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Making Your Own Butter With A Food Mixer
Pure, fresh butter is a luxury few of us can resist. These days, however, we can't always be sure exactly what has been put into the food we buy, so how do we truly know that the butter we're using really is pure?
The solution is to make your own. Not only will you be sure of what goes into your spread, but you'll be assured of a top quality product too!
In the old days, butter could only be made using a butter churn, involving a lot of physical work over a lengthy period. The modern kitchen has tools available for almost any job though, and the humble food mixer can be pressed into service as a butter-maker, so long as it has a 'k' or 'panel' beater attachment.
The ingredient list for making butter isn't long - basically you need double cream, and optionally a little salt. Simply put the cream into your mixer and turn it on on a slow to medium speed. It'll take a while, but slowly and surely your cream will start to thick until it has the consistency of clotted cream. At this point, turn your speed down to the lowest setting and keep a hawk eye on the cream. All of a sudden, it'll split into butter solids and buttermilk. If you're not careful and this happens while the mixer is going at a high speed, there'll be some cleaning up to do!
Pour off the buttermilk, which can be used to make soda bread or another kind of loaf, and pat the solids into a ball, squeezing as you go to get as much liquid out as possible. It is the liquid that can turn butter rancid, so be as thorough as you can at this stage. Finally, give the finished butter a quick rinse in cold water to flush out any last remaining buttermilk, and leave your butter to dry.
If you want to add salt, return the butter to your mixer and beat in approximately 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of butter, or to taste, using the whisk attachment. As a rough guide, 2 pints of cream will result in around a pound of butter, and 10-12 fluid ounces of buttermilk, although this will of course vary depending on the richness of the cream you use.
Butter made in this way will last several weeks in the refrigerator, although it may be wise to only transfer a little at a time into a butter dish if it's to be kept at room temperature.
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