This Butter Hack Is Going Viral and You Need to Try It
Updated: Oct. 25, 2023
Wondering how to open a butter packet? This TikTok hack makes it super easy.
Butter does make everything better. Whether it’s salted butter for bagels or sweet butter for baking, all varieties of butter have value. We love to add it to our baked potatoes and fresh loaves of bread.
However, sometimes trying to figure out how to open a butter packet can get sort of messy. They are hard to open and if the butter has begun to melt, it’ll often smear everywhere as we’re trying to get the package open. We want it on our knives to smear onto our food, and not on our hands or clothes.
How Did a Pat of Butter End Up in a Foil Packet?
Butter wasn’t always kept in a foil packet. What we think of now as a “pat” or packet of butter probably started out in restaurants as a small amount of butter given in a bowl or on a plate, either to each diner or in a communal bowl. Nowadays, you might still see it that way at some restaurants, sometimes shaped into a flower or other pretty shape.
However, serving butter this way meant that restaurants couldn’t always offer their customers consistent quality. Industrialization offered a solution—butter cutters that would cut perfect pats of butter that could be wrapped for hotels and restaurants. Depending on how far it had to travel or the climate where was kept, keeping it in small wrapped packages kept it neat and helped to avoid melting and mess in transit. Of course, opening those butter packets became a new issue for consumers—until we came upon this hack.
Curious about how much butter you’re eating? This is the number of calories in a pat of butter.
How to Open a Butter Packet
@grantirvine7 Restaurant life hack. #butter #lifehack #restaurant #restaurantfun #fork #butterfork #spreadbutter ♬ Yum Yum Yum – Jurassic Joe
We’re all about hacks to make our lives easier, and that includes enjoying butter. It’s incredible how easy this hack makes it to open a butter packet without mess or fuss. Just use a fork to spear the butter packet, and then squeeze it onto whatever you’re enjoying it on. The butter will come right out and avoid any peeling or opening.
Recipes That Celebrate Butter
Butter Pecan Layer CakePecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. —Becky Miller, Tallahassee, Florida
Buttery CornbreadA friend gave me this homemade cornbread recipe several years ago, and it's my favorite of all I've tried. I love to serve the melt-in-your-mouth side hot from the oven with butter and syrup. It gets rave reviews on holidays and at potluck dinners. —Nicole Callen, Auburn, California
Pecan Butter TartsI searched for the perfect butter tart for ages. After many attempts, I discovered this favorite that begs for a scoop of ice cream on top. —Susan Kieboam, Streetsboro, Ohio
Aunt Rose's Fantastic Butter ToffeeI don't live in the country, but I love everything about it—especially good old-fashioned home cooking! Every year, you'll find me at our county fair, entering a different contest. This easy toffee recipe is a family favorite. —Kathy Dorman, Snover, Michigan
Kentucky Butter CakeI found this butter cake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida
Crisp Sugar CookiesMy grandmother always had sugar cookies in her pantry, and we grandchildren would empty that big jar quickly because they were the best! I now regularly bake these wonderful cookies to share with friends. —Evelyn Poteet, Hancock, Maryland
Raspberry RibbonsI make these attractive, buttery cookies to serve at our remote guest lodge, and all the cooks in the kitchen are addicted to them! —Patsy Wolfenden, Golden, British Columbia
Buttery Bubble BreadHomemade bread can be time-consuming, difficult and tricky to make. But this fun-to-eat monkey bread, baked in a fluted tube pan, is easy and almost foolproof. If I'm serving it for breakfast, I add some cinnamon and drizzle it with icing. —Pat Stevens, Granbury, Texas
Chocolate-Tipped Butter CookiesThese wonderfully moist morsels are too tempting to resist. They melt right in your mouth. Rather than sprinkling the chocolate tips with nuts, you can roll them in red and green jimmies or leave them plain. —Charolette Westfall, Houston, Texas
Cranberry Butter Crunch BarkOne Christmas I dreamed this recipe up when making butter crunch toffee. It is an addictive treat that disappears fast.—Heather Ferris, Vanderhoof, British Columbia
Stollen Butter RollsMy family members enjoy my stollen so much and say it’s just too good to be served only on holidays. I created this buttery, less-sweet dinner roll version. —Mindy White, Nashville, Tennessee
Tender Pecan LogsFolks always ask me to make these tender nutty logs. Not overly sweet, they're just right with a steaming cup of coffee or tea. —Joyce Beck, Gadsden, Alabama
Lemon Butter CookiesThese tender cutout cookies have a slight lemon flavor that makes them stand out from the rest. They're very easy to roll out compared to other sugar cookies I've worked with. I know you'll enjoy them as much as we do. —Judy McCreight, Springfield, Illinois
Martha Washington CandyPassed down by my grandmother and mother, this Martha Washington candy recipe is a cherished family tradition. We've even had each grandchild and great-grandchild take a turn stirring the candy mixture! —Cindi Boger, Ardmore, Alabama
Cherry SnowballsA juicy maraschino cherry is the secret center tucked inside these special cookies. My mom was inspired to create this by a recipe she clipped out of a newspaper more than 30 years ago. —Evy Adams, West Seneca, New York
Flaky Butterhorn RollsThe recipe for these dinner rolls, slightly sweet and so very flaky, was my mother’s. They are simple to prepare because kneading skills are not required and the dough is easy to handle. My grandchildren have renamed them "Grandma’s croissants"! —Bernice Smith, Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota
Semisweet Chocolate Pinwheel CookiesChocolate and vanilla provide a delightful contrast in their flavor and appearance. —Nancy Arevalo, Brookfield, Wisconsin
Orange Spritz CookiesBrown sugar gives these spritz cookies a lovely light caramel tint. This variation has a rich buttery shortbread taste and texture with a hint of orange flavor. They are a delightful addition to my holiday cookie tray. —Sean Fleming, St. Charles, Illinois
Lemon SnowdropsI save my snowdrop cookies for special occasions. The crunchy, buttery sandwich cookie has a puckery lemon filling. —Bernice Martinoni, Petaluma, California
Buttery Almond CookiesMy husband loves these cookies. They have an old-fashioned flavor that goes well with a cup of tea. Plus they're simple to put together. —Elaine Anderson, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Chocolate Hazelnut ShortbreadWe love hazelnut flavor and cookies that aren’t too sweet, so this recipe is perfect for us! If you like your cookies on the sweeter side, bake up these crisp beauties and slather some Nutella between two to create an extra-special sandwich cookie. —Karla Johnson, East Helena, Montana
Originally Published: February 21, 2023
