How to get a thin even layer of Marmite on toast?

November 13, 2009 11:38 AM

Any way to get Marmite to spread evenly on toast?

Recently discovered I like Marmite, after years of hating it, and I'm wondering if there's any trick to spreading it evenly on toast. It's very powerful stuff and I like to have a thin, even layer over the bread.

The problem: I put butter on the toast, then load some Marmite on my knife (metal), and attempt to spread a little bit. At this point, the toast invariably grabs it and the Marmite sort of blobs on.

Perhaps I'm just not that good a spreader, but I thought I'd throw the question out in case there's some trick I don't know about.

The Marmite is kept at room temperature.

So: any tips on how to evenly distribute Marmite on toast?

posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome to food & drink (15 comments total)

You need fairly solid toast, and spread harder. That's what my parents, Marmite-loving freaks that they were, did.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:41 AM on November 13, 2009

I'd say make sure the Marmite is spread all along the blade of the knife and the toast is hot and buttery, and actually try with the short whippy strokes, touching all over the surface of the slice then "join the dots" with firmer, longer strokes.
posted by runincircles at 11:45 AM on November 13, 2009

Use the butter as a carrier oil: put in the middle of the toast, then apply the Marmite to the butter that hasn't absorbed, mix it a bit, and spread the mixture. It's a knack, and requires a bit of speed, but that's what works for me.
posted by holgate at 11:46 AM on November 13, 2009 [3 favorites]

kind of depends on how much firmness the specific bread can take and how many sinkholes it has...
posted by runincircles at 11:46 AM on November 13, 2009

I think holgate had it right with the butter as vehicle. You can also warm up the marmite to make it less viscous.
posted by ghostpony at 11:51 AM on November 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

The procedure I have always used is to ensure that the lower edge of the knife blade contacts the toast first, as if you were going to try to cut the crust off the toast. Then you tilt the knife slowly while scraping it repeatedly across the toast, until you've tilted it just enough for the blob of Marmite to make contact with the toasty surface.

Continue scraping the knife across the toast in this manner, and as the blob of Marmite wears down, increase the tilt of the knife blade to keep it just barely in contact with the toast. When the knife blade is flat on the toast, the spreading procedure is complete.
posted by FishBike at 11:56 AM on November 13, 2009

Up Marmite!

Make sure the butter is room temperature, and use a good layer. Toast that has already been pocked by cold lumps of butter is awful for even Marmite coverage.

I dip the knife in the jar straight up and down, rather than take a scoop with the tip - it puts a thinner layer along a longer line on the knife. Then, I sort of gently scrape and skitter it along the butter-lubricated surface of the bread. The Marmite on the other face of the knife, I use for a second piece of bread.
posted by peachfuzz at 12:00 PM on November 13, 2009

Personally, I toast the bread, butter it, eat it, and then eat the marmite directly.
posted by Vhanudux at 12:07 PM on November 13, 2009

I never consciously thought about it, but FishBike's description is pretty close to what I do. A little contact area, a light touch.

Also: as your Marmite tolerance increases, your need for an even spread might decrease. Sometimes the occasional oops-went-a-bit-too-heavy-there spot just gives the experience a little extra zing.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:08 PM on November 13, 2009

Yes butter mixing. I like a lot of butter and marmite when I do this and don't have issues.

Also, if you have a fresh tub and get through it quick it's easier to spread.
posted by Not Supplied at 12:17 PM on November 13, 2009

1. Purchase delicious Marmite in a squeezy bottle.

2. Squeeze out parallel lines on your toast.

3. Smear perpendicular to the lines with a knife. Should be pretty even.

[My philistine boyfriend suggested the additional step: "4. Throw Marmite-polluted toast away and have some jam on toast instead". But he's all wrong.]
posted by Dali Atomicus at 12:55 PM on November 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

I let my toast cool down first. It hardens up a bit, and then it is all systems GO! for Marmite application, or for my favourite, Gentlemen's Relish.
posted by Frasermoo at 1:05 PM on November 13, 2009 [2 favorites]

warming the marmite helps. In Guyana the temp was a pretty standard 90 degrees and the marmite was the viscosity of maple syrup, easy to spread.
posted by The otter lady at 1:32 PM on November 13, 2009

Lower the Marmite's viscosity with vodka (probably not soluable in water)?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:02 PM on November 13, 2009

Warm a spoon over a flame on your stove about 12 seconds. Scoop up the marmite. It will effortlessly fall of the spoon onto your eagerly awaiting toast. Use the rounded side of the spoon to smear it as you please. The stuff will spread like melted butter where ever you want it to go.
posted by bkeene12 at 8:04 PM on November 13, 2009 [1 favorite]