Modern Butter Dish

If just left out in the refrigerator, butter can take on the tastes and smells of other foods or the general smell of the refrigerator and may become completely ruined. If left unprotected on the counter, it can pick up unsavory things floating about the house. A butter dish keeps your butter fresh at room temperature, or coldin the refrigerator, while also protecting it from soaking up flavors, dust or other airborne particles.

Butter dishes come in a veritable rainbow of colors, styles and materials to fit in with your needs whether it's for counter use or to match your formal dining set.

• Earthenware/Stoneware are beautiful options that you can match with your marble counters. They will also add a homey feel to a posh stainless-steel kitchen. Stoneware is verydurable and unlikely to break easily.

• Plastic/Acrylic are inexpensive and versatile options to fits just about any kitchen style. Plasticcomes in many colors and is easy to maintain. Acrylic is stronger and more heat and weather resistant. It is great for that picnic you've been meaning to take, or any time you will be dining away from your dining table.

Both are light-weight, impact-resistant and dishwasher safe. They are perfect for the little kids' table so they can feel fancy, and you won't have to worry about cuts from a broken dish if it falls.

• Melamine makes up many kitchen products including cookware, plates and utensils. This is because it is fire and heat resistant. This durablematerial is practically unbreakable, making it much more preferable to plastic. Melamine is also dishwasher safe for an easy clean.

• Glass/Crystal are both thicker than plastic and more fetching. Clean with warm water by hand. Crystal is not microwave or dishwasher safe as it can crack or chip. Some glass butter dishes can be put in the dishwasher or microwave, but it is wise to check before you purchase to make sure.

  Glass is available in a multitude of colors and styles to seamlessly blend with any countertop or serving set. Crystal is a more expensive material that will look right at home in traditional, high-end kitchens and dining sets, or only brought for really special events.

• Bone China is quite a popularoption because it is composed of materials that make it a very strong ceramic, which is also long-lasting, because it is resistant to chips and cracks. Ceramic and porcelain are alternative options that are more economically sound but have less strength and durability. All three will make a spectacular addition to any formal dinner or fancy occasion.

• Stainless steel is resistant to rust and corrosive elements, will not get moldy, and can be washed in the dishwasher for a quick clean. It is adaptable to any kitchen or dining ware collection, as it can be polished to a high-class shine, or left more rustic for a country or farmhouse style.

• Plated Metals such as nickel and silver are a staple of any classic or high-end kitchen or dining set. They are similar in color, with nickel having a slightly gold hint to its hue. Nickel plating is much harder, whereas silver is easier to polish.

The size of the butter to go in your butter dish should be a determining factor in making your choice. It will largely be decided by which of the three types of butter you most often use.

East Coast and West Coast will come down to the height and width of your favorite butter. A 4-ounce stick of butter is going to be the same amount on either coast, be that as it may, an East Coast stick of butter is going to be longer and slenderer, whereas a West Coast stick is going to be shorter, and thicker in shape. The best butter dishes will be wide and tall enough to accommodate either.

If you love the richer taste of European-style butter, then you will need to accommodate the larger, wide 8-ounce stick, which is twice the American size of butter.