Did you buy too much butter and aren’t sure how you’re going to consume it within the recommended two weeks? No problem! It’s actually possible to freeze butter for up to nine months. We have some helpful tips for you when it comes to freezing butter.
For baking, frying, cooking, mixing, spreading, or greasing – having a supply of butter is a must-have for many professional chefs as well as those that cook and bake for fun. But what if you have accidentally gone over the top and ended up with more butter than you know what to do with? Here’s what you need to know about freezing butter.
Fortunately, butter can be placed in the freezer and will even retain most of its consistency and taste. You have two options when freezing butter:
- In original packaging
If the butter was on sale and you bought one or two packets too many, that’s no problem. Keep the packaging on and simply wrap the whole packaging in moisture- and vapor-proof freezer packaging material. This keeps the butter from absorbing odors from other foods in the freezer and also prevents freezer burn. It is important that the butter is packaged airtight when you freeze it and don’t forget to label the packaging so that you know the exact date that you froze the butter.
- In portions
Even butter that has already been unwrapped can be frozen. To do this, you also have to pack the pieces in a moisture- and vapor-proof freezer packaging and label them. This way you can take out the exact amount you need next time.
If you freeze the butter as described above, it will keep for between six and nine months in the freezer as long as the appliance is kept at 0 °F or lower.
When it comes time to use the butter and you have to defrost it, make sure you thaw it in the refrigerator rather than out on the counter. After that, use it in the same way as you would fresh butter.
Even (homemade) garlic or herb butter does not have to be used up immediately. If you have too much delicious garlic butter sitting in your refrigerator that won’t be eaten quickly enough, you can freeze it just like normal butter. This includes packing it airtight, dating it, and putting it in the freezer. The next cookout party is probably just around the corner…
Butter has a fairly obvious way of showing you that it is no longer edible – by becoming rancid. This usually happens if it’s been subjected to heat, light, or air. Make sure this can’t happen by storing it properly in the refrigerator or freezer.
Butter isn’t the only food that can be frozen! Check out our other articles on freezing meat, freezing dumplings, and whether it’s possible to freeze cucumbers.