The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-11-02
The Proper Temperature for Churn-
ing Butter.

Iu have butter come as it should, it
should neither be churncd too quickly nor
t,o slowly If churncd too long 1t will be
uiurcd in quality, and if churned too
wiekly It's quality will he injured and the
.uantity decreased We think there is no
iuubt that, in practice, cream should be Il
tiie warmer in winter than in summer,
when the churning process is commenced,
ten The temperature OF the air will usual
j. increase on diminish it during the oper-
alton
with our own dairy, as it averages from
year 10 year, we have found 64' the most
satisfactory temperature tor the cream to
show when the butter is ready to separate.
And, really, it is of more Importance to
have the temperature Just right at the
end than At the beginning Of u churning.
here are SO many conditions connected
"lth dalrymans practice, that it is I'M
possible Tor another to decide, without Il
tlal lust what is the best temperature for
each to seek ut the beginning of the
Turning IT in summer, and the air of
he room is very warm, and the cream
Ukely to be Il long time in coming. the
cream should be colder than in winter,
when the air of the room is colder than
tine butter should be when it separates.
temperature has very much to do with
lhe length of time required for churning,
od Il moderate variation may work no
"ther harm than u mere shortening or
engineering of the operation. If, how
ever, butter is much too long in separat-
lug, we are sure that its consistency Is In
ured. Two on three hours churning in
summer almost always brings soft, white
Duttcr; and in winter that which is bitter
and white
In winter. care should be taken that the
orean is ripe before churning is com
menced that the process may not be re-
ttrded. In summer it should not only be
cool and ripe, but entirely free from all
signs of fermentation Cream which bub
bies and foams. and bites the tongue, can
never make good. hard, sweet butter. In
tall and spring, when the cream is usual
II firm and dry, and would begin to sep
arate the moment the churning is started,
we consider it very important to retard
ihe churning process by adding few
quarts of skinned milk to the cream be-
tore beginning to churn it. Other things
being equal, that butter which is the hard
est is the lreest from anything except but
ter
Butter and milk, butter and water, and
butter ard brine cannot be as hard as clear
butter We must, therefore, seek to so
churn as to obtain the most thorough sep
aration possible, and after churnlng so
handle and work the butter as to have it
Tree from both milk and water, for neither
IS any addition to good butter.
Now, if we churn too quickly, and
change the main portion OF the cream in
10 butter and buttermilk within the first
lew moments, the remaining unchurned
cream will be washed into the buttermilk,
which, on account of the dryness Of the
cream, will be small in quantity-and thus
render it so thick that it will literally
daub every globule of the butter with n
coat of it. and thus be gathered into the
butter itself, instead of being washed out,
AS would have been the case had the cream
been sufficiently thinned by adding to it
suitable quantity of milk or water We
would. therefore, add milk to cream be-
lore churning it, for two reasons: First,
to retard the churning process, that all the
cream may be churned before any OF the
butter begins to separate, and, second. to
render the buttermilk SO thin and watery
that it will readily run off from the
crumbs of butter. instead of adhering to
them like thick molasses to sawdust.
But good butter may be spoiled after it
IS properly churned. Working and salt
ing with the hands is a common cause OF
soft butter Butter may be somewhat
soitened by warm temperature. without
running it; but if it is softened by friction
between the hands, or by paddles or other
tools, used at temperature nearly or