Abstract: A butter container or like container for preserving a foodstuff has an upwardly open receptacle forming the base, a plate at an upper part of this receptacle for holding the foodstuff and having a portion covered with an absorbent material dipping into water contained in the receptacle. The cover comprises a thin inner wall with an extension dipping into the water and covered on its outer surface with an absorbent material, an outer lid spaced from the inner wall, a water directing channel connecting the inner wall to the outer lid, and perforations in the lid through which water can be poured into the cover to pass via the channel into the receptacle.