You’re all set to put together a quick cheesecake; when you remember that it didn’t come out too good last time – You didn’t bother to soften the cream cheese first. You’re here to find out:
What is a quick way to soften cream cheese? Discard wrapper and set cheese in a heatproof glass bowl. Microwave for in five second bursts, checking for softening after each burst.
Ideally, we place the cream cheese on the counter an hour before we’re going to bake; but sometimes, that’s not practical – We forget, or we decide to bake on the spur of the moment. Read on for extra tips about the microwave softening technique, plus some other hacks for softening your cream cheese sooner.
Can’t I Leave the Wrapper on?
It’s definitely neater to keep the wrapper on; but you cannot do so, if using a microwave to soften, due to the metallic nature of the wrapper. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explain why:
Metal placed inside the oven deflects [microwaves] away from the food. It sends them jumping around erratically, possibly damaging the interior of the oven.“
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Quick Way to Soften Cream Cheese Without Microwave
Here is another quick way to soften cream cheese. Fill a long, flat, plastic container with hot tap water. Snap on the lid. Touch the lid to make sure it’s not so warm that might actually melt your cream cheese. If it is, just place a dishtowel over it, so the heat is more gentle; and then proceed.
Set your wrapped packet of cream cheese on top of the lid for about half a minute. Then, turn every 15 seconds. Once you have gently heated all four sides, remove the cream cheese from your impromptu softening device.
This is not as instant as using the microwave, but your cream cheese should be soft enough to work with by the time you finish getting out the rest of your ingredients.
A Variation on the Above Method
Many websites suggest putting the wrapped brick of cream cheese into a bowl of warm water, in order to soften it. This is a bad idea, because you risk getting your cream cheese wet.
Another, faster way to soften cream cheese is to place the brick, wrapped or unwrapped, into an empty bowl; and carefully place that bowl into a larger bowl, which contains some lukewarm water. The water in this larger bowl should not come more than halfway up the sides of the smaller bowl containing the cream cheese.
As with the previous method, your cream cheese should be softened by the time you’ve finished setting out the rest of your baking tools and ingredients.
These are my go-to bowls for this method (view here). They still sell tthis classic set, from France, that my mom gave me over thirty years ago.
A Contrasting Viewpoint on Softening Dairy, by Pros
Over at the Land O Lakes company, they take a dim view of softening dairy products in the microwave; over concerns that the inside might melt. Their #1 way to soften dairy for baking is to leave it out for a spell before you need it.
They do, however, have a quicker method:
Cut into small chunks and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Small chunks soften more quickly.”
Land O Lakes
Bonus: how to make the most amazing (and money-saving!) Boursin Cheese
Boursin costs an absolute fortune in the supermarket. If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, this herbaceous, peppery spread is right there, at your fingertips (relax, no actual fingertips are involved).
Using the whisk beater, simply cream a 1/2 block (4 ounces) of softened cream cheese or Neufchâtel. Once it’s nice and creamy, beat in 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper (original Boursin uses white pepper), a small pinch of garlic powder, and 1/2 Tablespoon each of parsley and chives, or 1/2 teaspoon each of dried. May be served right away, but improves after being chilled in the fridge.
Savings: an 5.2 ounce tub of Boursin is going for $9.49 on Instacart. The above recipe will run you about $1.00 for 4 ounces 🙂
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