The easiest way to get your baking ingredients to room temperature is to simply allow them to sit at – room temperature. That’s pretty much a no-brainer, right? But this method usually means that you have a bit of a plan in place. If I know that I am going to baking early in the morning, I always take my items out of the fridge and allow them to sit on the counter overnight.
However, if you’re at all like me, sometimes ya just get the urge to bake something without a plan in place. I often find myself in this situation and it can be a real bummer if the recipe you’re using calls for room temperature items such as butter, eggs, and cream cheese. But no worries, I’ve got ya covered – so the next time you find yourself staring at ice cold butter and eggs, you’ll know exactly what to do to get those items to room temp in no time!
I usually bake with room temperature eggs because they seem to disperse much better through batters when they aren’t fresh out of the fridge. Typically if the recipe calls for room temperature butter, it’s a good idea to use room temperature eggs.
How to Bring Eggs to Room Temperature
Place eggs in a bowl and cover them with warm (not hot) tap water. Allow the eggs to sit in the water for about 5 minutes or until they are no longer cool to the touch.
How to Bring Butter to Room Temperature
The Microwave Method
If you bake a lot, I’m betting you’ve attempted to soften butter in the microwave, right? I know some microwaves have a fancy schmancy feature that allows you to soften butter at the press of a button, but unfortunately, my microwave is not rocking that feature. Softening butter in the microwave can can be tricky because if you get distracted you’ll end up with a pool of butter instead of a beautifully softened stick.
Ya know you’ve done it – and I’ll attest to the fact that cleaning up melted butter from the inside of the microwave is a pain in the booty. After some trial and error, I’ve pretty much perfected my microwave softening technique, here’s what I do:
1.) Place stick(s) of butter on a microwave safe plate. Leave the paper wrapper on.
2.) Place the plate into the microwave and heat on high power for 5 seconds. Open microwave give the stick 1/4 turn (meaning, pick it up and flip it over onto its side) and heat again for 5 seconds. Do this on all four long sides of the stick(s) of butter. Typically after about 20-25 seconds my butter is perfect. This time will vary depending on your microwave – simply watch it closely and keep flipping it. The flipping action will help the butter to evenly soften.
The Cube Method
If you have a little bit of time on your hands, you can cut the stick(s) of butter into fourths and then cube into small pieces. The smaller the cubes, the quicker the butter will soften. Just leave them at room temperature for about an hour or until soft to the touch.
The Grating Method
I always have a lot of butter on hand and when it’s on sale I stock up and store it in the freezer. But sometimes I forget to move some to the fridge when I’m running low, and then find myself with pounds pounds of only frozen butter. The easiest way to bring frozen butter to room temperature to take out your handy box grater and grate the butter into a bowl.
Within no time, your butter will be soft and ready to be added to your favorite recipe. This grating method also works wonders when a recipe calls for frozen butter such as scones and pie doughs.
And there you have it, my not so technical methods of bringing ingredients to room temperature on the fly. I hope it helps you out the next time you feel the urge to bake up a batch of cookies in a hurry!
Notes
The Microwave and Cube Methods will also work for cream cheese. If you use the microwave method, be sure to unwrap the cream cheese before placing it into the microwave.
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{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve found that stuffing a stick of butter in your back pocket while you prep the rest of the ingredients can be enough, at least with recipes that take a few minutes to set up!
Corinne-
Thanks for sharing!
I LOVE it! My only problem is that I’d probably sit on it!
-Jamie
If I am using my oven or pre-heating it for baking, I will sit the sticks right in the center of the oven where it is nice and warm. Just remember to rotate it so it doesn’t melt on your stovetop.
I do this as well and works like a charm. Also for some reason the top of my fridge is warm, so sometimes I will set stuff up there, especially if I want it out of my way (small kitchen).
These are all amazingly wonderful tips…but as I am not great at planning ahead. I have found that if I take the stick of butter in my tanning bed it works just as well…and I have a wonderful “Buttery” glow too! : )
The grating method is brilliant! I’ve never heard of it, and have always just used the cube method. Thanks for being so helpful with all your tips.
