Store butter in the fridge and it's too hard. Store butter on the counter and, if it's left uncovered, it gets warm and, occasionally, funky. Stash your butter in a Butter Bell, a novel centuries-old French storage method.
The Butter Bell is, basically, a crockery shaped like a small cookie jar. Inside the jar, there is a bell-shaped space attached to the lid where the butter is stored, and a small amount of cool water is kept in the bottom of the jar to keep the butter cool and sealed against odors and contamination.
Check out the video below from the Food Network to see how the Butter Bell keeps your precious all-purpose food enhancer safe and palatable:
Have a novel old-school kitchen trick to share? Even if it isn't several centuries old, we still want to hear about it in the comments.
Butter Bell Crock [via CoolTools]