There’s nothing worse than wrestling too-cold butter onto your morning toast. Microwaving butter can result in a soupy mess, or even worse: a butter explosion. No one wants to clean that up at 8 in the morning. The test: fill a large drinking glass with hot water. Let sit a couple minutes, then pour out water, then cover your stubbornly solid butter with the glass. Let a minute or two pass, then uncover the butter. The result ? The whole piece of butter (we used about 3 tablespoons) wasn’t totally softened, but definitely enough to spread a good amount on your toast. You should try.