- How many times has this happened to you? A recipe calls for softened butter, but you forgot to take it out of the fridge, so you need softened butter faster. I feel like most people's first move in a crunch is to just throw it in the microwave, but we all know how that ends, a butter puddle. So, here are three more effective alternatives. How about using hot water? I found this one on Pinterest. Just put wrapped butter in a plastic bag and float it in hot water until it's soft. So, this totally worked, but there's a risk of the microwave effect, I.e. melted butter in a baggy. America's Test Kitchen preaches the rolling pin hack. Put a stick of butter in a plastic bag, and hit it with the rolling pin. Okay, that was so fast, it took like 30 seconds. I personally like this version best, it's quick, it's effective, but it's not exactly quiet, so you know maybe warn your roommates first. Then, there's the old fashioned way, I got this one from my grandma. Cut it into pieces, which gives it more surface area. To take it a step further, try a grater. Those are the hacks. All three hacks work great, so give them a try and see which you prefer, and always keep it quirky.
