No longer. Why? Because with a couple of easy hacks, you can soften a block of refrigerated cream cheese in as little as 15 minutes, thanks to its high fat content. That’s as much time as it takes to set out your mise en place and assemble the rest of your ingredients, meaning your cream cheese will be ready when you are. This time frame is important, as the period that cream cheese can safely sit out on the counter (or in environments over 40° F) is limited to two hours, max, and less than one hour at 90° F. Leave a cream cheese brick out longer and it’s more likely not only to spoil, but to foster bacterial growth like listeria or salmonella (these are sneaky ones that don’t offer telltale signs of piggybacking onto your food, as they may not affect taste, smell, or appearance). That same fat content and moisture content that helps you soften cream cheese quickly are also open invitations for bacteria, so it’s important to have that correct balance…and to ignore anyone that tells you to leave it out overnight. Quick FYI: Don’t give in to the temptation of using whipped cream cheese for anything but frosting. It may thaw out more quickly from a frozen state than a block, but the lactic acid used to set the airiness of the cream cheese will also make your cake batter and cookie dough grainy. Similarly, frozen and quick-softened low-fat cream cheeses will also become noticeably grainy when used in spreads or dips, and taste is affected as well. If you choose to stock up and freeze your low- or full-fat cream cheese, make sure to give it enough time to thaw it out in the refrigerator before setting it out to soften using the following steps. Once open, cream cheese will last up to 10 days refrigerated in an airtight container. In this easy how-to guide, we offer our top pick for simple, efficient cream cheese softening, plus three other alternatives so that you may make your decision based on equipment, convenience, supervision, and time. Our first recommendation is the cube method, followed by softening cream cheese using a microwave, a warm water bath, or stand mixer.
How to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly (and Safely)
After 15 minutes, do a poke test. The exact amount of time it takes to bring your cream cheese to room temperature will depend on your specific room’s temperature, but noticeable softening will have occurred by this time. You’ll know your cream cheese is soft enough to work with when it can hold a fingerprint (or spoon print) and feels, well, soft! Preferably soft enough to be spread easily with a knife or stirred smoothly into other ingredients. Select a 15-second cook time for an 8-ounce block, adding 10 seconds for each additional half-pound if you’re using more than one. It’s critical not to overheat it as you don’t want to melt it, creating a hot puddle that can’t be used. To check for softness, poke the center of the block, not near the edges. It should be soft but not hot. If it’s not quite soft enough, reheat at 10-second increments until it reaches the desired texture. Take the cream cheese brick out of the cardboard exterior package but leave the foil wrapper on. Do not puncture or open this wrapper! If you feel the wrapper has been compromised, put it in that plastic bag and seal it shut. Next, lower the cream cheese into the warm water. Flip it over every five minutes or so for about 20 minutes until it passes the poke test through the wrapper. And again, poke the center to check for give. Put on your mixer’s paddle attachment and place the cream cheese in the mixing bowl. Beat for one minute on medium-low, scrape down the sides, and do it again until it reaches the texture you need. Once it does, add your other ingredients at will, bake, and enjoy.
