✔️ Material: A good butter crock needs to keep the butter cool and not expose butter to air or light.
Coated ceramic: This is the most common material used for butter crocks as it is designed to keep the butter cool and protected from any exterior light because of its opacity. Coated ceramic is easy to clean thanks to the nonporous glaze. This material could break if dropped by buttery hands.Marble: This durable material keeps butter cool and would be hard to break if dropped accidentally. Due to its porous nature, it does hold onto scents like scented dish soap and cannot be washed in the dishwasher. Glass: We do not recommend glass for your butter crock because of its translucent nature which would expose the butter to light. While most glass butter crocks on the market look beautiful on your countertop, they wouldn’t store butter for as long as you might like and could shatter easily with buttery hands.
✔️ Capacity: The majority of butter crocks fit a standard stick of butter (4 ounces or 1/2 cup) which is convenient. If you have a larger family or just love having more butter on hand there are crocks that fit up to two sticks of butter. The largest capacity on our list fits 7 ounces of butter.
✔️ Handle: While not all butter crocks feature a handle, it is a nice feature to look for to easily maneuver the butter crock.
✔️ Shape of the bell: While most butter crocks feature a rounded bell for storing butter, we did notice there were other designs as well. With the rounded shape it’s easy to scoop butter out and clean all crevices. Butter crocks with a long narrow bell are harder to scoop butter out of and there are lots of crevices where butter could get stuck in. The butter crocks with a deep bell and harder to use and clean, but provide additional protection from the air.
✔️ Fill line: The majority of butter crocks do not have a water fill line, but it’s a nice-to-have feature for ease of filling with water. This eliminates having to pull out a liquid measuring cup or accidental overfilling.
✔️ Ease of cleaning: Hand washing a greasy butter crock can be a time-consuming and slippery task. Not all butter crocks are dishwasher-safe, but many are.