Please somesone help me!!! I have tried making butter twice today for the first time. I have bombed both times. The first time I bought heavy whipping cream and chilled it first then whipped it. That one didn't work I think because the cream needed to be room temp first. So back to the store I went. And this time bought whipping cream and got it to room temp then began whipping it. I am using a blender to whip it with and it is still not stiffining up. Why? I felt sure that I was dong it right. Please someone help me!!!

-- Jennifer (jenniferthf@aol.com), February 21, 2002

Answers

I don't think you can use whipping cream to make butter.

-- beckie (none@this.time), February 21, 2002.

whipping cream makes whipped cream,, not butter. Heavy cream at room temp,, and try useing a jar with lid,,instead of a blender,, for me,,it seems to work better,,and beats standing over it,,, "waiting" for it,,like waiting for a pot to boil

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 21, 2002.

Not true. I have made butter with whipping cream many times. The best way i have found is shaking it with a quart canning jar. A blender just incorporates too much air into the cream. Keep shaking and the butter will come.

Little bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), February 21, 2002.

I must confess I don't know why anyone would want butter made with store bought whipping cream. You might as well buy unsalted butter? That said the only way I have made butter and we make all of our own, is using fresh, skimmed cream from the cow and like mentioned above just used a quart mayonaise jar. Tip it back and forth and before you know it, you have butter! LOL It's easy and fun. Good too! LOL LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), February 21, 2002.

One reason for making it is the cost. We don't have cows or goats so we buy butter, and it can be expensive. However sometimes Kroger's has heavy cream for 50 cents a pint, and then we will make it ourself. the kids shake the jar and it takes about 30 minutes.

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), February 21, 2002.

I have found that a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on the top of the jar before you screw on the lid keeps it from leaking. Some jars will leak and some won't. If it is going to leak it will start just about the time that it is turning to butter and it makes a mess!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 21, 2002.

Doesn't over-whipped whipping cream just become whipped butter, more or less? I know I've over-whipped whipping cream way too many times, and the product is inedible as whipped cream, but not too bad as whipped butter once I add salt.

-- Laura Rae Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), February 21, 2002.

A stand mixer would work better, you just need it let to work until it 'breaks', it can rest, and worked over again, warm is better than cold. But the butter made from this method is lighter in flavor and color, [I can't stand unsalted butter myself, it just has no taste] butter made this way is not as firm as store bought sticks, if you have ever made good whipped topping, stiff peaks, just whip it past that when it collapses it is butter.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 21, 2002.

I was always told that COLDER was better??? The old time ladies around here said they hated it in the summer cause it took so long??? I'll take your word for it though since I have not done it myself.

That one above on over whipping the whipped cream makes me laugh! I am hardly payient enough to wait for it to stand up let alone OVER do it! hehehe

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 22, 2002.

Jennifer,

Just transfer the cream to a jar (mason or whatever)with a tight lid and shake. Warmer temp is better,as the butter will come faster. After it turns into whipped cream, keep shaking it, and you'll start feelings "lumps" battering around in there. That's when the butter and buttermilk start to separate from each other.

Once the butter is a large lump in the middle of the buttermilk, just follow the rest of the process the way your normally would- drain, rinse, salt. Keep in mind that the butter will be softer than you'd expect when it first comes out, but when you put it in the fridge, it firms up, and it's just like any other butter.

Have fun : )

-- Kristin, in La. (sevenstonestile@earthlink.net), February 22, 2002.

Hi Jennifer, I make butter all the time from store bought whipping cream. Why, someone asked??? Because it's fun!! Anyway, I just use my hand mixer, sit in front of the tube and let her go. The more cream you use the longer it takes. I prefer making several smaller batches and combining them rather than one large batch. Easier to work with that way.

Stace

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), February 22, 2002.

