How to Eat a Muffin

Picking Away the Top

Unwrap your muffin of choice. The paper cup, when unwrapped and placed flat, can help keep any crumbs from spilling elsewhere.

Pick away pieces of the muffin top with your fingers. You can eat them as is, but they are great for dipping in icing or coffee as well. Note that picking apart the muffin with your fingers will create crumbs, making this method less than ideal if you are trying to be clean, or are eating in a public space such as the car or subway. Muffins that contain larger fruit such as blueberries often lend themselves very well to piece picking, as the blueberries often can be removed from the muffin in natural chunks.

Unwrap the paper cup on the muffin base if you haven’t done so. Pick up the base and eat it like a piece of fruit.

Cut the base into smaller slices, if preferred. These smaller pieces of the base are great for dipping into coffee and icing, or holding small spreads of jam or butter.

Removing the Whole Muffin Top

Unwrap your muffin. The paper cup, when unwrapped and placed flat, can help keep any crumbs from spilling elsewhere.

Grip the whole top of the muffin and twist. The motion is similar to that you would use to open a jar. Pull the top of the muffin away from the base. This method is most reliable when the muffin top has a slight crust or hardness compared to the base of the muffin.The crust makes it much easier to pull the top away from the base in one piece. When the overall consistency of the muffin is softer or less dense, you may find the muffin top crumbling in your hands when you attempt to remove it. Be prepared to change your strategy!

Eat the muffin top like a cookie. If the muffin is dense, the underside of the muffin top makes a great vehicle for butter or other spreads. If you found the muffin drier or more crumbly, the muffin top may be unable to receive a spread without falling apart first. In this case, it is best to eat the top plain.

Finish eating the muffin base. Eat the base as desired, either with your fingers or utensils.

Eating the Bottom First

Unwrap your muffin. The paper cup, when unwrapped and placed flat, can help keep any crumbs from spilling elsewhere.

Hold the muffin sideways or upside down in your hand. Eat the muffin bottom first, similar as to how you would eat an apple. This method tends to be rather clean, as the bottom part of the muffin can often be eaten in one bite, leaving the top behind. Consider this method if you are on the move, but also wish to respect the cleanliness of your surroundings.

Eat the remaining muffin top. You may eat plain, or spread an icing or butter on the muffin top. Unlike when you remove the top first, you'll find that this method typically produces less crumbs, since you aren't picking it apart with your fingers - most of it will end up in your mouth! Bear in mind that this method, along with eating the muffin whole, can appear somewhat uncouth depending on the size of the muffin. Assess the social situation first!

Using Utensils

Unwrap your muffin of choice. You can place it on a plate or leave it on top of its wrapper, to collect crumbs.

Slice the muffin into desired portions, using a fork and knife. Take note that using utensils works best on muffins that are on the moister end of the spectrum. Drier muffins are more prone to crumbling into pieces, making utensils more work than necessary. Cutting the muffin directly in half allows a flat surface on each slice that is great for applying butter or other toppings. Cutting the muffin into smaller, bite-sized sections allows for easier dipping in coffee or icing. Using a fork is helpful when eating a muffin that contains large pieces of fruit, such as strawberries or blueberries, even if the muffin is dry and crumbly. The fruit makes a great anchor point for your fork and can allow for easy pickup of large pieces of muffin.

Eat the muffin with your fork and knife. If you find the remainder of the muffin has fallen apart into smaller chunks, use the knife to scoop the crumbs onto the fork, or use a spoon. This method is typically only possible at home, or when eating at a restaurant or bakery.

Heating the Muffin

Unwrap your muffin. Do not heat a muffin while it's still in the wrapper, as the wrapper may overheat or catch fire.

Place unwrapped muffin on a napkin or microwave safe plate. Tupperware or other plastic containers may also be used, but make sure they are microwave safe and not prone to warping.

Place muffin in microwave. Make sure the surface the muffin rests on is microwave safe.

Heat on High setting for 30 seconds. Individual microwave settings may vary. If you aren't sure that 30 seconds is appropriate, check the muffin every 15 seconds it is in the microwave. If reheating multiple muffins, you will need to increase the time spent microwaving for each additional muffin. Thirty seconds for each muffin is a good start.

Enjoy the muffin. It should be warm and soft if reheated correctly.

Heat the muffin in the oven or toaster. Muffins can also be reheated in conventional ovens and toaster ovens. For conventional and toaster ovens, wrap the muffins in foil and toast them at 350 °F (177 °C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Muffins may also be cut in half and toasted with a little butter applied to each side. This helps ensure muffins do not dry out with reheating. You may wrap each side of the muffin with foil and toast at 350 °F (177 °C) for 10 to 15 minutes. Muffins may take less time to heat up, pending on your device's settings, so check on the muffins every 5 minutes if uncertain.

Eating the Muffin All at Once

Unwrap your muffin. The paper cup, when unwrapped and placed flat, can help keep any crumbs from spilling elsewhere.

Pick up the muffin and take a big bite out of it. Think of eating the muffin in this fashion as similar to eating a piece of fruit, such as an apple or pear.

Continue until no muffin remains. This method can be particularly messy, so make sure you have a plate or napkin handy to catch any crumbs. Eating the muffin whole is the wildcard of methods! A muffin that is too large, too dry or too crumbly can make eating a muffin whole quite the spectacle. Consider saving this method for the home or around friends to avoid unnecessary stares and creating a mess for someone.

Apply butter, icing or other spreads to the muffin. Placing a spread on the top of a muffin can be a little awkward, and you may find your hands getting a little messy when eating the muffin in this fashion, so be careful.