Knob

A knob is a small, roughly cut lump of something soft, almost always butter. The word is most common in British and Irish recipes. Americans more often say a pat of butter, which is a bit smaller, and older recipes sometimes say a nut of butter, which is smaller again. A knob of ginger is a different use of the word and means a small piece of the root, like a thumb of ginger.

How to do it

1. Take the butter straight from the fridge.
2. Cut off a piece about the size of a walnut in its shell, or a thick slice 2 cm (¾ inch) across the end of a block.
3. Drop it into the pan or onto the food.

How to use it

A knob of butter is usually taken to be about 15 to 25 g, which is 1 to 2 tablespoons. A standard US stick of butter holds about 5 to 7 knobs. A pat, the kind served with bread in a restaurant, is about 5 g, or 1 teaspoon.

Recipes use a knob where the exact amount does not matter:

• To start frying, often with a little oil so the butter does not burn.
• To finish a sauce, swirled in off the heat for shine and body, which is monter au beurre.
• To toss with vegetables, potatoes or pasta just before serving.
• To grease a dish or a pan.

Common mistakes

• Frying in butter alone over high heat. A knob of butter burns quickly. Add a splash of oil, or keep the heat medium, unless you want brown butter.
• Using soft butter to finish a sauce. Cold butter melts more slowly and makes a smoother, glossier sauce.
• Adding a giant knob. If you want to keep it small, cut a cube and compare it to a tablespoon.

In recipes

You will see "a knob of butter", "a generous knob of butter" and "finish with a knob of butter". In Swedish recipes the same idea is written "en klick smör" and in French "une noix de beurre", which means a nut of butter.