Picture this: You volunteered to bring dessert to a potluck tonight, and you’re on the hook for two dozen chocolate chip cookies. Facing a race against the clock that makes you feel like you’re in an episode of The Great British Bake Off, you suddenly realize you forgot to soften the butter.
Instead of popping it in the microwave, which often results in a melted, oily mess, try this time-saving hack to take your butter from cold to room temperature in just a few minutes. To start, boil some water (approximately 2 cups) in a kettle, or simply run the sink until the temperature of the water is very hot. The tap water should be almost too hot to touch, even for those with hardened, heat-tolerant mom hands.
Fill up a drinking glass with the hot water — if you’re using boiling water from a kettle, make sure the glass is resistant to thermal shock — and let it sit for five minutes. A pint glass or a Mason jar works especially well.
While that sits, grab a cutting board or another flat surface and place the stick of butter on it vertically. Once you’ve reached the five-minute mark, dump the hot water in the sink, and put the empty but still-warm glass upside down over the butter like a cloche, letting it rest for an additional five minutes. (If your butter is very cold and firm, you may need to leave it under the glass for up to 10 minutes.).
If you’re attempting to soften a larger block of butter, like the kind you can buy at Costco or Sam’s Club, you can use this same method with a larger vessel, such as a ceramic or glass bowl. It also helps to cut the butter into smaller pieces, increasing the amount of surface area exposed to the steam.
Now let’s say you’re working with frozen butter — how can you get it up to room temperature when it’s essentially a block of ice? In that case, reach for a box grater and use the larger holes to grate the butter onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Let it sit for five to 10 minutes, and it should be soft enough to mix into your cookie dough. Consider the potluck saved!
