Houston, We Have Made Butter!!

Today I attempted an experiment to see whether or not it was actually possible to create butter in a short amount of time from heavy whipping cream. Now, I have made butter before from heavy whipping cream, I mean, who hasn't? You put some cream into a jar and shake it for what seems like forever, and then suddenly, BAM! You have a lump of butter in some strangely milky substance.

So, I poured heavy cream into the Kitchen-Aid mixer, added some yogurt as a starter (the kind labelled "active cultures, aka the kind with stuff in it that, as you are bringing it home from the store, taps you on the shoulder to turn down the air conditioning in the car), and set it to the highest setting on the mixer.

At first it just sloshed around, and to be completely honest, I had to turn the mixer up to the highest setting gradually, as I didn't really want to be wearing the cream or have it decorating the walls of my kitchen. So, after a few minutes of sloshing, it stopped sloshing and started to form soft peaks...and get thicker. And thicker. Soon it looked like cheese curds rolling around, or like a piecrust after you've added the water - all doughy and ball-y and...well, you get the picture.

It was about at that point where I turned the mixer off and scraped everything back into the center, since it was looking yellow on the inside and white and soft on the outside. Anyone who's ever owned a Kitchen-Aid probably shares this one teeny little complaint about it - it whips the inside to the point where the outside gets left out.

I turned the mixer back on after that and watched as what looked to be gooey cheese curds rolled around...and around...and around. Just when I got to the point where I thought it was done (and I swear if you blink, you'll miss it), a lump of butter was suddenly getting whacked around the bowl by this mixer set on an impossibily high setting, sloshing liquid around everywhere.

I had made...butter!!

Quickly I shut off the mixer and ran for a cloth to wipe any surfaces that had been deluged in the "end liquid", aka buttermilk, a very tasty substance that is a byproduct of the efforts to make butter and wholly usable in the kitchen for just about any recipe that calls for buttermilk. The butter was basically in one lump in the mixer tines, with several larger chunks swimming in buttermilk, so I laid the mixer attatchment into a bowl (gently!!) and then headed to the all-handy kitchen strainer to strain out the buttermilk and collect the smaller, but still very usable, lumps of butter.

After the actual production of butter comes the one step that causes the most "ewwwww..." of people that I know attempting to make butter: the washing. But it is a very necessary step, as butter with buttermilk still in it can turn rancid quite quickly, and then what will the efforts have been for in the first place? Not much, I can tell you that. So, therefore, I used a wooden spatula (you can use this instead of butter paddles, as they accomplish the same purpose), and transfered it to a wooden cutting board where I proceeded to run water over it for a few minutes as I turned, mashed, turned, mashed, and then turned and mashed again...and again...and...well, you get the picture. It took a lot of turning and mashing, but the water finally ran clear, which is what it was supposed to do.

Another method of washing the butter is to fill a bowl about halfway with water and sloosh the butter around in it, then drain and fill again, slooshing until the water runs clear. But I have the equipment for the other method, and to be honest found it quite satisfying.

Since I don't own a butter mold I rolled the whole thing up in waxed paper and pressed it tight. What the process really consists of is scooping part of the butter onto the paper, sprinkling a little kosher salt on it, and then scooping some more, although if you wanted to go without the salt I don't see the harm in it. Roll up the butter when it's done and wrap the waxed paper around it tightly, then put it into the fridge. Rumor has it that you can even freeze butter, though I've never actually done that.

To be sure, we'll have to eat the butter soon, as it doesn't have any preservatives in it, really, but speaking honestly, I don't see a problem with the butter being gone soon. In fact, those that I live with are already fantasizing about getting the butter gone so that I will make more - and this time they can actually watch!

Okay, so, just to provide a cost breakdown, I've found store-bought butter anywhere from $2.98 (lowest price) for a pound to as high as $4.09 at some stores, depending on the brand. I spent $3.36 for a carton of heavy whipping cream at WalMart plus $0.50 for a small container of organic yogurt with live culture. So, altogether, I spent $3.86.

While realizing that it doesn't seem cheaper, per se, to make the butter, I have a justification: remember that byproduct I told you about?? Yeah, that, the buttermilk. Think about how much even a pint of buttermilk costs. I got it for free. So, if you look at the fact that making butter leaves you with not just one product but two, it's definately a deal-saver. As an added bonus, you're not picking up product after product at the store - you buy one and you get two!

So there ends the tale of our first butter-making experience. Next time we'll have pictures to post that show others just how easy it really is - we would have had some this time, but the camera would not cooperate, no matter what we did.

Thank you everyone, more coming soon!