Why It's Time To Start Making Your Own Butter

When I was in fifth grade, my class took a field trip to one of those villages modeled to look like the towns of pioneer days. Seared in my memory is a costumed woman working an enormous, plunger-style butter churn on the porch of one of the log cabins. When I saw that, I was grateful to be living in a time when prepared butter could be bought from a store.

But history certainly does repeat itself. In these days of plenty and convenience, more and more people are concerned about what's in their food and many have begun to make foods they would've otherwise bought at the grocery store. Indeed, culinary DIY is trending, and making your own butter happens to be incredibly simple.

To make your own butter, you need cream and that's it. If you choose to make salted butter you'll need some salt — add as little or as much as you'd like. Either way, homemade butter is incredibly creamy and fresh-tasting. It can be slathered on your morning toast, used to fry your eggs or as part of biscuit dough, or as a base for creating delicious compound butters (if you know how to cook with butter, it doesn't matter if it's homemade or store-bought). 

You may have accidentally made butter if you've ever made your own whipped cream. When cream is overwhipped, the fat solids begin to separate from the liquid buttermilk. Those solids are butter, and once cream turns to butter you can't change it back. The best news is, you don't need a giant butter churn to begin your butter-making ventures; a basic kitchen appliance will do.

To make your own butter, beat heavy cream, whipping cream, or heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer on medium speed with a paddle attachment. Alternatively, you could use an electric hand mixer (if you're really ambitious, you can even use a hand whisk).The timing will depend on your appliance, but as you beat the cream, it will gradually become thicker. Once you notice this, increase the speed and you'll soon see the mixture is the consistency of whipped cream. At this point, keep on beating and you'll see the mixture begin to separate into thick chunks of fat and a runny liquid. The liquid will likely begin to splash up and out, so place a shield guard on your mixer or place a towel on top.

Once the butter has separated from the liquid, pour everything into a strainer (you can keep the liquid if you want, it can be used like milk). Rinse the butter with water to wash off any remaining buttermilk and place it inside cheesecloth, strain it again to remove any liquid. At this point, you can add salt and any other flavorings (if you're using them). Your butter can be shaped as you wish and used right away or refrigerated, where it will stay fresh for two to three weeks. You could use a blender or food processor to make butter, but your butter will hold onto more liquid, making the final result softer. Keep the blender out and use it to make berry butter for your morning toast.