November 30th, 2005
Banish Hard Butter with ButterWizard
By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
Personally, I use margarine, and specific brands, without trans fatty acids, mostly for health reasons. My mother-in-law swears by butter though. And one of her complaints is how hard the stuff is when she takes it out of the refrigerator. That complaint could be a thing of the past with the ButterWizard.
A UK-based company has launched a portable, temperature-controlled butter dish, ButterWizard, which keeps butter at what it says is the optimal spreadable temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has a built-in fan and a chip which together control the temperature, adjustable for different textures, be it super-soft bread, crusty toast or delicate biscuits. “We were trying to find out what people’s frustration with butter was. It’s either too hard or too soft,” said David Alfille, managing director of East Sussex-based company Alfille Innovations Limited.
“ButterWizard heats or cools the butter and you can adjust the temperature to suit yourself.” Source: Reuters
We Say: I’ll admit, I’m someone who will spend 15 minutes (or more) looking for the TV remote control instead of walking up to the set to turn it on. I’m as lazy as the next person. I understand this is a convenience, but isn’t the ButterWizard just a little extreme? I also wonder how it gets power … rechargeable batteries, AAs or ?? I’ll admit I’m a soft margarine user, but even if I used butter I just couldn’t see myself buying this.
Jacob says:
I did a double take when I read you chose margarine for health reasons. Trust your mother-in-law on this one, butter is the way to go. As for keeping it spreadable… has she tried leaving it in a dish at room temperature? It’s perfectly safe and makes spreading easy.
November 30th, 2005 at 6:17 pm
Michael Santo says:
Margarine with trans fat is bad, but from what I read, non trans fat margarine is better than butter. Neither is great, though. ‘Course, like anything else, if you look hard enough you can find experts on either side of the argument.
November 30th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
Todd Skiles says:
I worked for the American Heart Association. We offered both at meal functions because like anything - it’s all in how much you use. Butter is back and in favour, but “everything in moderation.”
In warm climates, like the tropics and southern United States, leaving butter out (particularly if you don’t like to use the air conditioner) can results in the butter getting so soft it’s more like a weak pudding. This will probably take off in areas like Hawaii, Florida, Texas, etc.
November 30th, 2005 at 6:58 pm
David Johnston says:
What I really like for spreading on rolls and stuff is the honey-butter. That stuff is amazing. Aside from that, I’ve always used real butter when cooking, and getting it soft is annoying. You can use the microwave, but it’s tricky and not as even as just letting it sit out for a while.
November 30th, 2005 at 8:38 pm
John Corliss says:
All you have to do with either butter or margerine, is to nuke it on high for about 8 - 10 seconds. It will then be soft enough to use easily.
December 1st, 2005 at 3:45 am
jb says:
And this is tech news appropriate to a blog about computers because …
December 1st, 2005 at 7:17 am
Steve A says:
Didn’t anyone ever hear of the “butterbell”? It’s so 18th Century! You put your butter in this “half egg shaped” bowl and the bowl is placed upsidedown in a small saucer like dish of water. The butter is kept room temperature and is kept from going rancid becuase air is kept out.
December 1st, 2005 at 7:58 am
Michael Santo says:
jb, it’s not a computer only site, if you look at the articles. It’s about cool tech and some science.
December 1st, 2005 at 12:39 pm
c.e.kestner says:
I’ve had butter last weeks just in a regular butter dish with cover. And eggs fried in butter look better, feel better in the mouth, and taste better. Butter’s better. (Maybe not better for the arteries…everything in life’s a trade-off.)
December 6th, 2005 at 12:06 am
Mark Shackelford says:
I don’t know about the health issues of butter, it’s nothing but churned milk. But as for this ButterWizard idea I think it’s great! I use Brummel & Brown because it’s made from yogurt and is always soft. Hey, you can’t wait for butter to become soft when you’re grabbing a midnight snack. You would be up all night!
So when will this thing become available in a non metric stick size?
December 15th, 2005 at 5:18 am
Spud Lochar says:
I’ve just always left the butter out on the counter. always soft ready to spread. Its worked for the last 5o yrs.
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June 21st, 2007 at 5:25 am