What great, simple tricks and tips! Thanks for sharing dear…
I also usually just put the stick of butter in my pocket to warm it up (if I’m going to be at risk for sitting on it, I put it in a ziploc bag first.
My oven heats up the entire stovetop when I preheat it, so lately I’ve been softening butter on the stove top. I lack a microwave, but I’ve found that my toaster oven also works well for softening a stick of butter.
I also sit my butter on my stovetop and let the vents from the oven warm it up. I also use the microwave method, but usually over-do it and end up with a mess. I like the pocket method!
I always find myself with this problem. I tend to be a spur-of-the-moment baker and I often end up microwaving butter to get it to room temperature and end up with a runny mess. Thanks for the tips!
Great post! I am so bad at planning my baking ahead of time so these tips are very helpful!
I used your grating process last night and it was great. But I did lose some of the butter on the counter and will let’s just say it went all over the place. But I got a great results.
Thanks for the tips.
Luckily my microwave has a “soften butter” setting so I usually use that, but I never thought about how to quickly warm eggs. Great tip!
That’s pretty cool, I wish mine had that function.
Good idea to share these tips with everyone. I do the cube method, only I cut the stick of butter into about 16 “pats” and place them in a single layer on a plate. If I need to speed the process along, I place the plate on the counter underneath the under cabinet lighting.
Great Tips Thanks!
xo
This was SO helpful and I am so grateful for this post! I feel like i’m always in this pickle, but the next time I am, I will remember what i’ve learned here.
I do this all the time and already thought about sharing it with followers as well.
Thanks for sharing this! I never bring my eggs to room temperature solely because I forget. Now I can.
Fabulous time saving tips! Thank you!
In response to the first comment: ROFL
Great tips girl!!
Very informative thnks:)
GREAT tips! I’m bookmarking this for sure! I always forget most of these…
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
I was not aware of the egg but butter, yeah that is how i do it. I suck at planning baking as I hardly do it. Thanks for this post
nice post!!
longing to see more tips like this !!!
Thank You!!!
what I used to do to melt butter is
I preheat my oven and switch it off and keep the butter pack in a bowl for 5 minutes. I found it easy
Oooh good tips! Whenever I have the sudden urge to bake I am always dissapointed I have to wait for butter to soften etc…
I will definitely try this! Thanks.
I use the egg method and the microwave method all the time, but I never thought of freezing and then grating butter, thanks so much!
All great ideas for someone like me who is bad at planning ahead and often wants to bake at the spur of the moment. Thanks – and the photo is gorgeous.
Great tips, thanks Jamie!
this was so helpful! I have already been doing the heat and turn method for a while but I love your idea for frozen butter–I always forget to put it in the fridge! thank you!
I never saw a recipe with room temperature eggs, but it makes sense!
Yup. I melt my butter every single time I try. Even using defrost it ends up melting! Thanks – I’ll definitely try your method!
This is great. So simple but something we ALL need sometimes. I’ve never frozen butter – do you just put it, wrapper and all in the freezer? Then transfer to fridge when you want to use? The water and egg trick is just brilliant. Thanks!
No joke, I deal with this dilhemma every weekend when I decide at the last minute to bake chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Thanks for the tips!! I use the microwave one all the time!! Another good question is; If you forget about the butter sitting out on the counter or don’t get the time to bake what you planned. How long can that butter sit out? And can you put it back in the fridge?
We never put our butter back in the fridge (except during summer); we use it straight out of the cupboard. If I set butter out to soften in the wrapper and don’t use it, I’ll put it back in the fridge to harden up a bit so I can remove the wrapper easily.
I do my best to try and pull butter out before going to bed and let it sit out overnight. Maybe that’s a bad method but it works for me… WHEN I remember! I’ve been known on occasion in warmer months to put butter in containers and set them outside for a short time – works like a charm when you’re in a rush.
