Probably one of the best baking tips I can give you involves butter. A good portion of baking recipes call for softened butter. Please, Please, PLEASE resist the urge to let the stick of butter sit on your counter overnight or *shudder* microwave it. By doing the latter you’re actually breaking the butter down and making the butter unbalanced.. meaning the balance between solids and fats. It’s doesn’t affect the chemical composition but it doesn’t distribute evenly into your recipe.
From now on do this… it’ll make a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE in your baking!
Take a stick (or however much your recipe calls for) and put it in the freezer until frozen solid. Next, get out your box grater with large holes or your food processor with the shredding blade (large holes) and grate the frozen stick. It may take some arm muscles if doing it by hand but the end result is incredible.
Now if you bake a lot like me, grate a few sticks keeping them in marked baggies or what not in the freezer.
You are BRILLIANT! I would have never thought of this! Thank you so much!!! Best idea ever!
Your site is honestly one of the best I’ve found out there!
This is the best thing yet!!!! Thanks Lori!
You are most welcome! Like I said, I’ll do a stick of butter at a time and put each grated stick in a baggie then stick ’em in the freezer. I mean if you’re dirtying up your food processor, might as well do a batch of the stuff. Plus grated butter in your pie dough.. FABULOUS!
Hadn’t subscribed to your emails when this first came out so this was brand new to me. What a brilliant idea!!! Will do that in the future. Very glad to know about the microwave chemically altering butter. Never heard of that before. I am really glad to be getting your emails now! Thanks for all the good stuff!!!
Hi Liz!
What mirowaving does is separate the fats from the solids which alters how the butter is incorporated into your recipe.
Best Kitchen Wishes!