Tuesday's Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer - The Fastest Way To Soften Butter

When a recipe calls for softened butter and you forgot to set it out earlier don’t microwave it. Instead, reach for your rolling pin! Find out more on today’s Tuesday’s Tip with The Kitchen Whisperer!

Ah butter, such a glorious thing.l. Julia Child had butter in her veins I swear. The woman revolutionized French cooking for Americans with her book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and believe butter did make everything better, The woman was right and a genius. Her book is one book that every kitchen should have. Some of her recipes called for softened butter which, in her time, meant taking the butter out of the fridge and letting it rest on the counter for a few hours.

However as the years went by and the microwave came into existence we skipped the part of letting it come to room temperature naturally and figured we could just zap it to save time. Stop doing this. Seriously, stop. I won’t even get into the chemical breakdown that is happening to your butter as you do this – you’re actually changing the structural elements of butter. Hey I get it, we’re busy and sometimes we just forget. So from now on, step away from the microwave and reach for some plastic wrap and a wooden rolling pin.

Ah the rolling pin…it created millions of pies as a child and was also used as a weapon when Mama was mad. LOL She’d pick that thing up, wave it around her head like a mad woman and tell us to get out of her kitchen or we were going to get our butts beat. Though she only ever did this when we were sneaking tastes of her raw cookie dough or frosting. lol

If you find that you have a recipe that calls for softened butter but you forgot to let it rest out, don’t panic. The following steps are easy…and to be honest, really help you take out a lot of stress as you get to ‘beat’ something with a stick lol

Unwrap your butter from its package and place the measured amount on a large piece of plastic wrap (or waxed paper). Wrap loosely but ensure that all sides are covered.
Place it on a solid surface and then grab your rolling pin (wooden) and give it a few whacks. You’re essentially denting the butter. Whack it, roll the butter over and whack again.
Next start to roll it out using some force. At this point you may need to loosen your plastic wrap or waxed paper to allow it to expand more. Roll it out until it’s about a 1/4″ thick. At this point your butter is softened and ready to use.

Easy, huh? Just be sure to keep the butter covered and you’ll be good to go.

With regards to what type of rolling pin, go with wood. Ceramic or marble can break. I personally prefer the French-Style rolling pins as they are easier to use;

J.K. Adams FRP-1 Maple French Rolling Pin