---
title: "Softened: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Softened butter is soft enough to dent with a finger but still cool and holding its shape, about 18 to 20°C (65 to 68°F). Here is how to get it right."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/softened"
---

# Softened

Softened butter is soft enough to dent with a finger but still cool and holding its shape, about 18 to 20°C (65 to 68°F). Here is how to get it right.

Also called Softened butter, Room-temperature butter, Soft butter.

Softened is how a recipe asks for butter, and sometimes cream cheese, that has warmed up from fridge-cold until it is soft enough to beat. Properly softened butter is about 18 to 20°C (65 to 68°F). It is still cool to the touch, it holds its shape, and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent without sinking through. It is not greasy and not melting.

## How to do it

1. Take the butter out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before you start, in a kitchen at about 20 to 22°C (68 to 72°F). On a hot day it can take less.
2. To speed it up, cut it into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes and spread them on a plate. They soften in about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Or put the butter between two sheets of parchment and roll it flat with a rolling pin. It softens in a few minutes.
4. Check it with a finger before you start.

## How to tell it is done

* Your finger leaves a dent with little effort, but the stick does not bend or slump.
* The wrapper peels off cleanly and the surface looks matte, not shiny.
* A table knife slides through with light pressure.
* If it is shiny, oily, or bends when you lift it, it has gone too far.

## Why it works

When you [cream](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/cream) softened butter with sugar, the sugar crystals cut tiny air pockets into the fat. Butter at about 18 to 20°C is plastic enough to trap that air and hold it. Cold butter does not take in air. Melted butter cannot hold it at all, and the batter becomes a loose [emulsion](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion) that bakes up flat and greasy.

## Common mistakes

* Softening in the microwave. It melts unevenly, with a liquid middle and cold edges. If you must, use 5 second bursts and check each time.
* Leaving butter out all day in a warm kitchen. It gets too soft to cream.
* Adding cold eggs to softened butter. The butter firms up and the mixture looks curdled. Bring eggs to [room temperature](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/room-temperature) too.
* Using softened butter for pastry or biscuits (scones in the UK). Those need cold butter.

## In recipes

You will see "1 cup ([2 sticks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/stick-of-butter)) unsalted butter, softened", "125 g butter, at room temperature" and "8 oz cream cheese, softened". "Very soft" butter, for some frostings and spreads, is warmer, about 22°C (72°F).

## Related terms

* [Room temperatureRoom temperature in recipes means about 20 to 22°C (68 to 72°F). Eggs, butter and dairy at that heat mix more smoothly and help cakes rise evenly.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/room-temperature)
* [CreamCreaming is beating butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. It traps air that helps cakes and cookies rise. Here is how long it takes.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/cream)
* [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)
* [KnobA 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.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/knob)
* [EmulsionAn emulsion is a mix of oil and water, which normally do not blend, held together as tiny drops. Mayonnaise and vinaigrette are emulsions.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/emulsion)

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