I was just wondering this morning what to do with an empty mayo jar. Now let's see if I have this right. You can use either heavy whipping cream or just heavy cream? And both will produce the same butter? Then all you have to do is salt it to taste? Hmmmmmmm........sounds like an interesting little weekend project for me and the little guy this weekend. But then I'll have to bake some more bread! :o) Is it really cheaper than buying "ready-made" butter at the grocery store? (Well, we use the old Country Crock Churn-Style - It probably clogs your arteries twice as fast YIKES!!)Thanks for the lesson.

Blessings,

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), February 22, 2002.

When i make butter i only use fresh cream. i don't even know if store bought ream would make any butter? Anyway - i have read that you can make it in the blender and with a kitchen aid...etc but everytime i tried, it never worked. I just stick with the old put it in a jar and roll it around, works everytime!

-- Susan (dsowen@tds.net), February 22, 2002.

Here goes on this butter making thread: I grew up churning butter every week for my Mom's fresh baked bread. She had a glass jar crank paddle churn (I'm proud to say it belongs to me now) We always set the cream (fresh or store cream will both work)out in the churn the night before and churned in the morning. This allowed the cream to "sour" just a bit and made a more flavorful butter. After it was churned, the buttermilk was drained off and the butter placed in a large bowl. Then, using a butter paddle or flat spoon the butter was pressed against the bowl to squeeze out all buttermilk. Cold water was pured in and drained off after working it and drained off. This assured the buttermilk was completely out. If you don't get all of it out the butter will turn rancid(spoil) quickly. That is the secret to fresh tasting butter until it's all used. Once all the buttermik was rinsed out, salt was stirred in to taste and the completed butter was pressed into a mold or a small bowl. That's all there is to it. Mom used a gallon jar and a rocking motion with the jar in her lap when her churn jar would get broken. It works just as well.

-- Mary Strotkamp (mjstrotkamp1@aol.com), February 22, 2002.

What is butter? When you make butter you are separating the 'butterfat' out of the cream. When you buy 35% whipping cream, 35% of the product you are buying is butterfat - therefore more butter. (It would take a lot of 2% milk to get any amount of butter now, wouldn't it?) When I was a brownie leader, one of our favourite things was to make butter. We'd pour a small amount into a babyfood jar for each girl and let 'em shake! It kept them all busy for about 15-20 minutes or so. Then they'd wash and salt, and spread it on fresh muffins that one of the mothers would provide. It always opened the doors to "what other thing do you get at the grocery store that really comes from a farm?"

I do agree, Jennifer, that your blender is probably just putting too much air into your cream. I hope you didn't throw it out, because if you stuck it in the fridge, and let it sit a bit, and then 'stuffed' it in a jar and did the shake thing, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to rescue it.

-- Bernie from Northern Ontario (bernadette_kerr@hotmail.com), February 23, 2002.

A lot of people before me have given you the correct answer but I will weigh in. You don't make butter by whipping, It needs to be sloshed back and forth or flung against the side of a jar to make the fat particles smash together. Not a very scientific explaination, but there it is. Whipping just makes whipped cream. Although you may get a whipped appearance right before the butter starts showing up.

In a paddle type churn it takes 15 minutes (electric) 25 minutes manual. To just shake in a jar ( fill it halfway) it takes about 20 to 20 minutes. I have hears those small (one gallon) washing machines that work without water, that came out a few years ago, make pretty good butter churns and work fast about 10 minutes but have not yet tried that. Room temp works best. good luck. Laura

-- Laura Schneberger (gnfpa@gilanet.com), April 02, 2002.

If you whip cream long enough, it will make butter, or rather, whipped butter. If you've ever overwhipped cream and tasted it, that greasy feeling on the roof of your mouth is butter. An immersion (stick) blender will whip in less air than a hand-held mixer.

Another factor is the cream itself--a lot of stores do not carry whipping cream without thickeners (like carragheenan) in it, and the thickeners may interfere with the process. You might have to go to a health food store to get real cream in some places.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), April 02, 2002.