Buzz
Every time I enjoy a dish with butter, I'm always impressed by how amazing it truly is. Butter is so delicious, and the only issue it ever gives me is when it's too cold (like my ex) or too hard (unlike... my ex).
Recipes that require melted butter are simple, but those that call for softened or room-temperature butter can be tricky and cause delays in your baking. Here are three quick methods to soften butter, and when to use each one.
Shave or grate chilled butter for spreading on toast
What’s great about toast is that it’s warm enough to melt a delicate layer or finely grated pile of butter. I like to use a vegetable peeler on mine, shaving off the top layer of the cold block. Then, I place it on the toast and watch it melt away.
If you don't have a vegetable peeler, a box grater works just as effectively. Simply grab a chunk of butter and grate until you’ve got “enough,” then scatter the bits on your toast and spread them. You can also use shredded butter in recipes that need softened butter—just shred the required amount and toss it in.
Force cold butter into submission
For certain baking projects, it's enough for the butter to be just softened but still cold. As A.A. Newton has clarified, it depends on the recipe you're using it for:
However, mixing cold butter into softer, squishier ingredients—like brioche dough, cream cheese, or meringue—doesn’t work at all. You’ll end up with hard butter clumps that no amount of mixing can break apart.
The general rule of thumb: If a recipe starts with butter and sugar, cold butter is perfectly fine—just make sure to beat the butter alone for a while to warm it up. If you’re adding butter to another mixture, it absolutely has to be at room temperature. Luckily, this won’t disrupt your baking timeline.
If you’re starting with creaming butter and sugar together, just go to town with your stand mixer, hand mixer, or a rolling pin and a plastic bag.
Give it a bit of warmth or time
Here’s the deal: As long as your kitchen isn’t freezing cold, cutting a stick of butter into small pieces and leaving it on the counter for half an hour will do the job. If you can’t stand waiting 30 minutes, try microwaving it for five seconds at a time, flipping it each time, until it’s soft and at room temperature.
I’m not a fan of that glass method
There’s a popular butter-softening trick where you fill a glass with hot water, empty the glass, dry it, and then place it upside down over the butter. It works, but not any better or faster than the microwave, especially if your tap water doesn’t get that hot. To try this trick, I had to boil some water first, and the hot glass took a whole seven minutes to soften the butter, which is longer than it would take to just microwave it as mentioned above.
What to do when you’ve gone too far
Butter softening can quickly turn into butter melting, especially if you’re not familiar with your microwave or its settings. Using melted butter in a recipe that calls for softened butter will lead to a greasy disaster, but don’t worry, you can “fix” your butter with a simple ice bath:
The method is quite straightforward: simply take a small bowl, fill it with a few ice cubes, and place the softened butter directly into the ice. Stir it a little, and the quick chill will firm the butter up enough for you to scoop it out with a spoon or spatula, all before the ice melts and waters down the mix. When tested, the ATK team found that the butter worked just as well for baking, so if you ever leave the butter out too long or microwave it for a few seconds, this tip could be a lifesaver.
