How to Quickly Soften Butter [VIDEO]

6 Comments

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  langeallison

  August 25, 2011 at 4:33 pm

  it would be very helpful if a transcript was posted with these videos so i didn’t have to watch the whole thing to get the message
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  Josho

  August 26, 2011 at 11:23 am

  Another quick method — that doesn’t use up a plastic bag — is to put the stick of butter on an aluminum pan or pot (actual silver is best and has the fastest heat transfer rate). It’s not as fast as whacking it soft as in the video — something we did at pastry boot camp at the CIA — but in fifteen minutes, it will be nicely softened especially if you turn it from time to time. If you’re prepping your mise en place, and you put the button the pan first, generally by the time you’re ready to bake, the butter will be nicely softened.
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  timkvfp

  August 26, 2011 at 3:08 pm

  “…so i didn’t have to watch the whole thing to get the message”
  Really? When I saw this I was expecting a 5 minute video, it’s 56 seconds and they cared enough to make it. Relax, take less than a minute and enjoy watching him show that stick of butter how they do things downtown!
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  robinkirby2

  September 14, 2011 at 9:10 am

  What is the difference between this and putting the stick of butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beating the butter before adding sugar when making cookies?
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  Christine Liu

  September 14, 2011 at 10:30 am

  Hi Robin, Sometimes the butter can be too hard (cold, from the fridge) to beat the butter effectively in the mixer bowl, in which you might want to use these softening techniques.
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  sznv062

  June 22, 2012 at 4:42 pm

  I always forget to take out the butter So….I get one of those snack size plastic baggies (those things are so great!), put the butter into it and dip it into a hot cup of water. Softens it up really fast. I used to zap it for a second in the microwave, but what I was getting was clarified butter….that won’t do. This little baggie way works everytime