Thursday, June 24, 2010

Butter Makes Everything Better

Today I made my first batch of butter. I picked up some heavy cream at the local diary, then I literally just whipped it up!

I have made whip cream before, and for butter you just keep whipping until all of the sudden the whipped cream looking stuff turns to chunks with what appears to be water but is actually butter milk!
Next you have to wash the butter to get all the butter milk out of it (the butter milk is what makes butter turn rancid quicker). This step requires a bit of muscle, as your mixture is the texture of firm butter and you have to mix in ice water and mush it around, rinse and repeat. You continue this process until the ice water drains off clear. I used my mixer for the first several washes then used a spatula to really mush it around.

For my final step I added just a bit of salt and stirred again. And Voila...BUTTER!!!


I pressed it into my old butter container and put it in the freezer till we use up what is in the fridge. I ordered a butter bell from a friend who does pottery, so when that comes in I'll put it in there!

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