A Butter Dish Can Be A Handy Piece Of Tableware

A butter dish can be an interesting addition to your crockery set. It is a small dish to hold a pat of butter. Some of them also come with a cover or lid.  

Before the era of the refrigerator, butter dishes were made of silver and came with a slot for spreaders. The first variant of this dish dates back to the late 19th century, made by Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. Today, it is a commonplace item you are likely to see on a dinner table that adds a touch of elegance and finesse to your setting.

Types of butter dish

Butter dishes can be made of a variety of materials—crystal, bone china, silver, ceramic, among others. Historically, the shape of the dish was determined by the shape of the butter slab it would contain (for instance, round containers were used to keep homemade butter). A few of them were even modelled after oyster shells. However, with the increasing popularity of machine-manufactured butter, the familiar, elongated butter dish became the choice in most households.

A special type of butter dish is the French butter dish, which is made of clay. It consists of a base to hold water and a cup that also functions as a lid. The butter is placed on the cup which is then lowered on to the base, where the water creates an airtight seal. The arrangement helps keep the butter cool and unspoiled, and maintains its spreadability as well.

Uses of a butter dish

Apart from the fact that a butter dish is likely to look more neat and elegant than a tub, butter dishes may help you cut down on your use of single-use plastic as they are a worthy replacement to butter tubs.

A butter dish also helps keep the butter at room temperature, without affecting its spreadability. If it is too hot, you can just keep the butter dish in the refrigerator. It’s also a very handy piece of crockery that can help keep your fridge clutter-free.