Watch Jennifer Garner Reveal Her Genius No-Microwave Hack To Soften Butter On Instagram

Women's Health Editors
·6 min read
Photo credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin - Getty Images
Photo credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin - Getty Images

From Women's Health

  • Jennifer Garner has shared some genius kitchen hacks on her Pretend Cooking Show.

  • In 2018, she explained how to soften butter without a microwave.

  • In March 2020, she also explained how to DIY buttermilk when you don't have it.

Over her 48 years of life, Jennifer Garner (happy birthday, btw!) has wowed audiences with her acting chops, dancing skills, and if you follow her on Instagram, her hilarious and helpful Pretend Cooking Show. In her Instagram video series, the Peppermint star shares her favorite recipes from her home kitchen, and is just generally an adorable human. While her show is all good fun, it's features some kitchen hacks that might be game-changers if you're baking in self-quarantine right now.

Back in 2018, Jennifer baked a batch of pre-Christmas chocolate-chocolate chip bread for her kids before they woke up. Because she was baking the recipe on the fly, instead of planning for the recipe the night before, Jennifer realized she hadn't softened enough butter (13 tablespoons is a lot of butter, tbh), so she hacks her way to basically-softened butter in a matter of minutes.

"We have a chocolate cake conundrum," she said. Instead of microwaving the remaining five tablespoons — which usually just melts it — Jennifer used a cheese grater to shave a butter stick into tiny pieces that will soften more quickly. "Alright, it's not softened, but it's softened-like," she said.

View this post on Instagram

This time of year it is extra cozy to send kids to school with something warm in their bellies. My kids feel extra cozy about @realbakingwithrose’s chocolate bread. This recipe isn’t crazy sweet and, with a good swish of peanut butter, is just the thing for my early rising middle schooler. You can find the full episode on IGTV. #PretendCookingShow #bangwentthecabinet #😡😩🤦🏻♀️wentmybrain #hurryupchristmas🤶🏻 . #TheBreadBible Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bread Ingredients: 3 Tbs plus 1/2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder 3 Tbs boiling water 1/2 Tbs pure vanilla extract 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs sugar 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 13 Tbs unsalted butter, softened 3 Tbs chocolate mini chips or bittersweet chocolate (chopped) . Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350F. 2. Whisk cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, then gently whisk in vanilla and eggs. 3. In a mixer bowl, combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add half the chocolate paste and the butter and mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute to aerate and develop structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add remaining chocolate paste in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the bowl. Fold in chocolate mini chips/chopped chocolate. 4. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. 5. Bake for 50-60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 200F. (The bread shouldn’t start to shrink from the sides of the pan until after removal from the oven.) 6. Set the bread on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the bread and invert onto an oiled wire rack. Reinvert so it is top side up and cool completely.

A post shared by Jennifer Garner (@jennifer.garner) on Dec 11, 2018 at 12:02pm PST

At the end of March, after the COVID-19 stay at home orders had already started in many places, Jennifer reposted a Pretend Cooking show featuring her favorite English muffin recipe, from Zoe Nathan's Huckleberry cookbook. Since the actress couldn't get to the Huckleberry restaurant while quarantined, she recreated some of her favorite dishes at home.

"At the top of the comfort food list around here: @huckcafe’s Homemade English Muffins," she wrote. "There is a fresh batch quickly disappearing from my counter and I thought you might like them, too." The recipe calls for buttermilk, which, who has buttermilk in quarantine? "If your pantry looks sketchy, milk with vinegar/lemon juice equals buttermilk," she said, which works for buttermilk pancakes, too. "And all-purpose flour works A-OK here."

Excuse me while I go binge-watch Pretend Cooking Show for more #quarantinecooking inspo...

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