# Butter Storage & Rum Shelf Life



## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

How long is butter good for stored on the countertop?

How long is butter good for stored in the fridge?

How long is butter good for stored in the freezer?

I am talking about ordinary store bought butter.

I bought a .75 of rum to use for cooking. How what is the best way to store it after opening it, and how long is it good for, and how would I know if it goes bad?

Thanks


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## Cookie2 (Feb 21, 2014)

Studhauler said:


> I'm assuming you are talking about salted butter. Unsalted butter should always be kept in the refrigerator or freezer because it won't keep very long at all.
> 
> 
> How long is butter good for stored on the counter top?
> ...


Answers contained in above quote.


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## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

Thank you.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I agree on the butter, but I've had rum around for years! I drink rum with eggnog at Christmas only and a 1/5 lasts me 3-4 years, same with most of my hard alcohol. I think in the dark is key and in a glass bottle (some small bottles are plastic).


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

I agree with Vosey about the rum. If it is to be used within six months how do you explain the aged rum that is aged for years? Of course, I have no personal knowledge about this as mine never lasts more than a few days.


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## Cookie2 (Feb 21, 2014)

Rum: Open v closed.

People who savor the taste of hard alcohol all agree that an open bottle (exposed to air) older than 6 months degrades the taste and enjoyment of the product. Since there are so many contrasting ingredients in eggnog, I'm pretty sure older rum doesn't make much of a difference. However, next year I offer that you might want to do a side-by-side taste test using one batch with old rum and one batch with new rum. See if you can tell the difference.

As always, never use any alcohol in cooking that you wouldn't enjoy all by itself. In other words, a bad bottle of wine will still be bad wine in your beef stew or whatever else you're putting it in. Fresh, great tasting ingredients really do make a difference in cooking.


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## Studhauler (Jul 30, 2011)

Well... I am going to open it to use it, then close the bottle of rum until the next time I need it.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I highly suspect my palate for rum is not developed enough to tell the difference, and I like Captain Morgan's spiced rum, which probably just hides any changes :facepalm: 

But I totally agree with you Cookie2, I am picky what beer I use in a stew or wine in a sauce. And oh so picky about my parmesan, very hard to be so picky when living in the boondocks...


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

Actually Rum goes bad in about an hour or two, so please send me all your "bad" bottles of Rum for disposal!!!

Brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, whiskey and any other high alcohol liquors do lose some flavor over the *years* after opened because alcohol evaporates. The more you open it the more it loses its flavor. So it's best to down the entire bottle in one sitting...lol (just kidding) 

Liqueurs and Cordials do go bad due to low alcohol content and high sugar/flavor content although even most of them are good for at least a few years.

My liquor cabinet of around 200 bottles is my proof. I have some in there that has been opened probably 10-15 years ago that still taste good. They just have been opened once or twice in that time.


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## K.B. (Sep 7, 2012)

I can't imagine throwing away liquor because it was old. Some aromatics may be lost with age, but the amount of water absorbed due to the hygroscopic nature of the alcohol would be minimal at best with typical use.


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## JamieCatheryn (Feb 9, 2013)

So howabout the weaker, sweeter stuff? I have triple sec and creme de cacao I put in the fridge after opening in Dec since both are only 17.5%, how long are these good for?


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## K.B. (Sep 7, 2012)

Alcohol concentrations above 10% is a very good deterrent against the growth of any organisms. The high sugar concentration doesn't hurt, either. So long as the bottles are kept closed, I keep liquor at room temp until it is used up.


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## blooba (Feb 9, 2010)

JamieCatheryn said:


> So howabout the weaker, sweeter stuff? I have triple sec and creme de cacao I put in the fridge after opening in Dec since both are only 17.5%, how long are these good for?


creme de cacao will be the first to go bad, keeping it in the fridge probably will help. I've never had the room to refrigerate them but without refrigeration it starts to go bad around the 5+ year mark. Triple sec actually has stayed good 10-15 years for me so far. It has lost some of its fragrance but still has a strong flavor. As you can tell I dont use it much.


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