Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-08-18
Sweet vs.. Sour Cream.

| wish 70 learn Of those who know which will
make the most hutter--tO set the same quantity
Of milk and skim half Of it sweet, when it is sup
posed that all the cream is up, and churn the
cream sweet, or skim the other half Of the milk
when it is sour, and churn the crcam2 Is it not
better to skim the milk sweet, and let the cream
get acid mot souri, then churn2 VIII sweet
cream churn with as little friction as cream that
is acd?-C. l.. SMITH, Clyner, CbaH. Co., ". Y.
We do not approve Of the practice of al
lowing milk to get sour before removing the
cream. What may be gained in quantity is
liable to be lost in quality. In setting milk
for cream it was once thought necessary to
have the milk stand until it sourcd, in order
to get up all the cream The more recent
practice has shown this to be an error
When milk is allowed to sour before it is
skinned, the layer of cream appears more
bulky and Of greater consistency, but it does
not produce so much nor so good quality of
butter, as cream properly raised and skinned
from milk before it sours. On this point we
possess some interesting experiments by SAN
NENT who put aside two equal quantities Of
milk, Of which the first, skinned after thirty
hours yielded thirty pounds of butter, and
the second, skinned after lapse of sixty
hours, only twenty-seyen pounds of butter.
In another experiment, two equal quanti-
titles Of milk yielded--the one, when skim
med after thirty hours, thirty-one pounds OF
butter and the other, after sixty hours, TWEEN
ty-nine pounds Of butter In both expert
ments, in which the milk was skinned after
thirty hours standing, the SKINNED milk was
still sweet, and the cream not so thick and
less in bulk than that which was thrown up
after sixty hours standing.
The cream which rises first is always richer
in butter than that which is thrown up later,
and it also possesses more of that peculiar
aroma which gives to butter that rich, nutty
favor and smell which impart so high de.
gree Of pleasure in eating it. When proper
regard has been had to keeping the milk at
right temperature while the cream is rising.
and the proper appliances are had in the dai-
ry, all the cream that will rise at all will have
come to the surface in about twenty-four
hours. Some claim that they can get it all
up in less time. OF one thing we may be as
sured-the quicker cream can be made to rise
the better its quality; for cream, like all per-
ishable substances, docs not preserve its orig.
inal properties for any great length of time.
The best as well as the highest priced but
ter that now goes into the London markc
comes from the continent of Europe, wher,
the greatest attention is paid to butter max
ing. In Holstein, one of the points consider
ed most essential in butter making is to skin
the milk just at the proper moment and thi
must always take place before the milk cal
become sour. Choice, keepabe butter cal
only result when the milk has been kept sweet
as the souring develops curds. The Orang
buttar L. - l..
and the experience of the best butter maker
both in this country and in Europe, appear t
have settled down upon this principle as tn
correct one in praetice. But while the crear
should be taken from the milk before it
sour, the cream on the contrary, is Above
to have a pleasant acid taste before churninl
1t appears to be the general opinion of but
ter makers, both in this country and in Eu
rope, that better results are obtained by Al
lowing the cream to acquire a Slightly aci
taste than to churn it sweet; but this aci
condition Of the cream must not be coniount
ed, however with sourness, which is altogetl
er different, and arises from different cause
such as standing too long, or from a close a
mosphere, or from badly cleansed utensils,
from general want of care ond cleanliness.
Doubtless, cream that is slightly acid churl
more readily than when it is sweet but II
difference in this respect, if any, is not impo
tant
Many prefer the taste Of butter made fro
sweet cream. And our own taste, it must |
confessed, is in that direction. When fres
and properly made, it appears to embody ii
perfection of aroma and flavor but it
claimed by many that its keeping qualit
are not so good as that made from crea
slightly acid. The points raised by our co
respondent are of considerable practical il
portance and we shall be glad to receive Il
views Of butter makers, and give them for Il
benefit Of our readers.