add a few small, smashed ice cubes if you live in a very warm climate. Make sure you're changing the water every 3 days. This step ensures fresher butter for longer periods of time.
• Wash thoroughly between uses.
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