To give up on proper butter and go back to the spread?

[Milliways]

DH & I were both bought up with margarine.

Over the years I have become more aware of “good fats” and after reading lots on here, and discovering what margarine actually contained, we switched to “spreadable butter” (just didn’t tell DH the cost).

For a while I wanted to go to just butter, and spent a while finding my perfect butter dish, which I finally treated myself to and we made the switch.

My problem is, the butter dish is just too good and the butter remains rock hard in this cold weather. When making toast or a sandwich I am using way too much and often ripping the bread.

I scrape it very thinly from the block, sometimes use the bread board to soften it more, hold the knife over the toaster to warm it, (but for a sandwich this doesn’t work), and keep just going back to my anchor spreadable so I can get the job done.

What am I doing wrong? Any tips please, or should I just give up and go back to spread for sandwiches?

I give hard butter a blast in the microwave - 10-15 seconds normally does the trick. But if you prefer the spread, go back to the spread.

Use the microwave, carefully at first.

I respect the amount of thought and planning you've put into this

Just a bit at a time, in a ramekin.

I don't think spreadable butter is that bad, it's usually a mix of butter and rapeseed oil.

Margarine is one molecule away from plastic. Avoid!!!

First world problems thread

I like spreadable butter, we buy Yeo Valley. Couldn't be doing with the faff of 100% butter.

Lurpak spreadable is good.

Cut off a knob (of butter) into ramekin, 10 seconds in the microwave, job done

We usually keep the butter in the cupboard with the bread. Spreads really easily.

Is your kitchen really cold? Our butter dish lives on the kitchen counter and the butter is always just right.

Could you really bear to go back to spread? Proper butter is so much nicer!

Boiler cupboard or airing cupboard overnight. We had the same problem, as soon as we started putting it in the cupboard overnight we had lovely, buttery, spreadable goodness in the mornings again!

Of course it’s a first world problem, but it was you lot that made me rethink the marg
I wondered about microwaving, just seems a faff, but suppose that’s the way to go if I don’t waste too much.

Yup lurpak spreadable. Move on with your life

I would rather the faff of microwaving than eat nasty margarine. Real butter at our house.

For some reason DH didn’t like the Lurpak spreadable, but likes Anchor or Aldi.
Our kitchen is cold, butter dish lives next to the toaster and bread bin.
Will go with microwaving. I do prefer the taste.

Could you warm the knife in a mug of boiling water before use?

If the butter is really solid, you can use a cheese grater.

If it's proper butter all you need to do is cover it in clingfilm or put it in a bag and bash it against the worktop a few times. It will be perfectly spreadable after this, it truly works.

We keep our butter dish on the kitchen side and I never have an issue with it being hard , I also have country life spreadable in the fridge . I think some butter is generally softer than others , I use Kerrygold .

I'm not a massive fan of spreadable butter but President do one that's quite nice.

Our butter dish is ceramic (so microwave safe). If the butter's too hard I just stick the whole dish in the microwave for five seconds, test, if still too hard then five more seconds. Spreads beautifully.

Just watch you don't leave it for too long or it'll melt into a puddle!

Do you work at all, op?

Another one for microwaving. 10 seconds, still in the butter dish.

Cut off a knob (of butter)

You could also turn your heating on