Directions to Make a Butter Churn

Homemade butter has a rich flavor that is worth the effort.

If you feel guilty about the calories in butter but crave the taste, then make your own. It won't be lower in calories than store-bought butter, but you'll get enough exercise to enjoy the sweet, creamy flavor without any remorse.

Traditional butter churns are barrels that either rotate on their side or stand upright with a long stick protruding from the top. The process isn't quick and you will soon appreciate why farmers motorized the hand cranks on rotating barrels to make butter churning easier.

Things You'll Need

• Leak-proof jar
• Flatware
• Rock tumbler
• Cream
• Salt
• Butter paddles
• Wax paper or cling wrap

Instructions

1. Pour the cream into the jar and add one or two pieces of flatware, using only utensils that will fit snugly inside once the jar is closed.

2. Seal the jar lid.

3. Place it on the rollers of the rock tumbler and let the machine rotate the jar.

4. Monitor the contents of the jar so that you can see when the emulsified fat and water are separating.

5. Remove the butter from the jar and rinse it under cold water.

6. Mix the butter with butter paddles. At this stage, your goal is to remove all liquid from the butter and, optionally, add salt.

7. Wrap the butter in wax paper or cling wrap and chill before using.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't expect to make butter from the cream at your local grocery store. You will need 22 to 36 percent fat content in the cream. You can get raw milk from a local dairy farm or health food store.

• You'll be able to hear a difference when the cream starts to break and form butter. At this point, keep a close eye on the mixture and do not over-churn it.

• If you don't have a rock tumbler handy, you can try to use an ice cream maker as a butter churn. Alternatively, you can make butter in a bowl with a whisk or hand beater.

• The jar alone will act as a butter churn if you shake it long enough. Consider sitting in a circle with friends and taking turns shaking the jar so that no one person gets tired.

• The butter can lose its flavor if you wash it too much or let it sit in water.

• Keep the butter churning without interruption or it can develop a bad flavor or fail to form properly.

References

• "211 Things a Clever Girl Can Do"; Bunty Cutler; 2008
• "Good Housekeeping"; Butter Making on the Farm; Volume 25, 1897
• "Principles and Practice of Butter-Making"; George Lewis McKay and Christian Larsen; 1906