Butter that has been continuously refrigerated will usually keep for about one month after the "sell by" date on the package.
If butter develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, it should be discarded.
Butter may be left at room temperature for 1-2 days, but it will begin to spoil rapidly if not refrigerated after that.
Do not store butter in the molded butter compartment of the refrigerator door for more than one week — butter will keep much longer when stored in the main body of the refrigerator.
To freeze butter, wrap tightly in heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place inside a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Frozen salted butter will generally keep longer (up to 9 months for best quality) than unsalted butter (5-6 months for best quality).
Freezer time shown is for best quality only — foods kept constantly frozen at 0° F will keep safe indefinitely.
Sources: For details about data sources used for food storage information, please
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