I always seem forget to take my butter out of the refrigerator before a baking project that calls for softened butter. I’m forever in a hurry which means having zero patience while my butter comes up to temp. This is a handy little trick for getting around that problem. It really works reasonably well… better than zapping butter in the microwave and possibly over-melting it or trying to beat it into submission in its too-chilled state.
- Put some very hot water in a ceramic or glass bowl and let it sit for 30 seconds or so to heat the bowl. [A good excuse to heat water for a cup of tea too]
- Dump out the water and place the bowl upside down over your stick of cold butter. You can also cut your butter into pieces before putting it under the bowl which will speed up the softening.
- Let your butter soften under the warm bowl while you are getting the rest of your ingredients ready for your project. It usually only takes a few minutes to soften the butter to a workable consistency.
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Pretty nifty trick! I have forgotten and regretted in the past…
Thank You.
Thanks for the tip – I am ALWAYS forgetting to soften butter ahead of time and will give this a try!
What a great little tip! So much better than the microwave.
How many times have I zapped my butter to oblivion in the microwave? Too cold, then too hot, a real pain. This is definitely a handy one. Enjoy…
Fantastic – have never heard this tip and I always forget to get the butter (and eggs…) out early.
It’s still better to thaw your butter the old fashioned way, but this works in a pinch. Happy baking!
Very clever trick and one I will be sure to use as I never get the butter out early enough…
Never is pretty much my track record too. 🙂
Thanks, great tip! However, since it has been so warm lately, that hasn’t been too much of a problem to leave my butter out on the warm countertops, but very handy for when winter comes back around.
Of all the cooking tips I’ve received, I’ll probably use this one the most. I never remember to take my butter out.
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