Butter is softened when you can easily squish it between your thumb and forefinger or,when pressedwiththeback of a spoon,it hasan indentation, yetdoesnot lose its shape.
How long does it take to softenbutter?
Settingoutchilled butteratroom temperaturefor 30 to 45 minutes beforeusinggives it time to soften.The same approach works for frozen butter,though itcan take a couple of hours.
If you’re looking for ways to soften butter quickly without melting it,check out these faster alternatives.
Quick: Cutting Butter into Small Cubes
Cuttingbutter into small cubeshelpsto soften the butter inabout15 minutes.You can take this time to prep the rest of the ingredients needed for your recipe.Thesmaller the pieces,the more quickly the butter will get to room temperature.The easiest way to do this is:
Cut the stick of butterinhalf(the long way)and stack thehalveson top ofone another.
Stack the sticks of butter and cut perpendicularlyinto small cubes.
A Little Quicker:Pound and flatten butter
Placethebutter stick in a resealable plastic bag or between two sheets of waxed or parchment paper, then poundand rollwith a rolling pin to flatten and soften.
In a Few Minutes:Grating Butter
The quickest of the three methods is to grate the butter.Partiallyunwrap the butter, thenholdthe wrapped portionwhileusing the largest holes on abox gratertocreate a pile of freshly grated buttershavingsthat will soften in a matter of minutes.
In a Pinch:Microwave butter
Though not recommended for baking, you can use the microwave to soften butter in a pinch–but keep a close eye on it!Butter melts readily,which makes iteasy to accidentally take it from solid to liquid in just a few seconds.Softened butter and melted butter are not the same. Using meltedbutterwill change the texture of whatever you’re baking.Ifyou only want the butter to soften for spreading, microwave it ontheDefrost setting (30%) in 5-second increments until it’s softened as desired.
What is your tried-and-truemethod forsofteningbutter?
Method: Stand a stick of butter on its end (so it's vertical) on a plate and microwave for 8 seconds; flip so it's standing on its other end, then microwave 8 more seconds.
Total time: 16 seconds.
Verdict: Completely and evenly softened, without any greasy sections or cold, hard sections. ...
To soften butter, we recommend leaving it on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes to an hour. Keep in mind that the speed at which your butter will soften depends on the temperature of your kitchen. If it's wintertime, you might need to leave your butter on the counter overnight to fully soften.
Butter needs to be chilled rapidly to turn solid — so all you need to do is mix a few ice cubes into a bowl of melted butter and stir. In less than a minute, the butter should turn into the soft yet solid state that's perfect for your baking needs.
TRICK: Freeze cream before churning to speed the process.
Normally, fresh cream takes 10 minutes to “break” into butter. Frozen and thawed cream takes under 2 minutes. If we only have small amounts of extra cream, I'll add to the jar in the freezer and wait until the jar is full to thaw the cream for churning.
There are several common ways to soften butter: leaving whole sticks or cubed butter out on the counter, relying on a microwave to handle the task, or using a stand mixer to beat the butter until it's pliable.
(If you can't find one, look for any sturdy silicone spatula or plastic mixing spoon.) Scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically, and keep on beating until the butter is fluffy and lighter in color. This may take five minutes or more.
Simply place the over-softened butter into a bowl with a few ice cubes and stir. Your butter will quickly begin to cool and solidify to a soft texture. Once it's back to a usable soft texture, just remove the ice cubes and your butter is good to go.
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