Side by Side Comparison of: Butter Bay vs HIC Harold Import Co.

When looking for a butter dish I considered many and read hundreds of reviews, I finally decided to go with the butter bay and I'm so happy I did! The hole to put the butter in was smaller than I expected but you can just insert a stick whole of butter into it with little to no messing with it ( if you have the longer sticks you just have to cut off the ends and put them on top) the color was very nice,they call it "oatmeal" and that would be the best way I can describe it as well. The top of the handle is slightly rough but you can barley notice it. The box it came in has detailed instructions on how to use it and they also have a video on how to use it. Its a great product and I'm looking forward to being able to spread soft butter on my toast!

This is one of those products that you didn't know you needed until you have one. I saw one on one of those "shop at home" networks and thought it was pretty ingenious but could never find one in any stores. I looked on Amazon and there were several different types of butter keepers and I am very glad that I went with this one. Why? First of all, I didn't realize that there are two different sizes of butter in the U.S. Apparently in the east butter sticks are long and skinny and in the west they are short and fat. The sticks of butter that I purchase are all long and thin. Why do I bring this up? Well, the best part of this dish is that the sticks of butter fit in this dish straight out of the wrapper - if you have the short, fat sticks like they do in the west. If you go on the Butter Bay website they have a quick remedy for all of us with the "eastern" butter - cut off a little on each end and put it on the top of the stick of butter and - Voila! This process takes all of about five seconds. Comparable butter keepers do not have this shape and you will have to spoon the butter into the slot. The Butter Bay is very well made and it seals up nice. I put a little water in the bottom and make sure to change it every few days and we haven't had any problems. The butter stays where it is supposed to and we haven't had any problems with it falling into the water. What else can I say? The color of this product was just what I expected. Overall, we are very happy with this product. If you like butter, try this one out!

Absolutely love this butter keeper! Watch the video to the end, it explains completely how to use it. It DOES hold a whole stick of butter and the video shows how to accomplish it. It's super easy to fill and pack with a softened stick of butter with no mess. I keep a spreader on top (see pic) - I have a nice Christmas candy cane one out for the holidays - otherwise I keep a nice pewter one on top. The color, pomegranate, is really a nice deep red color - not too bright - just right. We use it daily and I'm not sure how we've survived without one! Bought a yellow one for my Mom for Christmas - it's a really nice cheery color - she is going to love it! No more complaining about not having spreadable butter!

I live in the HOT Arizona Desert. Even with Air Conditioning you simply cannot leave butter out on the counter....You can now ;)1.Solid Construction2.Very Easy to 'fill' - watch the product video - so easy!3.Saves Money - ( no more wasted 'melt' when the soften setting on your microwave gets a bit picky or you forgot and left it "softening" on the counter too long and have to toss the rancid mess)4.Easy to Clean5. Does Exactly what it says it will do6. Water stays coolSo very glad I finally bit and bought this...my husband loves it too. Usage: Sits on the island where it gets indirect sun exposure from two windows (6 foot and 8 feet away from the windows). Refresh water once every 3 days even though you can go much longer than that. I fill per the instructions, making sure the butter is properly 'seated' around all sides - which for this model is just easy peasy and no utensils required! I do 'scrape' the sides occasionally from the top down during use ..have never had a problem with butter falling out - even when you can see the sides peaking thru - because it's been properly pressed into the dish at the filling stage so it stays at just the right temp to still stick to the sides and thus not fall out. Thus far have never 'refrigerated' the unit when not in use - have not needed to do anything but fill it, refresh the water every so often, and enjoy. The butter is never too soft (re never melting in the dish). The nice large base on the unit means no tipping when turned up for use (like I've read about some butter bells) and it makes for a nice large 'handle' when taking it off the base unit. Very nice for those with carpel, arthritis or other hand issues. This unit is very simply - Great! Butter Bay Cube-Shaped Butter Keeper, Made in USA, Pomegranate

I am a huge fan of the butter bay! I received one as a gift and now it is my “go to” wedding gift and Christmas gift! It’s beautiful, affordable, and excellent quality because it’s hand-made in the U.S.A.
Some of the pros of this butter dish compared to others:
1. The butter bay allows me to keep my butter fresh and easily spreadable at all times, especially compared to a normal butter dish.
2. It is super easy to put the butter in the container compared to the round butter crocks.
3. I LOVE the way it looks! I have a red one and I sit it on my counter as a “décor” piece.
4. Super easy to clean – I just put it in the top rack of my dishwasher.
Overall, great buy! And I will continue to purchase it for gifts in the future!

Works flawlessly. Is true white in color. I first tried the Norpro brand butter keeper but it was an odd color so I returned it. This butter crock by Mrs. Anderson's is closer to pure white. It came well packaged and has been keeping our butter spreadable and soft without fail. The only problem with this is that now we eat more delicious butter on our bread, pancakes, and waffles.

