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?

Cut a chuck off and put on a plate, full a glass with boiling water for a few minutes (till the glass is hot) tip out the hit water and place the glass, upside down, over the chunk of butter for a few minutes. Soft and spreadable.

Lol re bashing it in cling film.
Yes, I do work, full time!
Totally aware this is not a problem, I had just pulled some bread into holes and thought I’d ask the MN opinion for a light hearted chat.

Thanks for all the ideas anyway :)

It sounds like a faff but it works! Thank me later

We always used proper butter.

But on finding out what goes on routinely in the dairy industry 😱🤢😭 switched to Flora in the gold tub - it's really good! So I'd recommend that.......Stock up when it's on offer.

Always easy to spread straight out of the fridge or you could prob cut a chunk out to go in your butter dish- ( I love a nice butter dish!)

Maybe go back to spreadable then (but not marg ).

I'm guessing your kitchen is very cold??? We have a little ceramic pot that takes half a stick of butter. It is reasonably spreadable in winter. Can you keep the butter in a slightly warmer art of your kitchen?

What difference does it make whether the OP works or not?

I agree with pp, switch to Flora Buttery (no dairy) as the dairy industry is horrible.

Not sure if it's the same in the UK, but Lidl butter in the red and white checked packet is nicely soft even in a cold kitchen.

Friend whizzes half olive oil and half butter up in the blender and pours into a tub for fridge. So best of both worlds.

Turn the heating on?!!!

My whole house is cold, slowly sorting it, had another new window last week.

Thanks for the tips, and will look at the Flora for when my vegan family next visit.

What the hell has working got to do with butter?

Could you keep the butter in the dining room?

President spreadable butter is lovely,my favourite by far.

Our house is always butter spreadable temp. We are very fortunate.

Small Ramekin.
My teens shocked at me using the phrase "A knob of butter." They thought it was very rude. I don't know what to call it now.

PS i was not suggesting heating, I was responding to the PP who did - seems ludicrous

Get yourself a butter curler. Or cut a block into smaller cubes and just take a couple out as needed. They take much less time to soften up.

YABU to consider going back to spread. Spread is such a fake foodstuff that it doesn’t even have a proper name. I mean, SPREAD. What even is that? 🤮

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

How many molecules away from plastic is butter then?

Since butter and margarine resemble each other far more closely than either resembles plastic, I'm guessing their distance is pretty similar.

I think people who think oil/fat from an animal is vastly superior to oil/fat from plants have thinking that owes more to prejudice than rationality.

I live in New Zealand, and buy 100% butter which is spreadable at all times - and it really is, even in winter (I use it straight from the fridge). Not helpful to you OP, sorry.

The perfect butter dish... Dear God.

Random
Yeah it's a bit snobby isn't it.
I do like the taste of butter but ethically it would be better to stick to plant-based spread (gasp).

Our kitchen is cold in winter so have to use spreadable butter but love it in Summer when we can use proper butter

I agree with the poster above, it's easy enough to blend the butter with some oil. Will save on plastic containers but is also quite good.

I just slice it! Certainly wouldn't be eating any spreads.