Sometime you may find that you have a recipe where you need “softened butter” or “butter at room temperature” and all you have is rock hard butter sitting in your fridge. Do not despair! I have a trick you can use to get that butter softened quickly!

Here’s the trick: unwrap your butter and stand it on its end on your countertop (or on a plate). Take a water glass and fill part way with water. Put this in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Pour out the water and stand the glass upside down over your butter. Let this sit for a few minutes or until the butter is the desired temperature. The steam from the warm glass will soften the butter for you.

This is much faster than just setting it on your countertop and having to wait 30 – 45 minutes for your butter to come to room temperature!