[Diddy Gardener]

I was reading a thread earlier and Grendel posted that when he sees cheap cream he makes butter with it. Has anyone got a tried and tested method of making butter - would love to try it.

[compostqueen]

Yeah I do, when cream is being sold off cheap at the supermarket. You might be lucky and get some good stuff like Guernsey!  It's cheap as chips when it's on its sell-by date. You bung it in the food processor, turn it on and stay with it as it tends to move about on the worktop as it thickens up.  When you hear a definite thud you know it's turned to butter, and in no time you have a solid lump of butter.  If you are going to eat it immediately then you can use it as is, or add a sprinkle of sea salt if you want a salted butter

If you plan to keep it in the fridge for some days you will have to rinse it with clean water. Just hold the ball of butter under the cold tap and gently rinse off the watery buttery residue as this will cause the butter to go rank if not washed off.  Once the water runs clear you can shape your butter. I do it with the backs of two wooden spoons to form it into the familiar block shape, or you could just use your wet hands and form it into a flat round.

[mumofstig]

an old thread on butter making here

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=95997.msg1066257#msg1066257

[Diddy Gardener]

Wow, that sounds really easy  I'll give that a shot - I take it you need to eat within a few days.

[compostqueen]

It will keep if you wash it as I described.  My guess is that it won't hang about for long 

[mjpalin]

Every time I go to the cash & carry I look for reduced end of life double cream as i'm desperate to try making my own butter! If you have a go, let me know how you get on.

[Jackypam]

The link to the old thread that Mum posted ( thanks Mum) suggests over a pound of butter plus buttermilk ( for scones I guess) from a litre of cream!  I'll certainly be looking out for that reduced double cream!  That's about £3 worth of butter!!

[Asherweef]

Could you put seasoning or flavouring in the cream or would that ruin the reaction?

[mjpalin]

Tonight's pop in at the Cash & Carry paid dividends. Now have 4l of reduced priced cream to try to turn into butter tomorrow :-)

[Val H]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/food/making-butter-at-home.php
Me making butter, it's very rewarding

[mjpalin]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/food/making-butter-at-home.php
Me making butter, it's very rewarding

Thanks Val! I'm really looking forward to trying it

[Annen]

I have memories of my father in the early fifties when butter was still pretty expensive, wandering around the house shaking a jar full of the tops of the milk, for what seemed like hours, to get a little precious lump of real butter, not marg.

[3 allotments]

I remember been at junior school in our cookery class teacher had us all sat there with a big jar each with half pint of creamy milk in it,right now class start shaking jar until there is a lump floating inside it  :lol:now thats your butter we also had to bring in 2 slices of bread so we could have toast and freshly made butter (we all managed to make a spoonfull) but it was lovely 

[Mrs Bee]

I remember been at junior school in our cookery class teacher had us all sat there with a big jar each with half pint of creamy milk in it,right now class start shaking jar until there is a lump floating inside it  :lol:now thats your butter we also had to bring in 2 slices of bread so we could have toast and freshly made butter (we all managed to make a spoonfull) but it was lovely 

That brings back memories of doing this with my classes. Not only did they get some butter with their bread but I got peace in the classroom as they were all concentrating so hard and shaking like mad to try and be the first one to get some butter.
Then I read my favourite  poem by A A Milne about the King's butter.

[mjpalin]

So my 4.5 litres of cream has resulted in 5.5lbs of homemade butter, and I also have 2litres of buttermilk to use in scones & pancakes ;-)

In my opinion 4.5l for a newbie was way too much, i've spent most of the afternoon & evening in the kitchen, but I am pleased with the outcome. o/h think it tastes more like cream than butter.... oh well, all the more for me I guess