The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-09-30
THE GRAIN OF BUTTER--'
WORKING AND PACKING.

the grain OF butter, and yct' II
YOU ask them 10 define what Is the
grain, they will find it exceedingly
difficult to answer the question:
They may tell you that butter with
& proper grain has waHy appear
anee, but that, if the grain has
been injured, it looks and cuts
greasy when sliced.
Taose who are experts easily
Judge by looking at the sample
whether it has been ovcrworked.
If such a sample Of butter is close
" examined, it will be found to
have lost the crisp look it has when
firm. It is sticky when soft, and
when hard, if cut into and then
broken, the fracture will be differ
cnt from the properly worked but
ter. This can be learned by hav-
ing these differences pointed out
by an expert, or by destroying the
grain by working when soft, or
oyerworking when hard, and then
examining the two samples, the one
having had the buttcrulilk simply
pressed out, the other having been
washed and squeezed with draw
ins pressure Of the !adie or butter
worker. The perfect sample will
sslssswaxy, firm and crisp, the over
worked sample greasy, sticky and
disgusting. :
While the grain of butter will
inevitably be injured or completely
spoiled by such system OF work
ing. or by o'crworking IN any
manner, it will inevitably become
rancid and ruined by not being
worked enough; 50 that, while VIC
rc;terate tie s,ntilnent Of an old
friend made years ago, who cxclaIm-
cd God bless the woman who
works butter too much, VIC are in
c!incd to supplement it with the
addition !; "And teach all butter
makers to learn to work it just
enough
How TO do this is difficult to &C.
scribe. 1t must bc learned by
observation and experience. One
great fault is, that butter is often
worked when TOO soft. We hold
that women should never work
butter at all, unless they have par
tlcularly ST ong wrists, for to prop
erly work butter requires consider
able strength. Even then the but
ase4aiik should be all absorbed .s
mach as possible with soft, clean
sponge.
Many Jutter-mAkers work it with
the hands by squeezing and kneaA-
ing. Tl::s has undoubtedly arisen
from the physical! inability of the
ayerag e woman to properly work
it with ladlc by the old plan. If
the hands we're perfectly c,ean, and
if the skin could be kept at 4 tcm-
pcraturc Of ffty-fvc to sixty de-
grces, the prcEcr temperature tor
working butter, this plan Of scpa'
ration would not DC perfect, since
squeezing and kncading is not d
good way to separate the butter
milk. For this reason machines
have generally failed. They rub
and mash the butter, pressing the
particles together, over and upon
each other. If it were mortar or
putty that was being made this
would be we'll enough, but butter
and mortar and putty arc three
different compounds intended for
vastly different uses.
When buttcris worked with the
lad!e, after having been properly
washed, it should be gathered into
an egg-shaped mass, and with a
wooden ladle gashed and scored
lopgitudinally so that the moisture
may pass freely away and as much
Of the remaining moisture collected
as possible by means Of the sponge;
then pressing the mass together,
but not with sliding motion, to
force cut the remainder. When
tolerably we'll pressed, it should be
set away for the final working, for
it is not practicable to free it en-
tircly at one working.
# this be done, being careful to
observe carefully the best manneref
thus freeing it, and with only the
proper amount of salt to make it
palatable, the best means 10 tins
end will soon he learned. Illus
yon will find that you have an arti-
Gle entirely different and altogether |;
superior to anything you hare eser
before made; and which. if kept /
cool and carefully packed as hereto
fore dirccted-that is, in perfectly