How to Make Cream Cheese Soft for Spreading
How to Soften Cream Cheese? Whether you're spreading it on a bagel, or mixing it into a favorite recipe, you need your cream cheese to be soft and spreadable. Cream cheese needs to be refrigerated, but it's often not soft enough to use right out of the refrigerator.
Hard, stiff cream cheese can ruin your morning bagel or cause lumps in recipes like cheesecakes and cake frosting. Softening cream cheese is quick and easy with these tips. You can use a microwave, hot water, a mixer, and other techniques. So, we checked, and here are the best ways to soften cream cheese!
In the Microwave
The microwave method is a super-easy way to soften cream cheese! There is no prep time, and you can have smooth, spreadable cream cheese in less than 30 seconds. First, take your cream cheese out of the fridge. Then put the portion you want to soften on a microwave-safe bowl or plate. If you are doing a full package of cream cheese, make sure you remove any foil wrapping before putting it in the microwave.
Next, microwave on medium-high for 15 to 20 seconds. At the same time, rotate every 5 seconds to distribute heat evenly and check for softness. Once the desired consistency is reached, please remove it from the microwave. Also, stir to remove any hot spots from the microwave. Then your cream cheese is ready to use!
How to Soften Cream Cheese Using Warm Water
Softening cream cheese with warm water is a great way to gently warm cream cheese without the risk of over-microwaving. Your cream cheese will be spreadable and in no time with this warm water technique. First, get a bowl large enough to fit your cream cheese. Leave your cream cheese in the packaging and cover it completely with warm water. You can use hot water from the microwave, heat on the stove, or water from a warm faucet. This method will take at least 15 minutes but check every ten to see if the water needs replacing.
Our best tips for this method are:
- Make sure to rotate and flip the cream cheese occasionally to distribute heat evenly.
- If you are using large amounts of cream cheese, separate it into smaller portions to soften it more efficiently.
- Add more hot water as needed until your cream cheese reaches room temperature, then spread away!
Room Temperature
Cream cheese is soft at room temperature, so getting spreadable cream cheese is simply a matter of leaving it to get to room temperature! Take however much cream cheese you need and leave it on the counter, covered or in its packaging, for about an hour.
When leaving cream cheese out, it is important to note that it is not recommended that you leave cream cheese unrefrigerated overnight or longer than two hours. Cream cheese can spoil quickly, and bacteria can begin to grow on soft cheese after only two hours at room temperature.
Cubing Method
If you don't have a microwave, the best way to speed up the warming process is to help it along by breaking up the cream cheese. You can combine this method with the room temperature or warm water methods to allow the warmth to spread more evenly through the cream cheese.
Take a package of cream cheese and cut it into cubes. The smaller the pieces, the quicker your cream cheese will soften, so we recommend around one-inch cubes. You can then take the cubes, cover them and leave them out to come to room temperature, or you can place the small cubes into a bag and use the warm water method to warm the cream cheese.
How To Soften Cream Cheese From Frozen
You can freeze cream cheese, and it works great for keeping and preserving the cheese! Defrosting frozen cream cheese is tricky and can result in unpleasant lumps if not done correctly. Make sure to allow plenty of time to thaw your frozen cream cheese because the best way to do this is to let it thaw slowly in the refrigerator for over 24 hours.
After your cream cheese has thawed in the fridge, you can soften with one of the other methods and use it as normal!
Tip: it's best to use frozen cream cheese for recipes and baking, not for serving on its own.
With a Mixer
If maximum spread-ability is what you're after, try whipping your cream cheese in a hand mixer. You will get light, fluffy, delicious cream cheese perfect for your lox or bagel sandwich without any heating methods required. Just take your desired amount of cream cheese, place it in a bowl, and mix on low to medium for 2-3 minutes. You can also use a stand mixer and leave it on medium to whip on its own.
You can add milk or even soda water for a smoother, thinner consistency. As a result, you will get soft, spreadable cream cheese; easily spread on toast or add to your favorite recipe!
Conclusion On How To Soften Cream Cheese
Whether you're spreading it on a bagel, or mixing it into a favorite recipe, you need your cream cheese to be soft and spreadable. We hope you find the above methods useful.
How to Make Cream Cheese Soft for Spreading
Source: https://howtosoften.com/how-to-soften-cream-cheese/