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the recipe calls for softened butter

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noel888

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Jun 23, 2010, 7:41:59 AM6/23/10
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What determines a softened butter, or margarine for that matter.?
Would liquefying it in a microwave do just as well? Or is it
something like mush in your hands considered 'softened"?

my...@inter.net

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Jun 23, 2010, 9:06:17 AM6/23/10
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On Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:41:59 -0700 (PDT), noel888 <harri...@aol.com>
wrote:

>What determines a softened butter, or margarine for that matter.?
>Would liquefying it in a microwave do just as well? Or is it
>something like mush in your hands considered 'softened"?


i would be careful of the microwave. softened is not liquified.

Cindy Hamilton

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Jun 23, 2010, 1:13:04 PM6/23/10
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A lot depends on the recipe. Some recipes depend on the
physical characteristics of the butter, others don't care if
it's melted. It would be nice to know what you're making.

That said, "softened butter" is usually at or slightly higher
than 70 F (room temperature).

If you're careful, you can soften butter in the microwave at
10% power. If you can plan ahead, though, just leave it
out of the fridge for a few hours.

Cindy Hamilton

Rod Speed

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Jun 23, 2010, 2:50:18 PM6/23/10
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noel888 wrote:

> What determines a softened butter, or margarine for that matter.?

How soft it is determines whether its softened or not.

> Would liquefying it in a microwave do just as well?

Nope. You can in theory soften it in the microwave, but its
quite tricky to get the time right, you usually end up with
liquid in the middle of the block if you do it in the microwave.

> Or is it something like mush in your hands considered 'softened"?

Nope. Softened butter or marg is just soft enough to squeeze around without being anything like mush.

Its usually used for making pastry and cakes etc.

Its pretty easy to do by taking it out of the fridge an putting it on the top of the storage hot water
service for a few hours if you have one, or just leaving it on the benchtop for a few hours in summer.

In winter you may well be able to put it somewhere where its getting warmed if you dont have the hot water service.

You could probably soften it with hot water in a steamer, just dont heat the hot water on
the stove etc just put it in the steamer out of the hot water tap etc. Havent tried that tho.


h

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Jun 23, 2010, 4:31:24 PM6/23/10
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"Cindy Hamilton" <angelica...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3f88c8a3-e169-4dc7...@d37g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...


Yup. What Cindy said. Using completely melted butter instead of softened
will cause many recipes to implode. Or at least be really bad/not "right".


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