Something to hold on to...

"Today I am one day nearer home than ever before. One day nearer the dawning when the fog will lift, mysteries clear, and all question marks straighten up into exclamation points!
 I shall see the King!"     Vance Havner

Monday, January 22, 2007

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.

4 comments:

Queen Mother said...

Thanks! I just think those are the coolest things.I'm making a list I'm sure I need one. FW might like one for her birthday and I have a friend I would like to give one to.
I'm glad you posted to.I was begining to go through withdrawl.
Three Cheers for making it to Exodus. That book is full of great sadness and great beauty.

Anita said...

Let me know how many you want, Big R orders them for me. Cheap.

Grace said...

My mom and dad have had one of those for years now. It's really the coolest kitchen gadget around. And, yes, having real butter on the counter is definitely an invite to make toast, especially with Inkling's grape preserves on it too!! Yum!!

FarmWife said...

How cool! I do want one for my birthday...maybe it will be incentive to keep my kitchen counter cleaned off...when I get better.