A dairy cow produces about 3.5 lbs of butterfat per day.
In 2010, the United States produced 1.56 billion lbs of butter from dairy farmers across the country. It takes about 21 lbs of whole milk from those farms to produce that 1 lb. of butter. If you have guests coming over or you just wish to make your very own butter spread, you can do it with two simple ingredients: heavy cream and a sanitized bottle. In about 15 to 30 minutes, the fresh spread will be ready to enjoy.
Instructions
1. Wash your bottle with warm soapy water. You want to make sure the bottle has been properly cleaned. Rinse thoroughly so there is no residual soap. Set the bottle aside for a few minutes and allow it to cool and dry.
2. Refrigerate the bottle for about one hour. You want the glass to become chilled.
3. Pour a pint of heavy cream into the bottle. Add a pinch of salt if you wish. Seal the bottle with the top.
4. Shake the bottle vigorously. The goal is to turn the liquid heavy cream into fat solids, thus making butter. As the shaking process continues for 15 to 30 minutes, the heavy cream will first turn to whipped cream, before eventually turning to butter. Periodically check the consistency of your butter by removing the top to the bottle until you see the thick solid shape of butter.
5. Place a strainer over a bowl. Pour the butter from the bottle into the strainer. The excess heavy cream will strain through to the bowl. Return the butter in the strainer to the bottle or butter dish of your choice and serve.
Tags: heavy cream, bottle about, bottle with, butter from, cream into, cream will
