QUICK! I just added cream cheese to some pudding for this recipe, but I didn't soften it first. Is it ruined??!
Answers: Maybe not. If it 's really cold, it may leave flecks of cream cheese throughout. Dpending upon what the recip is, you might could just beat it longer until the cc softens and gets smoother.
Just let the whole melange get to room temperature and then as Michael Jackson says, beat it. You could try microwaving it for a very short time so it doesn't overheat and cook.
It really depends on what your recipe is. It is very important to follow instructions because food products at diffrent temp. have certain chemical bonds. It is extremly important especially if your making something like cheese cake. It's hard to tell if its ruined because I don't know what you're making.
If the cream cheese was really cold and hard you are going to have some parts of cream cheese.
That happen to me one time when I did a Flan there was pieces of it in there.
perhaps try straining the pieces out and let them get up to a higher temp?
then beat it and fold it back in the rest of the mixture...