Churning (butter)Churning is the process of shaking up cream or whole milk to make butter, usually using a device called butter churn. In Europe from the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution, a churn was usually as simple as a barrel with a plunger in it, moved by hand. These have mostly been replaced by mechanical churns. Butter is essentially the fat of milk. It is usually made from sweet cream (that is, cream skimmed from milk rather than from whey).
ButterButter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churnedcream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment, and used as a fat in baking, sauce-making, pan frying, and other cooking procedures. Most frequently made from cow's milk, butter can also be manufactured from the milk of other mammals, including sheep, goats, buffalo, and yaks.
Butter churnA butter churn is a device used to convert cream into butter, a process known as churning. This is done through a mechanical process, frequently via a pole inserted through the lid of the churn, or via a crank used to turn a rotating device inside the churn. EtymologyThe word butter is believed by some to derive from the Greek word bou-tyron, the approximate meaning of which is 'cow cheese'.
CreamCream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. The butterfat, which is less dense, rises to the top and is skimmed off, resulting in gravity cream. The industrial production of cream instead uses centrifugal separators to make separator cream. Cream is often sold in grades defined by their butterfat content. It contains high levels of saturated fat, in ascending proportion from light cream to heavy cream.
ButtermilkButtermilk is a dairy drink made by adding lactic acid bacteria to milk to produce a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was made from the nearly fat-free milk remaining after churningbutter from cream, which was cultured with natural bacteria prior to and during churning, giving a slight sour taste to the buttermilk and preventing spoilage.
Phase inversion (chemistry)Phase inversion (also called phase separation or demixing) refers to two related phenomena in chemistry and materials science: (1) a controlled phase-separation process widely used to fabricate porous polymer membranes, and (2) the inversion of continuous and dispersed phases in an emulsion. In membrane fabrication, phase inversion converts an initially homogeneous polymer solution into a solid, porous structure by inducing phase separation and solidification.
DairyA dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also describe a dairy farm or the part of a mixed farm dedicated to milk for human consumption, whether from cows, buffaloes, goats, yaks, sheep, horses or camels.
PasteurizationA 1912 Chicago Department of Health poster explains household pasteurization to mothers.In food processing, pasteurization (-isation) is a process of food preservation in which packaged foods (e.g., milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than 100 °C (212 °F), to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life.
MilkMilk is usually a white liquid food (but can be shades of yellow, cream, pink, or brown) produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest solid food. Milk contains many nutrients, including calcium and protein, as well as lactose and saturated fat; the enzyme lactase is needed to break down lactose. Immune factors and immune-modulating components in milk contribute to milk immunity.
EmulsionAn emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (unmixable or unblendable) owing to liquid-liquid phase separation. Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion more narrowly refers to when both phases, dispersed and continuous, are liquids.
Scotch handsScotch hands (also known as butter beaters, butter hands, butter workers or butter pats) are wooden spatulas used when making butter. They are used to press freshly churned butter to remove the watery buttermilk during the butter finishing (working) process, as well as to distribute salt through the butter. Removing the buttermilk and adding salt helps to prevent rancidity in finished butter.
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