The Easy Trick That Keeps Butter From Exploding All Over Your Microwave

We’ve all been there: You need to melt butter for a recipe, so you pop it into a dish and put it in the microwave. Thirty seconds later, after hearing a loud pop, you open the microwave door to discover that you now have a butter-coated microwave. Just in time for baking season, I have a simple hack that guarantees this will never happen again. 

Why Does Butter Explode When You Heat It?

Butter is a water-in-oil emulsion. In this type of emulsion, water particles are dispersed within the fat. When butter is heated too quickly, the water converts to steam, building up pressure in the fat, which causes it to explode. You’re left with a big mess to clean up, because your good butter is on the inside of the microwave instead of in the dish.

How Do You Prevent Spattering?

My favorite hack to prevent the butter from exploding all over is to place the stick of butter in a microwave-safe dish, then cover it with the butter wrapper. Ideally, the dish should be about the same size as the wrapper.

Be sure to scrape any butter that’s still on the wrapper into the dish; this will prevent it from making a mess on the microwave turntable. If you only need to melt a tablespoon or two of butter, cut a small square of parchment paper or waxed paper and use it to cover the dish. 

More Tips for Melting Butter Without a Mess

In addition to covering the butter as it heats in the microwave, there are a few other things you can do to help prevent the butter from spattering as it melts.

• Use low power: Most microwaves have the option to change the power, which adjusts the cooking intensity by cycling the microwave on and off. When melting butter, adjust the power to 40 or 50%. Melting the butter at a lower power stops the butter from heating up too quickly. 
• Cook for short intervals: Melt the butter in 10-second intervals, stirring between cooking periods to help the butter melt evenly. Shorter intervals help prevent the pressure from building up as the butter melts. Stirring helps release steam, which also reduces spattering.
• Cut the butter into cubes: When melting a whole stick of butter, cut it into one or two-inch cubes. More surface area allows for faster, more even melting.