A Preheated Oven Is The Best Time-Saving Tool For Melting Butter

Home cooks are always on the hunt for new ways to save time in the kitchen. An abundance of hacks have surfaced on the internet in recent years that allow people to save time and effort, particularly when cooking or baking. 

One of these tricks pertain to melting butter. While it's generally easy enough to do in the microwave or on the stove, these existing methods add a few steps to the baking process and generally result in more dishes to clean. In some cases, there's an easier way to achieve this task that saves time and reduces other steps in the recipe.

For melting butter, there's a simpler method. For baking recipes that call for melted butter, place the butter in the baking dish while it preheats in the oven. Not only does this save time and effort, but the melted butter doubles as grease for the baking dish, saving time overall.

For baking recipes that call for melted butter, start by cutting the butter into small pieces. This allows it to melt more quickly and evenly. Then, Sarah Carey of MarthaStewart.com recommends placing the butter into the baking dish you're using for the recipe and putting it in the oven while it preheats. Once it is melted, it can be removed and poured into the bowl with your other ingredients. Not only does this effortlessly melt the butter, but you will be left with a greased baking dish that is ready to be used. Plus, it doesn't require an extra dish that will later need to be cleaned.

When using this method, be sure to keep an eye on the butter. If left in the oven too long, it could easily scorch, especially once the oven gets warmer. There's no time saved if the butter is burnt and you need to start over with more butter and a clean baking dish.

The trick above may not work to your advantage if you're making something without an oven or need an ungreased baking dish. However, there are other ways to save time when working with butter. It is still possible to save dishes when microwaving butter if you do so in the bowl you plan to use for the recipe; simply start by melting the butter, then allow it to cool a bit before adding the other ingredients. For easy cleanup, be sure to use the wrapper hack.

For recipes that call for softened butter, this can be done quickly as well. Microwave it on a low power setting or use your rolling pin to decrease the softening time at room temperature. Either of these hacks eliminates the need to set the butter out in advance if you forgot to do so. No matter the recipe, there are options and shortcuts for working with butter. Whether you use the baking dish hack above or another tip, there are plenty of ways to save time and effort when melting butter.