---
title: "Knob: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "A knob of butter is a small lump, about 15 to 25 g or one to two tablespoons. Most common in British recipes, used for frying and finishing."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/knob"
---

# Knob

A knob of butter is a small lump, about 15 to 25 g or one to two tablespoons. Most common in British recipes, used for frying and finishing.

Also called Knob of butter, Pat of butter, Nut of butter.

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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tablespoon). A standard US [stick of butter](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/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.

## Related terms

* [TablespoonA tablespoon is about 15 ml in the US, UK and Sweden but 20 ml in Australia. It equals 3 teaspoons. Here is how to measure and convert it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/tablespoon)
* [Stick of butterA US stick of butter weighs 113 g (4 oz) and holds ½ cup or 8 tablespoons. Here is how to convert sticks for recipes outside the US.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/stick-of-butter)
* [Monter au beurreMonter au beurre means swirling cold butter into a warm sauce at the end of cooking. It makes a pan sauce glossy, silky and slightly thicker in a minute.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/monter-au-beurre)
* [Brown butterBrown butter is butter cooked until its milk solids toast and smell nutty. It takes about five minutes and adds deep flavor to pasta, fish and baking.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/brown-butter)
* [Thumb of gingerA thumb of ginger is a piece of fresh ginger root about the size of your thumb, roughly 5 cm long and 15 to 25 g. Here is how to peel and use it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/thumb-of-ginger)

[More in measurements](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/measurements)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)