This Chic $16 Fridge Find Is the Smartest Way to Store Butter

I used to fault my fridge for not living up to my expectations. I blamed its shelves for not being tall enough to fit standing bottles of wine, and I decided that its lack of an egg rack was an overlooked flaw. However, that mindset was getting me nowhere. So, after working to accept my fridge for what it is, I’ve come to view its “flaws” differently — not as flaws, but as opportunities for me to customize my fridge and help it become its best self.

One part of my fridge that bugs me opportunity is its butter shelf. I don’t know what technical name the Maytag Man calls it by, but I’m talking about that small shelf on top of the door with a rounded see-through cover that prevents volatile foods from being exposed to fridge odors. I’ve always kept my butter sticks there in their wax paper packaging, and I never liked how unkempt they looked. However, I recently found a tool that keeps butter fresher, neater, and more accessible — and it looks surprisingly chic for its price tag.

This porcelain container lets you take your butter out of its packaging and store it inside. Its wooden lid has a silicone seal to keep air out and your butter fresh, and the container is spacious enough to fit either two sticks of East Coast butter or one block of West Coast butter. (If you’re wondering what’s the difference between East and West Coast butter, click here.) With your butter safely inside its very own dish, you’re free to place it anywhere in your fridge and can turn that plastic-shielded shelf into something else (a cheese display case would be nice). 

While the dish is great at solving the basic butter storage dilemma, the best part about it is tucked on top of the lid: a miniature butter knife! That way, every time you want to scrape off a little butter, you conveniently have the right tool for the task. Also, because the inside of the lid doubles as a wooden cutting board, you can flip the butter out on that surface and slice it up without dirtying a separate cutting board. These simple yet thoughtful design features make the container extremely helpful whether you’re getting a single serving or bringing butter out to your table to use during a meal.

Amazon shoppers who prefer their butter to be room temperature (and more easily spreadable) have set the dish out on the counter and found that its silicone seal kept the contents fresh. Across the board, the one detail that reviewers appreciate the most is the small knife. “The little butter spreader that fits in the lid is so convenient,” one reviewer wrote. “We don’t have to use a knife from the drawer. I just give the little knife/spreader a quick wipe with a paper towel and fit it back in the lid.”

It’s okay if your fridge wasn’t built with a neat place to store butter: Now you have a better butter solution and can move on to more important questions, like what you’re going to serve your butter with. (No-knead bread is a fantastically easy and delicious idea!)

Buy: Porcelain Butter Container with Knife, $15.99