Silver Belle's Butter Bell

These pictures are by special request of the Queen Mother. Sorry Q.M. I am late reading my comments, so I just saw that you made this request.

This item is by far one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. It is a butter bell. From what I have gathered, they were first made in Normandy in the early 1800s. They work like this: You place one stick of softened real butter in the inside of the bell. About 1/3 cup of cold tap water goes in the open crock. The bell is then turned upside down. The water forms a vacuum seal, which keeps the butter fresh, not rancid, on your countertop for at least one month. This is dependent on two things: 1. You change the water to fresh tap water every 3-4 days, and 2. The butter will actually stay there a month. If you are like my family, having fresh, soft, real butter on the counter at all times is an invitation to make toast. I must admit, this item has been used daily for the last year and a half. (No, it is not the same stick of butter- I would not want to tell you how many pounds of butter it has seen so far)

Where do you buy these wonderful items you might ask? They are becoming quite popular and most mail order catalogs carry them such as, (Chef's Catalog, King Arthur's Baker's Catalog to name a couple). I purchased mine at a Doughmaker's Bakeware Factory Sale. However, I have found a local retailer that is willing to order these in special for me at a great price.