Was very happy with this item, have been searching locally to no avail and have looked on ebay and they're so expensive! This one is reasonably priced. For those who don't know what this is used for, it is a way to keep butter soft and at room temperature without going bad as quickly. You put butter in the top, fill the base about a quarter of the way with water and insert the top, butter side down, into the base. Make sure you do this over the sink to allow for any excess water to run out. Also, you need to change the water periodically (they say every few days but once a week seems fine and is more practical).

I love this Butter Bell and have given many to others as gifts. I love to cook and like to have softened butter on hand when I need it. My family loves having soft butter for their toast or muffins in the morning. This product does exactly what the description states. The seller is easy to order from, has great communication, and ships items ordered immediately. If you want fresh tasting, soft butter available in your kitchen then this product will work well for you. Butter remains fresh for up to 21 days! I also use two others for the handmade cream cheese spreads that I make and keep on hand for my family.

Does exactly as advertised. Holds one stick of butter. Bring butter to room temperature before cutting up and pressing into mold.

When it arrived I thought it looked small. the cup will hold 1 cube of butter. Others stated the butter fell out, I took note of that and let the butter soften a bit so I could smash it into the cup and it has not ever fallen out. I when replacing the water I put ice water into the cup up to the top and let it get cold (my kitchen is warm) dump the water then add 1/4 cup ice water then invert the butter cup into the container with water. Love not having a messy butter dish to deal with. I wish they would make a larger one for when guests are over you won't rkun oiut of soft butter. Love this product and will be giving as Christmas gifts to my daughters.

This is the second butter keeper I bought because I found that having just one made it difficult to have enough soft butter at all times without having to wash it out in order to reuse immediately. This way when one gets low I simply fill the spare one and refrigerate it until needed. Then the emptied one can just go in the dishwasher to be cleaned and then refilled at my convenience. I have never had butter drop out of either butter keeper but depending how well it is packed in initially and how hot the kitchen is I suppose the butter could slide out into the water.

Giving it a 4 only because the description when I bought it said all you had to do was turn it over and dump the butter stick into it. This lead me to believe that I didn't have to smoosh and squeeze it in there and that it would be the same length as a butter stick. It is not. It is about 1' shorter than my butter sticks and I still have to squish and smoosh the butter in.

I absolutely love this butter keeper, and have one in the gorgeous blue. The only downside to these is that they chip very easily, so be gentle with them.

it works but easily chips

Nice but the dark blue really shows fingerprints, especially buttery ones...

I bought this little butter keeper because we've recently switched back from margarine to butter (yay) and like to keep some at room temperature. I used to have a bell shaped one, but it got broken. Thought I'd try one that could take a stick of butter rather than smashing butter into a little round cup. The concept of this one, while good, is rather yucky, unless you like your butter wet, sitting in a little pool of greasy water. I bought this one because it was made in America. We solved our problem by simply turning it over and using the lid as the bottom, ditching the water. It is surprisingly stable this way and when the lid is off at dinner, the little lip provides an unexpected place for the knife to sit. Overall it is very well made and I'm keeping it, we just adapted the use to suit our needs.

My butter keeps getting moldy but it might be because I'm not changing the water out regularly. My parents have the same one and love it.

Its a great piece of crockery to have. I would have liked it better if it held more than 2 sticks of butter at a time; but it looks so good on the dining table that I don't mind transferring butter sticks every other day.Quality is decent; not chipping despite me accidentally dropping it on floor multiple times.

It looks ok, does the job, but it holds very little. On another note, the butter is supposed to hold be out of the fridge only a few days anyway, so if it were too big, I'd probably end up dumping a lot of butter in the trash. I'm the only one who cares for soft butter in my house, everyone else's likes it cold from the fridge.

I've had butter bells/butter keepers in the past and this is a nice little sturdy one- holds a whole stick of butter, and looks very nice on my counter.good product- and was shipped wrapped up in bubble wrap- good packing.

just the right size, takes one butter stick. looks neat on the table, easy to use with a spreader.worked like a charm during winter for obvious reason, the house is maintained at comfortable temperatures just right to keep butter soft - still to see if butter really remains fresh even during summer season. Also once the butter quantity goes low in the cup, the butter becomes too soft and just falls into the water when inverted - this again would be summer only issue.

I bought this dish for the color. I didn't want white and reviews said this was more of a cream which is exactly what I wanted. I also have the marble one on Amazon which is a tad larger and heaver, but don't know if that makes any difference. I would recommend it.

The idea is great, but the design is not flawless.
The butter often slips out of the holder and into the water. It is also very delicate. Chipped it the first time it was washed.

very nice to look at, but butter keeps falling into the bottom part and I have been carefully pushing the butter into the top part. I live in a ​very humid climate and I don't need the water. I just leave the butter in the bottom part. There are many other butter keepers would not recommend because it becomes messy.

