The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-11-28
Washing Butter.

" DuSSCT-
There is no other way of so effectively
cleansing butter of its Gaseous and
albuminous matter as by washing. Of
course, the water should be clean and
pure. very much depends upon the
character of the water. Hard or limy
water is not good. Alkaline waters, con-
tanning soda OF magnesia, are worse.
The water may be so bad that no wash
ing would be preferable. This is ques-
ton that ought always to be considered.
But whatever the natural character It
the water in the soil. filtered rain-water
can always be secured by the proper con-
struction of cistern, and this is next in
ualitv 20 the softest and purest spring
water from slaty or clay soil: Add to
it little salt, just so as to make weak
looking brine, and it will dissolve the
Gaseous matter in the butter, which, OF
course. will be removed by the water
when drawn off. But in no case should a
strong brine be used for cleansing the
butter, for it will coagulate and harden
the albumin Gus and Gaseous matter and
fix it permanently in the butter instead
of removing it.
Every little while some correspondent,
or a writer for the dairy department OF
some paper, will come out with TRADE
against washing butter. 1t IS declared
that washing takes out the flavor. So 1t
does-the flavor of sour milk. But this
IS not the flavor that is desired in fine
butter, nor is it the flavor that will keep.
1t soon changes to rancid cheesy flavor,
and the butter is spoiled. Washing takes
out no other flavor. Some declare that
it washes ont the sugar! Such are
probably not aware that all the sugar
there is in the butter is what is held IN
solution by the water in the buttermllk
which the butter contains. Get this
water out and out goes the sugar with
it-no matter whether washed out or
worked out.
Some even so so far as to put sugar
into their butter with the salt: Nothing
could be worse. Sugar is very unstable
article, when in solution, unless kept at
a temperature very high or very low. In
butter, it soon decomposes and forms
acid. and this, in turn, changes to some
thing else, to the great injury of the
flavor of the butter. Hence it is that it
is better for the keeping quality OF the
butter to have the sugar changed to lac
tic acid in the cream before it is churned.
If it is, of course washing the butter does
not wash out the sugar-it simply washes
out the Tactic acid which has been formed
from the sugar, and which is not wanted
in tue butter.
Those who oppose washing butter ap-
pear to be afflicted by sort of hydro
phobia. We sometimes wonder If they
ever wash their faces and hands. They
do not seem to be aware that milk is 81
per cent. water, on all average, and thin
cream full 81 per cent. water, While put
ter, as it comes from the churn. contains
at least 20 per cent. of water, and 10 to
Is Per cent. after it is prepared for
market. And it is not held chemically,
either, rs some may suppose. 1t is
mechanically mixed with the milk. the
butter and the cream 1t holds the sugar
in perfect solution. the Gaseous matter
in imperfect solution, and in it the glot-
ules of cream float until they rise to the
surface. Hence, thinning cream with
warm water-providcd the water is pure
is ouly increasing the amount of an
ingredient which 1t already contains.
Iet some very strenuously object to this,
and favor dilution with skinned milk,
which contains over 90 per cent. of
water contaminated with a lot of Gaseous,
albuminous and saccharine matter, which
by no means improves it for diluting
purposes. When butte: is washed, i'm
pure water is only diluted by adding
pure, and repeating the process until the
impurities become so attenuated that
they disappear from view; and washing
avoids working, if we wash the butter in
the granula;ed condition, and this saves
the grain of the butter, preserves the
aroma, and prolongs the keeping quality.
-.Prairie Farmer.