We've got butter!

[silvergirl]

I separated out cream from our Sadie's milk yesterday, pasteurized it, and tried to make butter by agitating it in a quart jar... Well, nothing seemed to be happening for the longest while, and we even tried whipping the cream with a hand beater, and shaking it for more than forty minutes, heating it up a bit like the troubleshooter thing in the instructions said and nothing!!! So I gave up and refrigerated the cream and this morning when I went to get some milk to drink, I picked up the cream bottle by mistake and found the whole surface of the cream covered in a thick coating of stuff! So I poured it off, rinsed it three or four times and - butter!!!! It is so sweet and light and delicious!!! Yay, Sadie!!!

[Goatiegirl]

Congrats on your first butter! We had the same trouble our first try. I think we ended up throwing it away. We didn't know how to get it past the thick clumpy stage. Now we have a butter churn. We even hook up the cordless drill to the crank and it goes really fast!

[lijj]

How do you make butter?

[pourfolkes]

Silver, how did you separate it??? Thanks

[silvergirl]

Hi, there - to separate out the cream, I used the old fashioned tedious hand drawn method - with a tiny scoop and lots of patience! If you let the milk sit in the fridge for a few days the cream rises to the top of the milk (even after pasteurizing it) and you can scoop it out... It takes forever, but it works. A cream separator can be purchased (I love Lehman's catalogue!!! makes me drool!), but we haven't bought one yet... Then I pasteurized the cream, let it cool, and settle or cure at room temp for a few hours - about seven or eight - then tried agitating it - shaking it like mad - in a quart jar... Like I said, it didn't seem to be doing anything (in retrospect, I think the milk was too warm so next time will try chilling it slightly to bring it to 60 to 70 degrees), so I refridgerated it, and the buttery stuff rose in this big glob that looked like sour milk and floated on the top of the buttermilk... I spooned that out, strained whatever was left of the floating bits out of the buttermilk, added cold water and stirred, then used a spatula to press the butter to the side of the bowl, re-forming it into a glob... I poured off the milky water, added another half cup of cold water, stirred, mooshed, stirred, rinsed... repeat until the water runs clear and you have white, silky, gorgeous butter!!! then I spread it on fresh banana bread and melted into a pool of sensual gastronomic delight!!!

[Kittikity]

Wow, that sounds like a lot of work..

[rich2748]

This was my first experience with making butter. We bought a cream separator but could not get it to work. It set for a year. Then one day I decided it was time to make some butter. After some adjustments and an accidental overheating of the milk we got the cream to separate. The instructions said to heat the milk to 100 degrees. I tried that twice and it would not separate. Then the third time I got distracted and the temp went to 110. That time it separated. I used about two gallons of milk and got a quart and a half of cream. I put it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Then I filled a quart jar half full of cream and sat down to read some emails. I gently shook the jar back and forth for about 45 minutes and all of a sudden there was a thud each time I shook the jar. I did not weigh the butter but it was about a half pound or so. My daughter put the rest of the cream in our Vita Mix and made butter in about a minute or less. I think it works best if you let the milk sit for a day or two and then let the cream sit for another day. We have repeated the process and it still works.

[Shinsan]

Been trying to by a cream separator here in Australia. Have scoured all the antique and old wares shops between here and the state borders north and south - only a few found and those not in good condition - sellers are asking A$200 to $300. Checked out Lehman's online and found that a new one, with shipping, would cost quite a bit also. Then I found that they're still being manufactured in India and Russia! Butter churns are also as common as hen's teeth - found two old 'Dazey' churns and the seller wanted A$95 & $110! Does anybody know where I might get these items at a reasonable price? And does any body know anything about small electric churns that I've been told were common in the U.S. until the coming of supermarkets?
Regards,
Shin

[silvergirl]

Shinsan - unless you are working with a larger volume of cream than a quart or two, just putting it in a quart or gallon jar and shaking it for a while will do just as good a job as a butter churn... I haven't looked into this other option, but maybe you could find some plans to build one somewhere... I mean, where did the pioneers have to shop???!! churns aren't really much more than a barrel with a lid that's got a hole in it and a stick with a plunger... right? (maybe I am being naive... but it seems like a simple enough thing...)

[Shinsan]

Silvergirl - Those old churns that had a barrel with a plunger that you worked up and down were really hard work! A later style consisted of a box with a curved bottom, and had a rotating beater, much like an old paddle wheel but with only four blades.
And you're right - I checked out an old wooden one that an aquaintance has, and found that it really would be easy to make one that actually works. So much so that I think a few, made from recycled timber and with an aged appearance, would be great sale items at our local markets. I'm going to see if I can copy the dimensions from the one I was looking at. Thanks,

Shin

[Raftercat5]

If you want to make butter, don't go thru the expense of getting a butter churn! I use my mixer (a KitchenAid, but I think any kind would work). I put it on the slowest speed, stirring my cream. (I do have a cream separator, but you can do it the old-fashioned way by skimming daily until you have enough). After about 1/2 hr., the cream starts sloshing a lot, and VOILA! Butter! Before you start mixing the cream, it should be COLD from the fridge...at least 50 degrees or so. The cream separator works best when the milk is at 75 degrees (farenheit).
- Kathy