Trying to spread cold, hard butter onto your toast is the worst! Instead of placing your butter in the microwave, which may overheat and melt the butter too much, try this trick instead.

To soften butter without a microwave, pour hot water into a glass cup or bowl and let it sit until it is hot on the outside (around one minute).

Then, pour the water out and place the cup over the stick of butter. After a minute, that hot cup will soften the butter, making it the perfect consistency to spread.

There are other ways to soften your butter without a microwave, like using a cheese grater or a specially designed butter spreader. These hacks can also be great for those times when you’re baking cookies and realize you forgot to let your cold butter soften to room temperature.

Just be careful not to leave your butter out on the counter for too long after taking it out of the fridge; it won’t keep forever.