Soften Butter

Butter is a key ingredient in many recipes and is crucial for creating delicious baked goods. Many recipes call for softened butter (as opposed to melted butter or butter straight from the refrigerator), but cooks often forget to leave butter at room temperature in advance of baking. Thus, knowing how to soften butter quickly is a great skill to add to your repertoire. There are several methods you can use to soften butter, all of which are outlined below.

It should be noted, however, that butter does not require refrigeration. Butter can be kept on the counter for days, weeks even. By keeping your butter out, you will always have soft butter ready when you want it. Butter should be kept in a covered dish and away from direct light.

Steps

Chopping the Butter

1. Leave the butter at room temperature. The best way to soften butter is to remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you need it and let it sit at room temperature. However, you will inevitably forget to do this from time to time. You can speed up the softening process by cutting the butter into chunks.
2. Measure the butter. If your recipe calls for a specific amount of butter, it may be better to measure out the correct quantity for softening, so you can return the unneeded butter to the refrigerator. Use the markings on the butter packaging to measure the correct amount, or use a kitchen scales.
3. Cut the butter. Use a sharp knife to cut the measured butter into small, one inch chunks. The increased surface area of the butter will allow it to soften faster.
4. Place the chunks on a clean plate. Leave to sit at room temperature until the butter yields to light pressure.

Rolling the Butter

1. Place the butter between two sheets of waxed paper. Aluminum foil will also work.
2. Take a rolling pin and press down hard on the butter. The butter should yield under the pressure. Make sure you are doing this on a stable surface.
3. Roll over the butter with the rolling pin. Use the same technique as you would use to roll out Make Cookie Dough or a pie crust.
4. Roll the butter to a thickness between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch. Then peel the butter off of the wax paper before it becomes too soft to work with.
5. Use the softened butter in your favorite recipe.

Pounding the Butter

1. Measure the butter. Measure out the amount of butter you need for your recipe, using the markings on the packaging or a kitchen scales. Place the rest of the butter back in the refrigerator.
2. Place the butter in a zip-loc bag. There's no need to close the bag, just leave it open.
3. Pound the butter with a rolling pin. Give the butter several firm whacks and it should soften up nicely. This method is also a great stress-reliever!

Heating the Butter

1. Heat a couple of inches of water in a saucepan. The water doesn't need to be boiling, just hot enough to create steam.
2. Nestle a metal or glass bowl over the saucepan. This creates the effect of a double boiler. Just make sure that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the hot water.
3. Place the butter into the bowl. Measure out the amount of butter you wish to soften and put it in the bottom of the bowl, which is resting over the saucepan. You can leave the butter in its wrapping or put it in by itself.
4. Leave the butter to soften. Leave the butter in the bowl for few minutes. The heat from the steam in the saucepan will warm the bowl, causing the butter to become soft. Just keep a close eye on the butter to make sure it doesn't melt, as this is not what you want.

Grating the Butter

1. Take a box grater and a clean bowl. You will be using the side of the grater with the largest holes.
2. Measure your butter. Measure the amount of butter which you need for your recipe, using the markings on the butter packaging or a kitchen scales.
3. Grate the butter. Grate the butter directly into the mixing bowl. It's best to keep the butter wrapped in its packaging with this method, as it will prevent you from getting butter all over your hands. This will help to soften the butter and is great for use in Make Fruit Crumble and shortbread.

Mixing the Butter

1. Measure the butter. Measure out the correct amount of butter you need for your recipe using the markings on the butter packaging or a kitchen scales.
2. Cut the butter into chunks. Use a sharp knife to cut the butter into chunks of one inch or smaller. The smaller the pieces, the faster the butter will soften.
3. Mix the butter. Beat the butter using a hand-held mixer or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Use a low speed to begin with, then increase the speed as the butter begins to soften. Once the butter is soft enough, you can simply add in the additional ingredients necessary for your recipe.

Microwaving the Butter

1. Measure the butter. Measure the correct amount of butter for use in your recipe, using the markings on the packaging or a kitchen scales. Place the remaining butter back in the refrigerator.
2. Place the butter on a microwave-safe dish. You can leave the butter in its wrapper if it's made from paper, but if it's in metal packaging, you should remove it.
3. Microwave on the defrost setting for five seconds. Alternatively you can use the "Soft/Melt" feature on your microwave, if it has one.
4. Check the butter after five seconds. If the butter yields to your touch, leaving the imprint of your finger, it is soft enough. If not, return to the microwave for another five second burst, and repeat until the butter is soft enough.
5. Don't allow the butter to melt. Microwaving should really be your last resort when it comes to softening butter. This is because it is very easy for butter to melt in the microwave, and melted butter produces a very different effect from softened butter when used in a recipe. Melted butter will cause your cookies to spread and make your cakes too dense. Therefore, if you are using a microwave, keep a very close eye on your butter to make sure it doesn't melt.

Tips

• Always use butter that is fresh and that tastes good. Good quality butter is a critical element in making delicious baked goods.
• If you know in advance that you will be making cookie dough or batter, let the butter sit out on the counter at room temperature for an hour, allowing it to become soft without melting. When butter passes its natural melting point (about 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18.33 degrees Celsius), it loses the special emulsifying properties that make it so prized by chefs.

Warnings

• Do not allow butter to melt when softening, as melted butter is different from softened butter and may negatively impact your baking.

Things You'll Need

• Stick of butter
• Rolling pin
• Wax paper

Sources and Citations

• http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tip_how_to_soften_butter_quickly/
• http://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/cooking-basics/how-to-soften-butter/
• http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-questions-tips-00400000064986/page8.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/dining/17bake.html?_r=2&em
• http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tip_how_to_soften_butter_quickly/
• http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/08/03/26/how-long-before-different-refrigerated-foods-spoil--amp-other-secrets-to-your-refrigerator.htm

See also

• Make Butter in a Sealed Container
• Make Rosemary Butter
• Make Movie Butter for Your Popcorn
• Make Butter
• Make Butter from Raw Milk
• Make Drawn Butter
• Make Garlic Butter
• Test the Freshness of Butter
• Make Almond Butter
• Clarify Butter

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