How to make your own butter?

[theHandpuppet]

My grandmother always made her own butter, still the very best I've ever had. She would wrap up these white cakes of fresh, sweet butter in wax paper and we'd waste no time making fresh bread and butter sandwiches.

I've inherited one of her two, very old glass butter churns and would like to try making my own butter. Has anyone else here ever done this and can you give me some tips?

Also, I'd like an old-fashioned recipe for hot bacon dressing, which my grandmother always made for her greens. I tried making something up but it certainly didn't measure up to hers.

[eleny]

1. I've made butter in the blender

It's a very fast process. It could take a long time in an old glass churn.

Here's how easy it is http://www.cajun-recipes.com/html/bread/31774.htm

[NashVegas]

5. Salt?

If I wanted to try that and do salted butter, how much salt should I add - and when?

[eleny]

6. I hunted for more recipes

But they were all for sweet butter. One of the recipes had a line at the end to add salt if desired. No special time to add it. So I would probably add some while it was whipping befroe adding the ice. I suppose you could add it to the cream and let it dissolve in the liquid before blending. But it'll get all blended in one way or the other.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. Salted vs Sweet (unsalted) Butter

Salted butter goes back to the days before refrigeration. It was added as a preservative as opposed to a flavoring agent. Now, we tend to like the salt in butter, particularly when we're just spreading it on stuff. I tend to cook with unsalted and slather with salted.

[WritersBlock]

12. Y'all wouldn't believe the mess I just made in the kitchen trying this.

I don't think you're meant to use one of the hand-held blender thingies, are you?

I let it run for about 20 minutes, all told. I finally got about a teaspoon of liquid (buttermilk?) from 10 fluid ounces of pasteurized double cream, which is the same as heavy cream, I think.

Maybe it's the blender I was using or the pasteurization. But at any rate, I've got a nice thick glob of what looks and feels like very thick whipped cream. Doesn't have a butter texture at all, but maybe it's just warm.

I put it into a yoghurt strainer to drain overnight. We'll see what it metamorphs into.

[eyesroll]

2. The hot-bacon dressing I use, courtesy of Mader's Restaurant in Milwaukee:

Mader's Restaurant Hot Bacon Dressing
10 slices bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup cold water

Brown bacon and strain off grease, leaving small amount to brown onion. Add onion and brown. Add 3 cups water, sugar, vinegar and bouillon. Bring to boil. Gradually stir in combined cornstarch/water mixture.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes or until thickened. Serve over bed of fresh spinach. Makes 6 to 10 servings.

Note: This dressing also can be used as a base for German potato salad. Mix dressing along with diced green onions and sliced boiled potatoes.

http://www.jsonline.com/entree/cooking/apr02/39460.asp

[politicat]

3. Butter in a crank glass churn...

Memories.... I read this post earlier, and decided to go try.

I still have grannie's churn, and so since I was out of butter, and since Mr. Pcat is not feeling well, I sent him to bed, broke out the churn, and went and got cream (which was cheaper than the butter, admittedly.)

It took about half an hour of churning, and I listened to an audiobook while I was churning. Another half hour to squeeze out the whey (used a flour-sacking towel that I wash in borax and vinegar for kitchen use.)

I salted half, made demi-sal (half-salt) with a quarter, and left a quarter unsalted.

It was kind of pale, so I added a bit of yellow food coloring.

Got a bit of an upper arm workout, too!

[Longhorn]

4. How incredibly cool!

Thanks for sharing your experience! :D

[NashVegas]

7. where to get cream?

I just made a batch in my Kitchen-Aid, using Organic Valley's heavy cream. Everything I looked at had additives, carageen at minimum, and other chemicals at the non-organic level.

On first attempt, it looks passable, tastes okay but not great (it's not very sweet), and I wasn't sure how to get all the water out.

[eleny]

9. Maybe hang it in a cotton bag over the sink to drain?

I make farmers cheese from cottage cheese. After I mix the ingredients it can be watery. I put it into a cotton bag and hang it over the sink to let the watery stuff drip out.

I'm trying to remember seeing how butter is drained. I guess you could smear it on some waxed paper and blot it with a paper or cotton towel.

Here's something from an article on butter:
"Whisk or beat past the whipped cream stage until the butterfat forms firm yellow lumps and separates from the remaining buttermilk. (Save the buttermilk: let it sit out at room temperature overnight to culture, and either drink it or use it in cooking.) Paddle and press the butter in several washes of cold water until there are no traces of buttermilk left. Salt if desired. Pack into soaked and chilled wooden molds, refrigerate to harden and then un-mold."
http://www.journalofantiques.com/hearthoct.htm

[The empressof all]

10. Farmers Cheese

How do you do this? Do you just hang large curd cottage cheese in a cheese cloth bag and let drain then press. What do you add? Now that I live in PNW people look at me like I'm from out of space when I talk about farmers cheese. My mother used this to make pierogi and I love it just plain with fruit.

Tell us your secrets.

[eleny]

11. My fast version of farmer's cheese

I'm starting a new thread.

[Shakespeare]

13. I've thought about making it the way we did in Girl Scouts....

Pour heavy cream into a large mason jar, close it up and shake, shake, shake!

As I recall, the butter turned out great, and you got a good workout in the process. :7