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Butter isn’t the kind of cooking and baking staple you want to run out of—how disappointing would it be to discover you’re out of butter when you want to bakecookies? The good news is that butter—both salted and unsalted—freezes really well and the freezing and thawing process is a snap. That means the next time you find butter on sale, you can stock up so you always have some on hand for makingpie dough,mashed potatoesor just a piece of toast. It also means that if you don’t use butter often, you can freeze it and use it at your own pace and none will go to waste. Read on for everything you need to know about freezing and thawing butter, plus tips and recipes for how to use it.
How long can butter be frozen?
Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?
What’s the best way to wrap butter for freezing?
What’s the best way to thaw frozen butter?
When you’re in a hurry, grate frozen butter using the large holes of a box grater. Grated frozen butter is ideal for makingpie doughbecause it’s super-cold and in small pieces that will blend with flour quickly and easily. In fact, this method works so well, you may find yourself freezing and grating butter every time you want to make pie. For other uses, such as when you want to blend butter with sugar to makecookies, leave the grated butter at room temperature and it will be ready to use in no time at all.
If you need soft or room-temperature butter, it’s best to avoid the microwave, as it will thaw butter unevenly, melting some parts and potentially splashing and making a mess. However, as long as you’re careful, you can use the microwave to melt butter whether you need it to makecookies, brownies or even potatoes or asparagus. Some, microwaves have a “melt butter” option, but you can also use a lower power and heat it in 10-second bursts.
What’s the best way to use previously frozen butter?
As long as butter is frozen and thawed properly, including freezing it when it’s still fresh, previously frozen butter can be used like fresh. Once thawed, previously frozen butter should be used within 30 days.
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