The papery bit on top of tubs of butter-y spread

[Ttaskmaster]

It's only there for additional advertising space, so it goes immediately.
The über-fancy free-range organic butter that the Mrs insists on (spread for sarnies, butter for cooking) also gets stripped and chucked straight in the butter dish - Our house is always very cold though, so it needs at least room temp before you can do anything with it.

Peanut butter jars are the absolute worst, you think you've got it off in one go and then rrrrip....a tiny piece of unpickoffable foil remains stuck on the rim, laughing at you every time you open the jar

That's what you use her best kitchen knives to scrape off!

[watercooled]

Does anyone know what it's actually for? I hadn't really noticed it's found on margarine and not butter until you mentioned it to be honest. I'm intrigued now though!

[virtuo]

I'd guess it's to stop it splashing back when they fill the tubs up and stick the lid on mechanically, it's probably a bit more liquid when it gets put in the tub, and nobody wants spread stuck to the lid.

Either that or it's just a protective layer to stop any bits dropping on it while it's "setting" before the lids go on?

[Domestic_Ginger]

We don't use grease. However on careful contemplation; the paper would go in the bin. Would have to evaluate whether I would oil the beard or not in licking off excess, probably lie it flat and use a knife.

Now, licking those foil seals you need to be careful; they can be a bit sharp round the edge.

[Saracen]

I'd always assumed it was to stop a "skin" forming, like on custard. The skin, though, would be a LOT less obvious than with custard. I have noticed, though, that with many/most (maybe all) spreads, probably butter too, you get a slightly darker colour on the top, which disappears after you remove the very top (thin) layer. I'd always assumed it was to minimise that oxidation-type effect. But it was just an assumption.

[Saracen]

....

Now, licking those foil seals you need to be careful; they can be a bit sharp round the edge.

Sound like experience talking??

If so, may I officially say ... OUCH!

[Saracen]

....

That's what you use her best kitchen knives to scrape off!

Another one with his/her knives, eh?

Trouble is, 'she' doesn't like sharp knives. They make her nervous, no matter how many times I point out that really sharp knives, correctly used, are safer.


So, I use her 'any old rubbish' knives like that, she's likely to use my good quality, and very sharp, knives, for trimming carpet, or something.

Nah, I give her knives a wide berth, and she does likewise with mine.

[Output]

I leave it on there for a few uses, then get fed-up of it and throw it.

Slightly maverick compared to the rest of you

You're not the only one, that's usually the approach I seem to keep using too.

[peterb]

I think it is to stop oxidisation of the product in the tub. Whether that is because the emulsification and chemical processes necessary to make it 'buttery' makes the product more likely to go off I don't know. Or maybe it is to stop it drying out if there is more water mixed in with it.

I don't know if there is an inert atmosphere in there as well though. The only thing I use in tubs though is margarine for cake making, and that doesn't have a film over it, and of course neither does butter.

[Ttaskmaster]

Does anyone know what it's actually for?

Advertising and/or so they can give you 5p off vouchers.

Another one with his/her knives, eh?

We do have His & Her knives, actually... Hers are professional grade knives from when she worked in a Michelin-starred kitchen.
Mine are more the sort you'd find in the hands of WW2 GIs, so not really allowed in the kitchen, heh heh!

Trouble is, 'she' doesn't like sharp knives. They make her nervous, no matter how many times I point out that really sharp knives, correctly used, are safer.

Stop talking to her about it.
Give her the crap knife and have her try and thin-slice some roast beef.
Then have her do it with a properly sharpened knife and see which she prefers!!

Women always work to your ways better if you 'help' them discover it for themselves. I use a similar trick for teaching her how her car works, by placing the manual in a way it will fall open on the relevant (pre-marked) page.
Suddenly she's asking, "Did you know my car takes a whole 4.2L of 10W40 oil?"...

[watercooled]

Advertising and/or so they can give you 5p off vouchers.

The ones I've seen are mostly plain or just with a company logo on. And as also mentioned, some are foil.

[sammyc]

Wow, a great 'spread' of responses thanks.

I'm somewhere around the 'leave it on but couldn't really say why, past the point where it gets annoying at around a third to a quarter left, then crack and drag it off & bin it' (no licking or greasing of tins). I suppose I feel it's vaguely hygienic.. and as I'm a vertical slicer it doesn't bother me to begin with (good point, never even thought of the horizontal scraping method). Maybe I'll convert to Jonj1611's 'I used to but not any more' school one day. Definitely an approach to life thing - maybe it would make a good psych evaluation.

Not having bought any butter (except the foil block sort) for a while, I've tended to assume all butter in a tub has been adulterated with something, so didn't know you could get un-papered tub butter. If that's what's meant.

Getting the foil bits off jars, that's another story. Unpickoffable, indeed - same as if you obsessively want to get all the papery foil off a coffee jar for any reason, always leaves a bit of the gluey layer.

Talk about random !!!!!

This is entry-level random for me

[Butcher]

Spread? Bunch of savages you lot! Butter comes in a block wrapped in paper, not a tub!

[watercooled]

I tend to use spreadable butter (Country Life). I forgot how hard impossible plain butter is to spread when cold and tried a wrapped block. Needless to say I had a few sandwiches with sliced butter...

[merdat]

Try to leave it on for as long as possible. Spread is good to use in cold weather as butter sometimes impossible unless putting on hot toast.

[peterb]

I tend to use spreadable butter (Country Life). I forgot how hard impossible plain butter is to spread when cold and tried a wrapped block. Needless to say I had a few sandwiches with sliced butter...

That's why you plan ahead and keep butter in a butter dish at room temperature! (If you are very careful, it is possible to warm butter in a microwave, but it needs a very low setting, and only a brief burst, otherwise it lmelts from the inside out.)