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What could be better?
I love butter. I want my butter all fat and all full of flavor. Give me real creamy butter or deprive me of it. I won’t hold high anything in between.
For a person who loves butter this much, you’d think I’d try to make it sooner. But neither did I know I could, nor how. As with a lot of things, it’s more special when it happens at the right time. (Haha…I crack myself up.) This butter would not be here if we did not have leftover heavy cream that we did not want to consume in one sitting of strawberry with crepes. I don’t know, I just didn’t want it to go to the dairy purgatory and find out later we have a bad cream. And it was such a nice “experiment” with excellent results.
I remembered reading about people putting heavy cream in a gallon bottle and shake it until the butter forms. We don’t have that kind of bottle and I wasn’t about to labor for it that long. I also read that you can use your hand mixer and I can deal with that. So the cream transformed from this:
To this:
To something that resembles butter, which I thought would never come:
Then into butter AND liquid (I read in some places that this is buttermilk):
Oh, hello!!!
And it went right into my toast.
I will add that I only got a bite of this because before I knew it, Dan finished it.
And what did I do with the remaining liquid (buttermilk?)? I used it to soak chicken tenders. Nothing’s wasted.
If you’re up for it, here’s you need to make (unsalted) butter:
- Heavy cream
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Deep bowl (the liquid will start to splatter once the butter starts forming)
And all you need to do is beat the cream until butter forms. For about 10 minutes, I think. I lost track of time. You’ll see the yellow butter form. Don’t stop the first time you see it. Mix it further for about 5 minutes until the solids separate in clumps from the liquid. After that, you just need to squeeze out the liquid (I used clean hands) and transfer it to a container or measure it out in tablespoons or cups as you wish.
You can also put the butter in a separate mixing bowl and add salt and whatever spices and herbs you like, then roll it in parchment paper. I think homemade butter would be perfect for making butter with herbs.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE TASTE of homemade butter? SO GOOD. I might have to make butter for our toasts from now on. It’s worth the effort, definitely.
I am definitely trying this!! Once I get a hand mixer… (for shame, I still don’t have one. I get so torn between getting a blender, food processer, hand mixer, and one of those stick/stab mixers, that I end up getting nothing).
Does it keep as well as packaged butter? I love me some butter too, but if it weren’t for baking, it’d stay sitting there for a while.
Sandys last blog post..so ronery
We used to make butter at the living history museum where I worked.
If you wash the butter by rinsing it with clear water and working the water through until it runs clear (kneading, with hands or a wooden spoon) it will last much longer. Washing removes the buttermilk, which doesn’t really add any flavor to the butter, but will make it spoil faster. If you’re just making a small amount to have on toast it probably doesn’t make much difference, but even in the fridge the shelf-life is a lot shorter with the buttermilk in it.
And the buttermilk works great in biscuits or pancakes! It’s almost as much better than store-bought as the butter itself.
oh wow! thank you for this joy! i’ve thrown away so much leftover heavy cream already! do you think they’re in dairy purgatory already? hee hee. :D
Munchkin Mommys last blog post..WS #31: Pumpkins
I’ve had so many people surprised by the possibility of making butter. Stop a little earlier, add vanilla and sugar and get fabulous whipped cream, go a little longer (we add a touch of salt) and get butter…as Julia Child always said…”If you’re afraid of butter, use cream!” Mind you—I’ve always loved adding a touch of heavy cream to my cold cereal (heart attack a comin’!!) Heavy cream is one of my favorite things in the world! Thanks for the pictures and the post!
great minds think alike! i did this too recently! looks awesome — i thought it was mashed potatos at first!
katys last blog post..Corn and Chive Soup
oh,hello! That’s awesome that you made your own butter.
I wonder if we could do that with the whisk attachment on the kitchenaid. Would my motor overheat?
Nates last blog post..Fried Sanddabs with Garlic and Oyster Sauce
How funny! My daughter was just asking me the other day if we could make butter! We definitely have to try this. Thanks!
Elles last blog post..Holiday Baking, Week 4: Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
I love this idea! I made butter a long time ago in Primary School with the cream in a jar method! Never even occured to me to make it with a whisk! I think when I delve into cheese making I may delve into butter too!! :)
Rambling Roses last blog post..Pumpkin Cake
Sounds like a lot of work… I\’ll be lazy and get mine from Safeway.
Dwacons last blog post..The Original Monk
Dwacons last blog post..The Original Monk
Imagine my surprise to visit for the first time and learn that making butter is SO simple! I cannot wait to try my hand at it.
Very interesting, now at least have some idea on how butter is made.
eastcoastlifes last blog post..Global Entrepreneurship Week 2008