"Although I use these butter dishes for an unusual purpose (holding and storing the distilled water I use while working with precious metal clay or painting with watercolors), I can recommend them for their attractive appearance and their ability to keep air out. In fact, I can store water in them for a week and see little, if any, difference in the water level! They're probably too large for an individual serving of butter, but they'd hold enough to serve 2 or 3 people graciously. I'd buy several and place them at strategic locations around a dinner table when entertaining guests."