Bought Feb. 2017. Love the concept, but daily use shows flaws. Butter gets too soft when dish is left on kitchen counter. It then tends to fall into the water. Yes, I press the new stick of butter firmly into the holder. Yes, I change the refrigerated water every 2-4 days. I use the central air once indoor temps reach 78-80 degrees. But once butter is about half used (so less surface contact with the upside down holder), it usually falls into the water. And, because it's designed to hold one short stick of butter, you can't simply add more to keep it full as the butter is used. Besides, you probably want to wash out the holder before adding a new stick. Suggestions?

My butter won't stay in the top (when upside down and used as designed). My round one didn't have this problem.

I had to order this 4 times to get one that doesn't have flaws in the ceramic or glaze. It's made in Ohio.

Other than having to order it four times, once I received one without noticeable flaws, it works GREAT, and my family loves it!

I try to always buy American made products, even if it means spending a lot more on them over the imported items. So, please, Butter Bay, improve your QA/QC so that consumers can have confidence in American made products.

This crock only holds 3/4 of a stick of butter. Pain to fill and messy with 1/4 of the stick sitting out on the paper until it's used. MUCH messier than a round crock but it looks nice.

i tried twice massaging butter into container, next day it is together with water - Argh!!!!!. Can somebody tell me what I am doing wrong????

The picture wan't this clear when purchased. Not exactly what I pictured. Butter fell into the water. Disappointing

The quality is excellent and the color matched my kitchen tile like it was made to match. It works exactly like it says. butter fits perfect very easy to use but.... I started noticing blackening around the base of the butter dish part. I change the water in it everyday. At first when I noticed it I thought it was toast crumbs but after closer look and removing remaining butter it was also up in the dish.

Butter gets moldy, even if I change the water/ice, daily!

The butter doesn't get very soft and it turns moldy within a week. Not like the one my grandmother had.

It stated that it was white and when I received it, it was a cream color so I sent it back.

The butter bell is too deep and the container too small so it doesn't fit a lot of water. In the warm months the butter falls out into the water. Am checking out other designs.

Wasn't the model where a whole stick could be put in and kept soft......I should have looked at the details more.....I am sure it is a good product if this is the style you like.....

I don't like this product because the butter I put in it never stays in the cup. Whenever I took the cup out to get the butter, the butter would fall out.I wasted my money.

This does what it said it would, I just don't like having to clean out the water and whatever else gets into the bowl of butter. Gave this away within a week and will continue to use the countertop butter keeper that uses a ceramic dish over water in the base. Much cleaner.

 I have included a video so you can see why I only gave it one star.
Very quickly though I know it's hand crafted but they need to do a better job with their quality check. The top won't sit correctly on the crock. I would have to balance the top on the bottom and any slight movement near it makes the top shift. That's how precariously it has to be balanced. I am sorry that I have to send it back since I was so excited to get it in the first place. I am asking for a replacement and will do another video review with the second one too. I am so hopeful that the second review will be better because I want one.... but I also want it to work!!!

This does not fit the amount of butter listed and the butter reservoir is much smaller than expected while the water reservoir is much larger. I'm returning and will continue looking for a butter bell that fits my needs.

I liked the fact this is made in the U.S.A.,like the concept, and like the color. Unfortunately, the first time I moved it on the table, it left two scratches - a big one and a smaller one. Checking the bottom, I found it to be unfinished, but the real problem is the two small, sharp projections along the bottom. See pictures.

UPDATE: After a few months, I noticed a chip in the inner surface of the bottom container. This unit seems to have had a bad day at the kiln!
However, in spite of these flaws, the Butter Bay functions as advertised and without the flaws I would give it a 4-5 Star rating.

To those having negative experiences with the Butter Bay, please watch the explanatory video on the Amazon description page.

The butter always falls out if it's 75+ - which defeats keeping it fresh/soft on the counter

Advertised as white but was not white. Was a beige off white color. Returned it because it did not go with my kitchen at all.

It is not white. I got it a a mothers day gift for my mom as she just had her kitchen redone and the picture on the box is white and the add description says white so I didn't think to open it beforehand. I just gave it to her and it's almost a tan it's so NOT WHITE. It doesn't match her kitchen and I'm so disappointed.

My butter keeps falling off into the water. I have tried really pushing it into the top holder, but still doesn't work. Are all French butter keepers like this?

Others consumers have rated this object quite highly, which frankly puzzles me. Every time I've opened it, I found the butter floating in the water, even though I am careful to fill the little cup with softened butter. It's still fresh, mind you, but it's a nuisance to fetch your wet butter out of the cup.I'll repurpose it as a salt box, but that's only because I discarded the box before I began to find this issue more than I was prepared to countenance.

The butter fit (rather poorly)into the water so that the butter container is above the butter. As a result, the butter is likely to fall out of the container, and into the water. Very messy outcome!

I purchased this butter keeper as a replacement for an earthenware one that developed crazing of the surface over time, because of the continuous exposure to water. This one said it's made of porcelain, and I was sure it wouldn't have the same problem.Only it's not porcelain. It's stamped clearly on the bottom, "earthenware". I'm returning it as soon as I post this review.