What exactly is a “square” of butter and why isn’t it defined anywhere?

Can anyone shed some light on this? Some sites say it’s 1/2 cup of butter. Is that about right? If you saw a recipe that asked for a square of butter, how much butter would you use?

Doesn’t really matter what you are making…
Probably only matters where you are getting the recipe. A square of butter is an old time reference. It refers to when butter was cut in blocks, or squares, and divided equally among a package to make a pound of butter. They hadn’t referred to them as sticks back then. It evolved to that. Therefore a stick of butter is the same as a square of butter, or 1/2 cup.
Hope this helps!

Source(s): Household Searchlight Cookbook– Ogden Publications, Inc.
(I work for them!)

If I saw a square of butter I would use a pat.

I think.. what are you making exactly?

i think 1 square is equal to 1 stick. ????? thats what i just saw on a web site

EDIT: Maybe we should go on YA and ask someone!

Edit again: A ‘stick’ or ‘cube’ or ‘square’ of butter or margarine is equal to 1/2 cup US or 4 ounces or approximately 100 grams. There are 8 Tbsp. to each 1/4 pound ‘stick’ of butter or margarine.

Source(s): i got this from www.realfood4realpeople.com

A square of butter is 1 TBSP. There are 8 “squares” to a stick of butter. It is the same thing as a “pat” of butter. When you go to a restaurant, you get a “pat” of butter on your vegetables or bread…..you certainly don’t get a whole stick of butter.

on a stick of butter, you will see the lines that divide the stick into 8 slices, each slice is a square, or a tablespoon, or one whole stick is 1/2 cup

I think a square of butter is a pat or 1 tbsp.
That’s how I’ve seen it in recipes, as in “garnish with a square of butter”

Answer 6

That is the same thing as a stick of butter. I don’t even know why somebody would refer to it as a square. Someone needs to teach them their shapes again.

Answer 7

1/4 pound or 4 ounces, there are 4 squares to a pound.