Garlic butter is creamy and spreadable, but it also provides a little flavor boost to all kinds of dishes. With little time and a few ingredients, you can learn how to make garlic butter. Traditionally, garlic butter is used as the spread found on garlic bread. However, there are a wide variety of other uses for garlic butter. Many professional and home chefs alike keep prepared garlic butter on hand to put into a variety of dishes. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/garlic-butter-recipe.html

If you're looking at a big, beautiful bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce and you wish you had something to put on the breadsticks in the middle of the table, these tips will show you how to make garlic butter to kick up all kinds of food.

• Butter
  • Feel free to experiment with different kinds of margarines and butter spreads.

• Garlic
  • Chopped, diced, powdered; it's up to you!

• Spices
  • Pepper, parsley and thyme are just starting points.

• Mixing bowl

• Chef's knife

• Cutting board

• Spatula

• One of the best parts of cooking is that you can combine just about any ingredients you like according to taste. Here, however, is what you should start out with when you make your first batch of garlic butter.

1. Butter is cream that has been heavily churned. As such, it's filled with delicious fats. You have options when it comes to what kind of butter you will use:http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=141
   1. Good old-fashioned butter will be a little bit firmer and you'll have to warm it up for easy spreading.
   2. Margarine is made from vegetable oils and may or may not be a little healthier for you. It's also a little easier to spread on bread.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/butter-vs-margarine/AN00835
   3. Spreadable butter, such as Country Crock, is made from a mixture of oils and designed to be spreadable at room temperature. http://www.countrycrock.com/prod_spreadbutter.asp
2. Garlic is a relative of the onion. It's extremely aromatic and adds a unique tang to all kinds of foods. http://www.garlic-central.com/
   1. You can purchase whole bulbs of fresh garlic and crush the cloves yourself, or you can purchase jars of pre-crushed garlic.
   2. In a pinch, you can even use garlic powder.
3. 'Spices are used to tweak the flavor of foods. You can add whatever you like, but start with pepper and work from there.http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/spiceref.html
4. Italian herb seasoning works well, as well as parsley, basil and sage.http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1930,148190-244195,00.html

• This is the fun, messy part! Garlic butter is a breeze to make because the preparation is so easy.

1. Combine the ingredients you've chosen in a large bowl.
2. Smoosh them together with a spatula. (You can use your hands if no one is looking!)
   1. Okay, okay. If you want to do it the same way a chef would, mix the ingredients in a food processor.http://www.consumersearch.com/www/kitchen/food-processors/
   2. As this requires no heat, making garlic butter is a great way to involve kids in cooking.http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids/feature/famf010502_ffteach/famf010502_ffteach.html
3. Transfer your garlic butter into a serving dish or a fridge-friendly storage container for later use.
4. This step is very important (and delicious). You should test the garlic butter you've made to make sure it tastes the way you want.
   • At this point, you can add spices if you feel it's necessary.

Now that you have a supply of garlic butter, it's time to put it to use.

1. Bread is a classic way to enjoy garlic butter.
   1. Make garlic bread by spreading garlic butter onto sliced Italian bread and covering it with cheese before baking it in the oven.
2. Add your garlic butter to lobster or steak to make savory meats even richer.
3. Vegetables taste great when you add a little garlic butter.
4. Experiment by adding your garlic butter to different dishes to make your own creations.

If you have garlic butter left, store it in a covered container in your refrigerator to keep it fresh. (You can even store it in the freezer if you like.)http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art31186.asp Bring it out whenever you want to add some flavor to your meal.