5 ideas on how to soften butter from the freezer without any hassle

Oil is widely used in cooking for baking, bringing it to the consistency of thick porridge. But if you don’t have time to wait, you can try simple ways to quickly soften butter. It's best to let it sit for an hour at room temperature.

But sometimes you come across a great recipe that you want to repeat right away. And the desired product lies in the freezer, hard as a stone. When heated in a microwave oven, you can overheat it and get liquid, and you don’t always have this device at hand. Simple methods will help you cope with the task.

Cut into pieces

The required amount should be cut and weighed using a kitchen scale. A measuring spoon will also work, and many manufacturers mark 100 g directly on the back of the package.

Using a sharp knife, cut the block into small squares. They will have a large contact surface, so they soften faster than a whole pack.

To ensure that the pieces melt evenly, you should cut them the same size.

After just 5 minutes, the product will be easy to mash with a fork.

Grate

This method is suitable for preparing the product for adding to flour. It is better to rub on the side with large holes. The grater is placed over a clean plate, a piece of butter is pressed to the surface in an up/down direction.

Then you should leave the mixture in the plate for 3-5 minutes until it becomes soft.Plastic like dough, it mixes well with any ingredients.

The colder the block, the easier it will be to rub.

Steam bath and frying pan with toothpicks

Pour water into a small saucepan or cup and heat over high heat. When the water begins to evaporate, the fire is reduced to a minimum. The water should not boil, but it should be well heated.

Place a heat-resistant shallow dish on top of the pan. It must completely cover the top of the pan, otherwise it will not heat well. Then you should wait until the dishes become noticeably warmer.

A block of butter is placed at the bottom. The butter can be strung onto toothpicks.

The steam heats the plate and softens the product. From time to time you should check whether the mass has reached the desired consistency. When it begins to be easily pressed out with a spoon, the plate should be removed from the pan. You need to have time before the sides of the piece begin to melt and flow to the bottom in liquid drops.

There is another way to quickly soften it in a frying pan. 3 toothpicks should be inserted halfway into a small piece from below so that they serve as a stand for the butter.

Then place it in a well-heated frying pan.

After about a minute, the oil will slide from the “legs” to the bottom.

At this point it is easy to soften it even with a fork. Unlike direct heating in a frying pan, this method does not allow the butter to melt to a semi-liquid state.

Warm up the dishes

Sometimes it is not necessary to soften the entire block; it is enough to make its surface a little more pliable. For example, if the product is so frozen that it cannot be spread on a breakfast sandwich. Using a glass beaker and boiling water, the problem will be solved in 5 minutes.

A small glass container is heated in a microwave oven or under running hot tap water.

You should hold the dish for half a minute so that its walls heat up. Then pour out the water, wipe with a napkin and cover a small piece on top. After a couple of minutes, repeat the procedure.

Roll out with a rolling pin

With the help of a rolling pin, in a couple of minutes the hard butter will become plastic and pliable.

Lay a sheet of baking parchment on the countertop.

Place butter in the center and cover with another sheet on top. The wax paper should be larger in size than the block - in the process it will turn into a flat “pancake”; the increase in diameter should be taken into account in advance.

Hold the piece with one hand, take the rolling pin by the handle with the other, and hit the butter hard with the other end. You should hit it hard so that it does not flatten and look like rolled out dough of the same thickness.

After the piece of butter is slightly flattened, take the rolling pin with both hands and roll out the butter into a layer, like stiff dough. The butter will become very soft and pliable, a mixer can handle it, and you can add it to the dough.

Important! The method is suitable for very hard butter from the freezer. Slightly softened butter will splatter from under the paper. In this case, it is better to take a small plastic bag instead of paper.

Questions and answers

Why can't you heat butter in a frying pan?

In the pan, the butter will begin to melt at high temperature, but it will not soften evenly. In the middle the piece will remain just as solid, but the edges will melt to a liquid state. In addition, butter has a low smoke point. This means that it burns in the pan immediately, with the first drops.This oil will take on an unsightly brown tint and be hazardous to health.

How to soften butter in the microwave?

The easiest way is to put it inside and heat on medium power for 20 seconds. But this way it will soften unevenly. Plus, it can easily melt more than the recipe calls for.

Butter is a common product in desserts, baked goods and other dishes. If the butter is straight from the freezer, it will take a long time for it to reach the correct consistency at room temperature. A quick reheat in the microwave or in a frying pan will make it liquid. If you don’t have time to wait, it’s worth trying folk life hacks. They will help solve the problem in a matter of minutes.