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When i get my Pâté out of the fridge, and try to spread it on bread, I notice it gets really chunky and hard to spread all over the slice.

I have tried other pates that are much softer and spread smoother around. The one I have even breaks the bread sometimes. Is there any trick to make it more "spreadable"?

Enrique Moreno Tent
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    Have you tried leaving it out of the fridge for an hour or so to soften? – ElendilTheTall Mar 19 '14 at 09:22
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    I'm sorry, I don't understand the question. Did you make a pate yourself, or did you buy it prepared? Are you looking for ways to improve your recipe, for ways to soften this one while "remaking" it (practically make a new one with this one as a base), or for ways to soften this one without changing it? – rumtscho Mar 19 '14 at 09:41
  • I should have mentioned it, sorry. I bought it in the market. I want to soften it without changing it. – Enrique Moreno Tent Mar 19 '14 at 18:20

1 Answers1

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The simple problem is that you need to warm up the fats sufficiently for it to spread. The same holds true for many other fatty spreads, like chevé or neufchâtel. You can get around this somewhat with two tricks:

  1. Place the knife you're going to be using to cut the pâté in a cup of hot water for a minute or two before slicing. Dry it off, then slice in. You may wish to warm it again between slices and/or spreading.
  2. Thinly slice the pâté. You'll have an easier time spreading two or three thin slices than one thick one.

Your other option is to let it warm up out of the fridge. I personally prefer not to leave the whole thing out, I just slice it, place it on the bread, then put the unused portion back in the fridge; I then let the sliced portion sit a little while before trying to spread it. (this works okay in the summer ... not so well in the winter with the way I heat my house)

Joe
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  • It works exactly like you say. Just let it out a little outside to get warmer (maybe not warm, just not cool), and I had a much easier time spreading it. – Enrique Moreno Tent Mar 21 '14 at 01:06