Is there anything more disheartening than cutting the perfect slice of freshly baked bread only for it to become completely mangled as you try to spread rock hard butter on to it? I’m not sure there is and that is why I was so happy to discover that David Alfille had invented the temperature controlled butter dish. It automatically heats or cools to the perfect spreadable temperature so it is ready when you want it, with the same consistency every time allowing you to set it to your own preferred level of softness with the temperature gage. It has a low-power fan and ventilation outlets to keep the temperature in check and I was surprised as to how quiet it actually was. It can be unplugged so you can put it on your table and can be adapted to be used in a caravan or even in your car although we heavily discourage buttering while driving.

I’m not sure it would even be possible but I wish this butter dish didn’t need to be plugged in all the time as we have three plugs in our kitchen and a microwave, coffee machine, milk frother, toaster, a speaker and occasionally a toothbrush charger all fighting for those, it is also bigger than the normal butter dish due to the cooling unit underneath so you need to be able to dedicate both some space and a plug socket. The fan on the bottom of the unit can clog up with dust and yuk so make sure you look after it by cleaning it out regularly to avoid it over heating. This is probably one of the few gadgets where the novelty hasn’t worn off after a few weeks, it has actually become quite indispensable, no it won’t help improve your waistline by any means but who cares, I will just have another perfectly buttered crumpet and promise to exercise tomorrow.  RRP £38.98 - £43.98 depending on design.

4.7 out of 5

Buy now

Pros

Keeps better a perfect temperature

Portable

Dishwasher proof

Quiet

Comes in a variety of designs

Cons

Fan needs looking after

Needs plugging in all the time

Takes up a bit of work top space