Making your own butter (in the tropics)...

MexicoKaren

MexicoKaren

Joyfully Retired
...is a challenge. I was determined to limit myself to the ingredients allowed in the inaugural "FrankenPantry" thread, but neither Jerry nor I was looking forward to having mashed potatoes and broccoli without BUTTER. Since heavy cream IS an allowable ingredient, I decided to make my own (thanks, Peeps, for pointing out that possibility). I started with two cups of heavy cream which I put in my food processor. Round and round it went, but it never really separated. I finally figured out that it is just too warm here, and I should not have followed the instructions that told me to bring the cream to room temp. The only way I can whip cream this time of year is to chill the bowl and the beaters. Well, I didn't have time for that, but I did pour some new COLD cream into the mixing bowl. It worked! You can see the butter forming...then I strained the buttermilk out, poured some ice water on it to firm it up, continued to squeeze out all the water and EUREKA! I have butter. Now we are really looking forward to our dinner.
 

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Hooooolllllleeeeeee COW!!!! OMG! You MADE butter! That is amazing! You just won Cook of the Year in my book!!

Awesome!

Such an awe-inspiring way to approach Franken-Pantry and make it work the way you want (and the way our grand-parents may have been challenged). That is EXACTLY the spirit of FP! You have epitomized it with this!!! :clap:
 
I keep coming back to look at this. It would never have occurred to me to make butter from cream. Karen, this really blows my mind! LOL!! Fantastic job!!!!!!!
 
Oh you guys!!! You're making me blush...thanks so much for the kudos. It really wasn't that hard. And we wanted BUTTER. What I forgot to add is that is tastes fantastic. I added a tiny bit of salt to it...it is really GOOD. And easy, once I figured it out...
 
That's just amazing Karen! I'm going to have to try this now. You've inspired me!! Wow, I can only imagine how fresh, made right there butter tastes! Awesome! You really knocked it out of the park!! :clap:
 
karen, great!~
kelt, i luv your gusto & enthusiasm! lol. 'ya make me grin. i've not made my own 4 years. & i got 2 lbs. of butter already, though when those get used (i use butter soooo excessively!)
i'm a goona make my own. i luv that whey for sipping on; very healthy, too!
 
MexicoKaren said:
Oh you guys!!! You're making me blush...thanks so much for the kudos. It really wasn't that hard. And we wanted BUTTER. What I forgot to add is that is tastes fantastic. I added a tiny bit of salt to it...it is really GOOD. And easy, once I figured it out...
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You're welcome Karen BUT it was luvs that hinted at it!! It looks fantastic!! How does it taste? Did you salt it?
 
It tastes sweet and fresh. I added a tiny bit of salt, because I hoped it might intensify the coldness and help it to beat up better. Seems to have worked. We have a little bit left - I'm not sure how I'll use it yet. If you are making some really wondrously-good bread, it might be worth making your own butter. It's not that hard, and I'll definitely do it again. Jerry grew up on a farm, and his mother (who must have been wonder-woman and baked mile-high biscuits and made pancakes that floated to the ceiling) also churned their own butter (by hand). Lucky guy.
 
umm, pardon me for asking, but of course that's how you make butter. Have some of you never done that before?
If you need to keep kids busy, put the cream in a container with a lid, like a jar... tell them to shake it until it's butter.
 
Phiddlechik said:
umm, pardon me for asking, but of course that's how you make butter. Have some of you never done that before?
If you need to keep kids busy, put the cream in a container with a lid, like a jar... tell them to shake it until it's butter.
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Awesome, can't wait to see your pics of the home-made butter!
 
I think that most of us buy our butter so making our own is something that most of us have never done. I know that I've come close a few times while whipping cream but I have never taken it to the butter stage. Making it in a tropical climate like Karen did makes it more of a challenge though.

You can also make sour cream from cream and buttermilk (which is the liquid that is leftover after you have made the butter) but I've never done that before either. So, I guess you could experiment even further with the cream and create sour cream.

2 cups light cream (does anyone know if you can substitute heavy cream for the light cream when making sour cream?)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
Canning jar

Sterilize a canning jar in boiling water. Pour the cream and buttermilk into the hot jar. Cover the jar tightly and shake to combine the ingredients. Keep at room temperature until it reaches the desired thickness. A higher percentage of butterfat in the cream will produce a thicker sour cream. Stir before serving. Store in the refrigerator up to three weeks. Throw the sour cream away if mold begins to form on the top.
 
Mama said:
I think that most of us buy our butter so making our own is something that most of us have never done. I know that I've come close a few times while whipping cream but I have never taken it to the butter stage. Making it in a tropical climate like Karen did makes it more of a challenge though.

You can also make sour cream from cream and buttermilk (which is the liquid that is leftover after you have made the butter) but I've never done that before either. So, I guess you could experiment even further with the cream and create sour cream.

