PrintMason Jar Butter
I'd like to make butter. I've heard of the "shake the mason jar" method. Has anyone made butter this way? Is there a better way?
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22 Comments:
My mom made it a few times in the past. If I remember correctly, she poured 35% cream about 2/3 full of a plastic jar, then shook vigorously for a few minutes until it began to get clumpy.
Remember to squeeze out the buttermilk with a cloth or something similar
deepitbhatia at 10:23PM on 04/27/08
STand mixer:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/chefsexperts/interviews/danielpattersonrecipes/recipes/food/views/242047
renzata at 10:23PM on 04/27/08
Oh yeah, and it tasted amazing. Much different from regular store-bought butter, a more pronounced creamy taste.
deepitbhatia at 10:23PM on 04/27/08
Oh and I made butter in the mason jar in 2nd grade, when we read Little House in the Big Woods.
I'm sure many others did as well.
renzata at 10:25PM on 04/27/08
Every year I take my NYC 4th grade class to a local farm to learn about colonial hearth cooking- we make vegetable soup and cornbread with butter. After the clumps of fat (butter) begin to form, pour off the liquid (buttermilk! and it is useable) and use a wooden spoon to knead the butter and squeeze out any additional liquid. Then use cold water to wash the butter so it will keep better. It does taste amazing and the kids are always enthralled that they cooked this meal, without modern technology, no less.
deefine at 10:43PM on 04/27/08
@renzata- omg yes! :)
I have not done this in ages...I really should! So yummy!
@susquehanna--thanks for reminding us of this treat!
sadiepix at 1:46AM on 04/28/08
If you've never had homemade butter, you can't even imagine how heavenly it is.
In the past, I have used the mason jar method mentioned here, but have also made it in my Kitchen-Aid mixer.
Epicurious has a great article about chef Daniel Patterson about butter-making at this link:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/chefsexperts/interviews/danielpattersonrecipes
And, once, I was told about a method of making butter in the clothes dryer. I'll see if I can find it online and post the link in this thread.
However you do make it, homemade butter is well worth the effort!
Brownie at 8:25AM on 04/28/08
I just finished reading the Saveur issue devoted to butter, and want to try making my own as well...thanks for the tips!
mepolo at 8:41AM on 04/28/08
My mom used to make it in a stand mixer regularly. What I remember most is that you drape the mixer with a big kitchen towel because it spatters badly at the beginning. Maybe not so much with the deep mixer bowls they have now.
Blue Iris at 9:42AM on 04/28/08
We used to do this while "watching the radio" at my Grand folks place in KY when I was 5-or6. Darn, that was more than 50 yrs ago!
Today, I do it in the Kitchen aid. I did it for a while with the heavy cream from Costco and figured it cost about the same as store bought butter. I have kept doing it but now I buy much better cream and it isn't so cheap but what great butter.
Eyepaint at 11:14AM on 04/28/08
Make sure to use both arms or you'll have one bicep like Arnold Schwartzenegger and the other like Olive Oyl.
chiff0nade at 12:24PM on 04/28/08
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/magazine/01food-t.html?ex=1340942400&en=82b8cb668aeec600&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
the NY Times had a great article about this. I've used my kitchenaid for this and it worked very well. its a bit expensive if you use high quality cream, so I wouldn't recommend baking with the resulting butter, but its delicious.
Soup_Dumpling at 2:52PM on 04/28/08
Hee! renzata, I hadn't thought about that in YEARS, but you're right!!! Good times... :) :) :)
sheeats at 6:08PM on 04/28/08
One suggestion: add a marble to the jar before shaking - it helps with the agitation of the cream.
We have also done it with kids at pre-school and kindergarten by having them roll a plastic jar (mayonnaise or peanut butter ones work well) with a marble in it to each other. Then no one's arm gets tired and we make a game out of it.
SayWhat at 6:35PM on 04/28/08
There is only one reason why I do not make my own homemade butter.
IT IS SO YUMMY that I'D EAT IT ALL! :P
You must try it with a mixer or with the mason jar. So good!
GumbeauxGal at 7:19PM on 04/28/08
Having a butter crisis here. I'm trying to fight the urge to run out for the cream right now!
Patterson's article and the NYT article are excellent. Excellent. Need to get my hands on the Saveur "Butter Issue," mepolo.
Right now, I favor the low-tech jar approach better. It sounds less messy. Yes, it'll be more effort on my part. That's aok. At some point, I'll give it a shot in my Kitchen Aid.
Brownie, if butter can be made in the clothes drier, I want to know how to do it. Keep us posted.
And everyone needs to read Little House in the Big Woods again, renzata. I certainly will !
Susquehanna at 9:29PM on 04/28/08
If you were to make butter from the NY Times recipe, how much salt would you add? I only like sweet butter for baking. To taste is too broad a direction. 6 cups of cream and ____ sea salt? Slightly salty would be my ideal. Anyone?
PerkyMac at 9:38PM on 04/28/08
So leave the salt out and sprinkle it on whatever you're eating, adding a little crunch to it, I say. Especially good with coarse salt of any kind.
lemons at 2:09PM on 04/29/08
oooh! i'm doing it this weekend! that sounds wonderful. i'll splurge and do it with ronnybrook heavy cream.
cybercita at 10:30PM on 04/29/08
I did it last night while watching Top Chef....what a cool thing....it was so neat to see the butter go from whipped cream to a glob of butter w/the buttermilk separate. I don't know how cost effective it would be to make your own butter all the time unless you had a good source of inexpensive cream....but it's definitely fun to try! And yes...it does taste yummy!
thanks for the tips everyone!
mepolo at 9:01AM on 05/15/08
Just remember that this buttermilk is not the stuff that comes in cartons at the store. I always found it more like regular nonfat milk. I did this as my only source of butter for about 5 months years ago when I was a young wife. (Life has changed since then....)
lemons at 10:25AM on 05/15/08
@mepolo: I'm so glad you made the butter! It sounds like you had fun.
I haven't had the chance to do it yet, as Mr. Sus and I've been getting moved into a new place. Unpacking our crap, ripping up carpet. The most productive thing I've done in the kitchen in two weeks was to tear down wallpaper. No cooking has occured. Oh, and for the love of your kitchen and your sanity, do not affix wallpaper. Ever. Anywhere.
Susquehanna at 4:48PM on 05/19/08