Ina Garten does the same thing with her eggs and butter. When I know I’m going to bake the next day, I take them out before going to bed too. Otherwise, I place the butter on top of the oven as it preheats (as others have mentioned here), and I place the eggs in warm water for a few mins (sometimes fewer than 5 mins).
I’d love to thank you for the great tips, but I’m still ROFL at the first comment!
Seriously though.. super helpful post, Jamie. THANKS!
P.S. I’ve also created a bain marie of sorts to soften my butter when needed. I just set the bowl over the simmering water and place the wrapped butter into the bowl, then TURN THE TEMP OFF while I’m prepping the rest of the ingredients. The heat from the bottom of the bowl and the hot water underneath usually make my butter the perfect consistency in 5 minutes or so.
What a great post full of some much useful information! Thanks so much for posting
I definitely use the microwave method for my butter & cream cheese. I always forget to leave them out to soften. I have never thought about grating frozen butter, though. That’s genius!!
I rarely remember to set my stuff out, but I do usually preheat my oven, so as I’m preheating the oven and preping other stuff, I let my butter or cream cheese sit on the stove to slowly warm. It’s worked for me so far!
THANK YOU! I faced this problem earlier this week. Genius!!!!
I love these tips! I always do this, without fail. And when I get the urge to bake…I want to bake!
Those are some great suggestions. I seem to find myself not planning ahead quite often, though I’ve never tried that method for warming the eggs. What I have done is crack them open and put them in the microwave on a very low power setting (like 20%) for about 20 seconds at a time – it usually works okay, but I like your method better. I’ve really go to try grating my butter sometime, I’ve heard that suggested before but I always forget about it.
I have to admit to that pool of butter in the microwave many times. I feel I can never learn, but I’ll try the five second method next time.
Wonderful tips!!
I’m am guilty of microwaving butter too long, and then still using it. Thanks for the tips.
Great tips! Sometimes I’ll put the butter on top of my oven as it pre-heats and that seems to work!
I havn’t tried the hot water method for the eggs, but I have tried the butter and the microwave and it usually never turns out
I usually get the butter to become melty-ish, but I will try that 1/4 turn trick next time. However, I usually know what I’m going to bake so I set ingredients out about an hour before I plan to bake.
This is a really helpful post! I’ve never heard of the grating method before. That’ll definitely come in handy when I forget to move over my frozen butter
.
Love this, now I want a new microwave. My chemist husband said I needed an “egg blanket” one time when I was holding my eggs in my hand trying to get them to warm up.
I said smart idea, now go make it! 
lol
I open the butter package, lay a piece of parchment over it and whack it flat with my rolling pin. It is soft in a couple of minutes. Grating butter sounds like such a better thing to do instead of cubing! I’m going to try that next time.
I am always forgetting to set my butter out for it to get to room temperature! I’ve mostly figured out how to get it pretty perfect in the microwave, but I’ve never heard of grating frozen butter!
These are wonderful tips! Thanks so much for sharing!
This is such a great, informative post!! I have always wondered how to get things room temperature.
This is very helpful.
I tend to end up failed baked goods, when I use eggs straight from the fridge.
I have always wondered…now I don’t. Thank you!
OMG! Thank you. I have baking ADD where all of a sudden I will have a strong urge to bake and have not planned ahead so this is great.
I’d like to tell you about my microwave butter method. I like it better because it doesn’t involve stopping and turning the butter every 10 seconds: Turn the power down to 20% or 30%. Microwave the butter about 1 minute (for 1 stick). You can go off and do something else during that minute. Check if it’s ready, if not give it another 30 seconds or 1 minute (depending on how close to soft it already is).
Thanks, Margaret! I’ll give this a shot.
-Jamie
Just found your website and I love your tips. I always forget to take things out of the fridge. My solution to the butter dilemma is that I have it sitting out on the counter all the time. I always have at least one stick in my butter dish. I know for some it might not work depending on the climate, but for me it works well. The only bad part is if there is only half a stick because we used it for toast, or if you need more.
