Can You Freeze Butter?
If you’ve stocked up on butter during a big sale, you might find yourself wondering, “Can you freeze butter?” Luckily, just as you can freeze cheese and other common recipe ingredients, you can freeze butter, too. This is good news for anyone who likes to stock up on butter ahead of holiday baking. This guide will show you how to freeze butter and how to know if it’s still safe to use butter that’s been in the freezer for months.
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- How Do You Freeze Butter?
- Can You Freeze Spreadable Butter?
- How Long Can You Freeze Butter?
- How To Thaw Frozen Butter
How Do You Freeze Butter?
Most butter is sold in packaging that is freezer safe, which means that you can place the entire package right in the freezer if necessary. So can you freeze sticks of butter? Yes! If you are worried about your butter picking up different smells and flavors by being in the freezer for a long time, you can take the extra step of wrapping the sticks of butter in aluminum foil or cling wrap, but that’s not necessary in most cases.
Be sure that you mark the date on each stick of butter so that you can keep track of how long it has been in the freezer. It can also be helpful to freeze in smaller amounts so that you can take out and thaw what you need for a recipe without having to thaw all of the butter at once.
Can You Freeze Spreadable Butter?
As mentioned above, most butter is easily freezable, but you still might be wondering, “Can you freeze margarine?” You can freeze spreadable butter or margarine products, but you will need to take extra precaution when doing so. Most margarine products are sold in squeeze bottles or tubs for easy spreading. Often these types of packaging are not freezer safe. You’ll need to transfer your margarine product into a new container that is freezer safe. Be sure to freeze these products before their “use by” date, and they’ll be fine to stay in the freezer for up to four months.
How Long Can You Freeze Butter?
One of the most common questions about freezing butter is related to how long it will last in the freezer. Most sources agree that you can freeze unsalted butter without any adverse effects for up to four or five months. Salted butter will last a bit longer. You can safely freeze salted butter for up to nine months. Some sources even say that frozen butter will last up to a year in the freezer!
It’s always good to note that the longer it stays in the freezer, the higher the chances are that it will lose some flavor or texture. Before you use your frozen butter, be sure to check that it hasn’t spoiled. If the butter smells sour or shows signs of discoloration or mold on the surface, it's likely gone bad and needs to be tossed.
How To Thaw Frozen Butter
Most people agree that freezing and thawing butter has no noticeable effect on its flavor or texture if it is used within about four months, which is good news if you bought butter in bulk but now have no use for it! In order to thaw out your frozen butter, simply take it out of the freezer and allow it to sit on the counter until it comes to room temperature.
You can also grate frozen butter directly into any recipes that call for cold or chilled butter. If you need your butter to thaw faster than 24 hours, grate it and allow the grated shavings to sit out for a few minutes; they will soften up much more quickly than a whole stick straight from the freezer.
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We hope this guide has helped answer the question “Can you freeze butter?” Freezing butter is a great way to stock up and keep necessary ingredients on hand. As with all frozen foods, be sure to follow proper techniques and check for spoiled food before using. Butter, however, is relatively easy to freeze and will keep for a long while, making it a great freezer staple to stock up on whenever you find it on sale.
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