The Smartest Way To Freeze Butter (And Thaw It When You're Ready)

For easy weeknight dinners at home, it's crucial to have some of your most commonly used ingredients in high supply. Longer-lasting staples like dried spices, cooking oils, quality canned goods, pasta, and even frozen meatballs are all easy enough to maintain for last minute spaghetti. But other critical goods, particularly of the dairy variety, can be a little trickier to properly maintain.

Butter, for example, pops up in even the simplest of recipes. Should you wish to supplement that pot of spaghetti, garlic bread is a classic addition. And you'll likely need at least a few pats of butter to get it on the table. But, unlike its milky antecedent, butter is one surprising bit of dairy that can stay recipe-ready for several months with proper care. The smartest way to freeze, and ultimately thaw, butter requires three keys: Keeping your butter intact, keeping it sealed, and keeping it actually frozen. 

Whether you're a counter butter lover or a refrigerator butter devotee, you already know that neither storage solution is intended for the long term. But the National Dairy Council advises that unsalted butter can last up to five months in the freezer, and salted can stretch to nine months.

Anyone with a vacuum sealer might be inclined to unbox those sticks of butter — maybe even cut them down to chunks — and with the push of a button, deplete the air to create a cubed masterpiece fit for the MoMA. The general consensus is that this isn't really necessary, or even optimal, for butter freezing. The boldest pantry masters will pop the whole package right into the freezer, but you can also tuck it into a resealable plastic bag or wrap it in aluminum foil for a little extra cover. Then, just make sure it stays at no more than zero degrees Fahrenheit. Avoiding a long term spot on the freezer door should help.

Though some recipes will call for butter in states that range from totally melted to completely frozen, consider the broadest possible uses for a general thaw. Simply moving your butter back into the refrigerator for at least six hours will get it closest to its store-bought state for your simplest toast desires and richest steak preparations without a trip to the market.