2 cups light cream (does anyone know if you can substitute heavy cream for the light cream when making sour cream?)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
Canning jar

Sterilize a canning jar in boiling water. Pour the cream and buttermilk into the hot jar. Cover the jar tightly and shake to combine the ingredients. Keep at room temperature until it reaches the desired thickness. A higher percentage of butterfat in the cream will produce a thicker sour cream. Stir before serving. Store in the refrigerator up to three weeks. Throw the sour cream away if mold begins to form on the top.
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Yep, I buy my butter. I've HEARD you can make it from cream, but have never done it, nor seen it done. This is validation and inspires me! My grandparents did it, but they aren't here any more, and I'm hoping my food processor makes it easier on me than it must have been for them!

Thanks for the inspiration Karen!! :thumb:
 
I buy my butter as well. I remember making butter with my grandmother in large churns. It was quite a process. Karen, I'm with Keltin on this - you have inspired me as well! I can still remember the taste of fresh butter and I will be trying this very soon. Thanks!
 
we'd make creme fraiche in class that way (buttermilk/milk); though 1 Chef was soooooooooo very anti-creme-fraiche, lol, gladly another instructor informed us of that; 'use sour creme!', says he, 'when Chef (that Chef's name)'s is teaching yins; he despises that chit!'

hm. i've a gallon of cow squeezins & 4% buttermilk. hmmmmmmmm.
 
:thumb: I'm impressed. This makes the Franken Pantry a little more doable for me. Great job on the butter!
 
Well…………….

OMG!! I did it!!!

I.

Made.

BUTTER!!!

:yum::yum:

My hat is off to Peeps and Luvs for pointing out it could be done. And a deep bow of appreciation goes out to Karen for actually doing it and proving the concept!

I started with 32 oz of heavy cream. Odd thing is, a 16 oz container was 2.19 and a 32 oz container was 4.89. Hmmm…..2.19 x 2 = 32 oz at 4.38 = a savings of 51 cents. Being frugal and mentally numbed at their inability to do the math, I opted for 2 16 oz containers. :lol:

I did this in a food processor with the regular metal blade. Pour the cream in and turn it on (low to medium setting). Note: I used the cream straight from the fridge and didn’t let it come to room. I also didn’t chill my processor bowl and instead used it straight from storage at room temperature.

Let it go. 1 minute and 20 seconds in, it begins to thicken.

3-4 minutes in, it is so thick that the top doesn’t move much, but the bottom is working. I actually stopped it here and scraped the sides down, but looking back, I don’t think that was needed.

5-6 minutes it, the top starts to move again, and the mixture is changing texture. It’s starting to get granulated.

7-8 minutes in, it’s moving well, and very granulated.

Then BOOM! It just breaks! The butter flings off to one side, and white buttermilk just appears out of no where. It is absolutely cool. It just happens instantly. One minute it’s a big thick glop, then BOOM, it breaks out to butter and white liquid! Amazing.

I let it run another minute, then strained the butter from the butter milk. I then processed the butter twice using ice water. After an ice water wash spin, I drained the water.

Finally, I put the butter drained of the ice water into a large bowl. Added a pinch of salt, then worked it with a potato masher to squeeze out all the excess water that was suspended in the butter (quite a bit of water is in there, so mash the butter a lot in a big bowl to get it out). After working it a few minutes, the water stopped mashing out, and I called it good.

In all, 19 minutes and 40 seconds from heavy cream to rinsed and salted butter.

I am amazed! Thank you Karen for inspiring me to do this!!! :clap:

This is really butter!! It’s greasy like butter, has the same consistency, but the flavor is sweeter than the processed stuff. Amazing! I’m tempted to make ghee out of this, but don’t think it will last long enough considering all the bread and biscuits I’m gonna be buttering.

Sorry about the pics. I got excited AND worried during the processing and forgot to take mid-way processing pics. This being my first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect or how it would happen. What a learning experience and what a very cool thing to do!! I’ll take more the next time I do this.

You get about 1/2 butter to your starting liquid. So 32 oz (1 lb) cream gave me ~ 1/2 lb of butter.

I saved the buttermilk off as well. Not sure what I'll do with that yet. Odd thing is, this "buttermilk" is really thin....not like the thick buttermilk you buy in the cartons or jugs at the store.

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Woo-Hoo Keltin!!!!!!!! This is just the coolest thing ever!!!! I am SO doing this tomorrow. Everybody here just rocks! Love it!! :clap:
 
:applause::applause::applause:WAY TO GO, Keltin! It tastes great, doesn't it? I also noticed that when you put it on something hot (like the potatoes or broccoli last nighht), it doesn't melt as fast. I don't think that "buttermilk" is the same as the stuff you buy...it's too watery. I didn't actually save mine, although I'm sure I should have. Let us know what you do with it.
 