I just tried melting butter in my microwave and hit 3 minutes intend of 30 seconds. Needless to say, I have a big butter mess all over my microwave. My tip for the day…make sure you don’t hitnthe zero button one too many times!
I know what you mean …. I have done that before. Sounds crazy but it is so easy to do.
If I need softened butter I meausre it out cut into pieces and then put it on a plate and just leave it on my stove under the extractor unit lights. Sometimes I put it closer to the light on a container of some sort. In a couple of hours it is the perfect consistency of room temp. butter to incorporate into the recipe. I find this works great.
Thanks for the great tips! I am so excited that I found you blog! Very helpful! I have LOVED baking for a few years now but just recently I have gotten serious with it. I have also started to blog a couple recipes as well. I still don’t know all the basics of baking so I was excited to read your posts on the fundamentals! Thanks!
I’ve recently become obsessed with baking and very interested in all the small details and intricacies involved in producing the perfect treat. I’ve been doing a lot of reading about the chemistry behind different flours, measuring flour, and room temperature ingredients. From what I read, you should use room temperature eggs in everything baked. The reason is that eggs, and the sugar in them help promote gluten formation within the flour. When they are at room temperature, for some reason, the gluten formations are more abundant. The more gluten formations, the more stable the product and it will get a better rise. Pretty interesting how much chemistry is involved with baked goods!
I usually use the defrost setting on the microwave rather than the ‘normal’ setting to soften butter: 15-20 seconds is usually enough!
(Only just found your blog during work lunch break, will come back over the weekend!)
I usually put the butter out and cut up into cubes on a plate and put it on my stove and switch on the lights in the hood. It gets all the butter to room temperature really well. If I need it quicker I put the butter plate on top of some kind of container so it is closer to the light and softens up faster. This seems to be the best method for me and I use it all the time. But I have to tell my husband not to turn off the light as he thinks I just forgot to do so. Ahhhh men…. they have no idea.
SO helpful! Thanks! I never plan enough in advance to let them sit out on their own. I usually do the mocrowave trick (I do have a “softener” button), but since I am a novice-ish baker, I’m not exactly sure what is “room temperature” and what is “softened.” My OCD likes that you told me exactly how long on each side. Thanks again!
Awesome tips, thanks so much for sharing them with us
It’s not dangerous to leave eggs sit out to room temperature? I’m just scared of salmonella and the like (but I will eat raw cookie dough, go figure!) thanks for the tips!
I’ve been an avid baker for 40 years–mostly cookies, brownies, and cakes. I stay away from pies & don’t have much time for baking bread (unless I use a bread machine). Just came across this website & it’s great! I ALWAYS try to have my baking ingredients at room temperature, especially the eggs & butter (or margarine). It makes such a difference when mixing the dough or batter. I try to plan ahead of time, I do my baking in the morning before work or in the evening when I get home. If I want to make something in the a.m., I take the butter & eggs out before bed. If I plan on baking when I get home, I pull everything out before leaving for work. If the urge strikes me to make something & I’m not prepared, I soften the butter in my microwave (50% power for 1-1.30 min) while keeping a close eye on it. Margarine seems to melt faster than butter. I soften cream cheese the same way. I used to hesitate about letting eggs come to room temperature until I visited New Zealand in 2006 & was shocked to see cartons of eggs in the grocery stores just sitting in the aisles, not even refrigerated. No one seemed to be dying of food poisoning over this. Quite a surprise. Glad to see there’s other people out there who love to bake as much as I do–I find it very relaxing & everyone goes crazy over what I make. I have a tiny, one-wall kitchen with hardly any counter space & no dishwasher, so whenever I make anything I destroy the whole kitchen. My oven also cooks 50 degrees higher than what any recipe calls for. That’s why oven themometers are so important. It’s a challange for me to get anything made at all but I don’t care.
Thank you for sharing the thoughtful & insightful tips. I love baking cookies and this will help me out a lot.