Butter is commonly used for cooking as an ingredient, as well as for frying instead of vegetable oils. And even though it is possible to buy exactly as much butter as you need, sometimes some extra may be needed to store.
Can butter be frozen? We will answer this and other questions in this article.
Related: Can You Freeze Milk | The Ultimate Guideline
How Long Does Frozen Butter Last?
Can I freeze butter, you may ask. Yes, it is possible to do it. Like any product that is made of milk, butter can be frozen under the temperature below zero degrees Celsius. It is a good variant to save your money, too, as the butter has a pretty long shelf-life even when being stored in the fridge.
Normally, your butter can be kept in the fridge for a maximum of four months in case it was fresh when you bought it. How long can butter be frozen? Respectively, after being placed in the freezer, under the impact of low temperature, butter can remain eatable for up to one year.
To be precise, the duration of storage depends on whether you have salted or unsalted butter. The salted product will last up to half a year when frozen whilst unsalted butter freezer life lasts for a maximum of six months.
Related: Does Buttermilk Go Bad?
How to Freeze Butter. Tips and Instructions
Butter, no matter whether it is homemade or bought in the store, can be frozen well.
How long does it take to freeze butter? It depends on how much butter we are talking about. Anyway, if, for example, you have one pound of butter (which is approximately 0.45 kilo), it will take you about six or seven hours to freeze it thoroughly.
Can you freeze homemade butter? Of course, as any kind of butter, when being fresh, homemade butter can easily be frozen under the same conditions and the same fast as the butter that was purchased in the store.
So, what if you bought a lot of butter and you simply can’t use it all at a time? The best way to preserve it is to freeze your extra butter!
Unlike many other products that can be frozen, freezing butter is an extremely easy process that won’t take you much time and effort.
- If your butter was sold in the plastic box or in a paper cover, feel free to put it in the freezer as it is in its own packaging. However, to ensure the butter won’t get a freezer burn, some people prefer to wrap it into the aluminum foil or a plastic wrap.
- If you are storing the butter in a cover different from its original one, write the date it was produced and the expiration date on it.
- Keep your butter away from onion and other products with the strong smell as butter absorbs odors very easily.
These tips will help you to keep your butter fresh and preserve its creamy flavor and taste.
Related: Can You Freeze Yogurt?
Can Tub Butter Be Frozen?
Can you freeze butter in a tub? Despite many doubts regarding this issue, such butter can be frozen the same way as the ordinary butter in a plastic box or paper cover.
For freezing butter in the tub, simply put it to the freezer in its original container. Like that, it will remain eatable for about six months more.
To defrost it, either take it out to the fridge for several hours or defrost in cold water.
It’s not recommended to defrost butter in tubs using a microwave as it can ruin the tub.
Can You Refreeze Butter?
Is it ok to freeze butter for the second time? People often ask this question, especially when taking too much of frozen butter. When you have some leftovers after defrosting butter, can this butter be frozen for later use one more time?
Of course, you can do it and when once being defrosted, your butter can be frozen again.
However, keep in mind that after you freeze, defrost and then freeze the butter again, it will affect its texture, the structure of the product, its taste and flavor. It will become dryer as refreezing releases more moisture out of the butter, also, the butter will become more crunchy.
One more issue is that thawing and refreezing butter leads to harmful bacteria faster reproducing after you melt the butter again. And that can influence badly on your stomach.
How to Soften Frozen Butter and Do It Right
When freezing butter, you may be wondering how to defrost it afterward without ruining the product.
To defrost frozen butter correctly, all you have to do is to follow these easy steps:
- To have a less harmful effect on the texture of the butter, replace it from the freezer to the fridge and leave there for six or seven hours. This scheme works for one pound of butter.
If you are defrosting more, it will probably take more time respectively.
- Another method of gently defrosting the butter is to immerse it in cold water previously putting the butter to the tightly closed plastic bag.
When using this approach, you will defrost your butter for one hour or even less.
- How to quickly soften frozen butter? To speed up the defrosting time, use a microwave. Put the butter inside and turn it on for ten seconds at a low temperature. If your microwave has a special defrosting mode, use it.
How to Use Frozen Butter for Cooking?
What if you have just taken your butter out of the freezer and you already need to add it to the dish you are cooking? If you have no time to thaw frozen butter, you can grate your butter.
Grating frozen butter allows the butter to faster mix up with other ingredients, for example, flour and melt faster.
So now you know all the tips and secrets regarding freezing, defrosting and storing butter properly. Use them smartly and you will enjoy the creamy taste of this product in many delicious dishes!
Read next: Can You Freeze Sour Cream?