Pretty amazing. This goes to the have to try list.

Last summer I made my own Mayonnaise and realized just how much better that it tastes. I have to try the butter. I can't stop there, I'll go for te osur cream too.

Thank You Karen, Peeps, Mama and Keltin.

Just an idea, not exactly, but how about an entire meal made with fresh veggies (No cans or processed) Sugar (if used) from the cane butter homemade, etc.Not exactly a franken pantry, but an interesting idea.
 
Thanks guys, and another thank you to you Karen for the inspiration! This butter is amazing. Loving it. And yeah, that buttermilk is......I don't know, thin butter-water if you ask me. Looks like coconut milk. I'll probably just feed it to the outdoor cats. :lol:
 
It’s actually pretty easy as Karen said.

Pour 32 oz cream in a food processor.

Turn it on.

Wait 9-10 minutes and BOOM, the butter appears.

Strain it, put the butter back in the processor with ice cold water. Process. Drain. Put butter in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Mash out the water and pour it off.

There you go, butter! I’m amazed!

And look at us, we, the NCT crew, are making our own butter. Best cooking site on the web!!! :clap:

We need a Member of the Month here at NCT! I’m so nominating Karen for doing this!! :biggrin:
 
Adillo303 said:
Just askin - I am thinking of the kitchen aid with the whip on low to medium.

Any thoughts?
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Yeah, that should be fine. Looks like Karen used that toward the end for hers. It might take a little longer (a minute or two more) since the food processor is sealed and moves so much faster, but it should work the same. Just let it whip and wait for it to break. You'll KNOW when it breaks. Suddenly there will be a yellow glob of butter and lots of white liquid. It's cool!
 
Nice job Keltin!

Odd thing is, this "buttermilk" is really thin....not like the thick buttermilk you buy in the cartons or jugs at the store.
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Don't throw it away just yet, Keltin! The experiment isn't over yet!

After doing some research, here is what I discovered:

"Traditional buttermilk (true buttermilk) was a kitchen staple back before refrigeration (and pasteurization), because it would keep much longer than sweet milk, especially in warmer climates like the Southern United States where milk would sour even faster. When combined with baking soda, it is a very effective leavener, making items cooked with it very light and fluffy.

Don't let the name fool you, buttermilk is not full of butter, nor is it high in fat. When whole cream is churned, butter develops and separates. The butter is skimmed off, and the liquid that is left over is sort of like skim milk, but still full of enzymes and bacteria because it has not been pasteurized. If this liquid is allowed to ferment, the bacteria turns the lactose into lactic acid, and the milk becomes buttermilk. Traditional buttermilk is thin and slightly acidic, with a slightly sour taste. It is similar to plain, unsweetened yogurt in taste.

Artificial buttermilk is the result of intentionally adding good bacteria to milk that has already been pasteurized. Artificial buttermilk has a similar taste, but is much thicker because of the curdling that happens in the artificial fermentation process. It doesn't produce quite the same effect when using it in baking. Artificial buttermilk has become the standard because pasteurization is required for commercially sold dairy products in most areas."
 
Mama said:
Nice job Keltin!



Don't throw it away just yet, Keltin! The experiment isn't over yet!

After doing some research, here is what I discovered:

"Traditional buttermilk (true buttermilk) was a kitchen staple back before refrigeration (and pasteurization), because it would keep much longer than sweet milk, especially in warmer climates like the Southern United States where milk would sour even faster. When combined with baking soda, it is a very effective leavener, making items cooked with it very light and fluffy.

Don't let the name fool you, buttermilk is not full of butter, nor is it high in fat. When whole cream is churned, butter develops and separates. The butter is skimmed off, and the liquid that is left over is sort of like skim milk, but still full of enzymes and bacteria because it has not been pasteurized. If this liquid is allowed to ferment, the bacteria turns the lactose into lactic acid, and the milk becomes buttermilk. Traditional buttermilk is thin and slightly acidic, with a slightly sour taste. It is similar to plain, unsweetened yogurt in taste.

Artificial buttermilk is the result of intentionally adding good bacteria to milk that has already been pasteurized. Artificial buttermilk has a similar taste, but is much thicker because of the curdling that happens in the artificial fermentation process. It doesn't produce quite the same effect when using it in baking. Artificial buttermilk has become the standard because pasteurization is required for commercially sold dairy products in most areas."
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Hmmm…that is exactly it. It looks just like very thin skim milk.

So……do I add baking soda to it now, or just let it sit? Should I let it sit at room or in the fridge?

How interesting!

Thanks Mama!
 
Hmmm...well, you can make buttermilk by adding lemon juice or vinegar to milk so maybe you can do the same with the traditional buttermilk that you made. Just guessing here...anyone else care to chime in? As for the refrigeration, i think I would refrigerate it.
 
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