How to Make Butter in a Small Container
When many people think of making butter, they picture an old woman on a porch in the wilderness, working at a butter churn. While this was one way people traditionally made butter, it's not the only way to accomplish this task. Anyone can make a batch of fresh butter using little more than a canning jar and lid. Natural food fans, frugal cooks and people with small children will all enjoy this method. It's inexpensive and a fun activity for the kids. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- Thermometer
- Quart canning jar
- Canning jar lid
- Bowl
- Silicon spatula
- Butter molds or small container
Instructions
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1
Set a pint of heavy whipping cream on the counter to warm. Open the container after 30 minutes and check the temperature. When the cream reaches 60 degrees Fahrenheit, begin making the butter.
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2
Pour the cream into a quart canning jar. Screw the lid onto the jar. Make sure the lid is on tightly, so none of the cream spills out.
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3
Shake the jar up and down and all around. Keep shaking at a steady pace. Pass the jar around among your children and let them take turns shaking the jar.
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4
Watch the cream as it changes form. It will look like whipped cream after about four minutes.
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Keep shaking and watching the contents of the jar. The cream will eventually start to come away from the glass, then a lump will form in the center of the jar. This is the butter beginning to form. Keep shaking. Liquid, which is buttermilk, will be at the bottom of the jar with a lump of butter in the middle.
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Pour off the buttermilk, replace the lid and shake the butter some more. Keep shaking until no more buttermilk works its way out.
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Dump the butter out into a bowl. Add 1 cup of cold water. Squash the butter and water around together until the water gets milky looking. This is how you wash the extra buttermilk from inside the butter. Pour out the milky water and replace it with fresh cold water. Keep washing the butter until the water stays clear.
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Push the finished butter into the interiors of butter molds, or pile it in a clean container. Place the butter into the refrigerator for an hour or until it is firm to the touch.
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Tips & Warnings
If you don't have a canning jar, use a clean mayonnaise jar or pasta sauce jar instead.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
