Warning - very basic noobie question forthcoming! So, I've seen a couple warnings regarding soft, but not too soft butter.... I guess I'm not sure what the big deal would be. Could someone make this clearer for me? Thanks!!

i usually cut butter into pieces. making halloween cupcakes was kinda fail cuz after i cut the butter, i left the knife on the counter and knocked it over when mixing it.. and it dropped into my foot.

every time i told the story, people were like "why do you need a knife to make cupcakes?"

I usually heat a bowl of water in the microwave. When it's done, I'll put the butter next to the bowl and shut the microwave door. It's warmer than my kitchen, anyway. lol

Hi, I have what is probably a dumb question. I'm baking cookies tomorrow after work. My butter is currently in the freezer. What do I do?

Put it in the fridge tonight so it thaws but remains hard?
Stick it out on the counter so it get soft?

Help!

(Assuming you want softened butter for your cookies...) I'd take it out of the freezer now, and into the fridge. Then tomorrow before you leave, you can unwrap it and put it in a bowl to sit out. If you need somewhere to contain it, inside your oven works. I use salted butter-- some people might not like the idea of open, unsalted butter sitting out due to potential spoilage.

I cut it into pieces, put into a ziploc bag, then immerse it in a pot with running water at around 70 degrees.

I'll typically kneed the butter by hand (still in the wrapper) to soften it quickly.

Stand a whole stick on its end and microwave it for 15 seconds. Perfect.

Tip #4 from the video (put it in your pocket)... I can't imagine the mess that'll make! Wow!

(For the record, I cut my butter into small pieces, do something else for 20 minutes, and then it's ready to use.)

I usually cut butter into thin(ish) slices to soften it, but I've also heard of grating it on the large holes of a cheese grater (I expect it would have to be really solid, though, or you'd have a major mess).

I also microwave it, though long side down. I do 4 seconds on one side, flip it over to the opposite side, do another 4 seconds, then if it's still cold (which it will be if it's straight out of the fridge), I flip it onto one of the faces that hasn't been microwaved yet and do another 4 seconds. 3 seconds per side if the butter has been out of the fridge for longer than 30 minutes but is not yet softened.

Take the butter out of its wrapper, put it on a plate or in bowl, microwave for about 30 seconds at power level 1. Check it and add 10 second increments as needed. Warms it much more evenly and gently than at full strength. And that's how I get away with breaking the baking rule about never softening butter in the microwave.

When I need to soften butter, I put the stick on a cutting board and hit it a few times with a rolling pin, rotating the stick if necessary. The butter softens and there's no risk of accidentally overcooking it in the microwave!

My stove hood has a built in light, so I just put it in the bowl and put it under the light. In a few minutes, it's usually good to go.

clicre1, I didn't see that anyone had answered your question, so here's what I learned from Cooks' Illustrated: you want the stick of butter soft enough to bend without cracking or to yield a bit to the pressure of your fingers, but not so soft that your fingers smash right into the butter.

Like this:
http://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences5/butter

For cookies and other things where you're starting out by creaming butter and sugar anyway, I do the same as Bibliovore (and thought I was so smart to have thought of it :)) - put it in the stand mixer for a couple of minutes. I usually cut each stick into three or four pieces first. Works great, though you have to watch it for the first few seconds until it smooshes down a little bit, lest the mixer fling a lump of cold butter across your kitchen.

clicre1 - If you let the butter get too soft, it can change the texture of the final product. With cookies, it often results in them spreading out and getting too thin - that kind of thing.

i cut it into small pieces then zap it in the microwave on a low setting, in short bursts. and if a little bit melts, who cares? my cakes still work out.
and my brownie recipe uses melted butter, so even better http://www.diginhobart.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/the-ultimate-brownie.html

We have a butter dish on the counter for stick butter that we use for toast, waffles, etc. On the counter its always soft - spreads on toast like a charm. For recipes, just lay your stick butter out on the counter or zap it in the microwave!

I like the rolling pin method and it works just fine. Nothing like a good rolling pin beating to make you feel like Julia Child

My mom's heating/cooling vents are in the floor, so she sents a kitchen stool over one of them and puts the butter on top. It gets a little more heat that if it was on the kitchen counter, but not enough for it to melt quickly.

I have radiators, and I have a bookshelf near the kitchen radiator. If I set the butter on the bookshelf when the radiator is going it softens up quickly. If the radiator isn't on, or in the summer, I'll set it on the counter area that is next to the stove. Again, it softens it up but doesn't melt it too quickly like it would on the stove. I also have a big kitchen window, so if the sun is out I've set it on the windowsill. Basically, I just try to find a place that is a little warmer than the rest of the kitchen, without being too hot!