Making buttermilk from scratch

[Cooking Goddess]

...I have looked at the back of the buttermilk we get up here. It is not even real buttermilk. All chemicals...

Addie, you're buying the wrong one. Spend the extra $$ and get the "real buttermilk". If you like buttermilk for baking or drinking, Kate's Buttermilk is the real deal. Every store by me sells it, but Market Basket is the cheapest, of course.

 

[Caslon]

After watching "How It's Made" TV show, I never realized that the process of making butter yielded a lot of excess liquid, which they sell as buttermilk, or goes into their ice cream. I never realized that's how buttermilk is made. My dad liked it, growing up on a farm like he did. I don't care for the stuff myself.

 

[dcSaute]

I home make butter just to get the real buttermilk - which I use for pancakes / waffles.

 

[Katie H]

A thought just occurred to me: Are YOU "Kate"?

No, I'm not Kate, but that's what Buck used to call me.

Unfortunately Kate's Buttermilk isn't available in our area. Glad you have it where you are.

 

[inchrisin]

I kept mine on top of the fridge, then after a couple years I read the label, that said,"refrigerate after opening."

It is a great product to have on hand.

I did the same here. I wonder if keeping it in the fridge will help prevent it from clumping up. I threw about half of it out because I couldn't get it to break apart and mix into my cooking.

 

[inchrisin]

I home make butter just to get the real buttermilk - which I use for pancakes / waffles.

How?

 

[dcSaute]

How?

- to use buttermilk in pancakes/waffles
or
- how to home make butter?

 

[Aunt Bea]

I did the same here. I wonder if keeping it in the fridge will help prevent it from clumping up. I threw about half of it out because I couldn't get it to break apart and mix into my cooking.

If you don't use buttermilk very often it might be better to buy the packets.

 

[Addie]

If you don't use buttermilk very often it might be better to buy the packets.

This is the first time I have seen this product in packets. Only the nice little round can. Looks like a promising product.

 

[inchrisin]

Not too pricey either: Amazon.com : Saco Foods, Buttermilk Powder, Cult, 3.2 Oz  : Powdered Milk : Grocery & Gourmet Food

 

[inchrisin]

How?

- to use buttermilk in pancakes/waffles
or
- how to home make butter?

How to make butter?

 

[dcSaute]

making butter at home is a very simple process - there are many many ways to do it.

I use a stand mixer with a whisk and heavy cream from the supermarket.

put the cream in a bowl, whip slowly at first until it froths, then increase speed until you get butter.

you will see the cream go to whip cream, then over beaten, then grainy, then lumpy and now you have to be careful because as the butter 'falls out' of the cream you're left with the watery whey aka (real) buttermilk and if you don't slow the mixer down it spatters all over.

there a zillions of videos etc.
here's one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmin9PBXP_g

 

[Aunt Bea]

making butter at home is a very simple process - there are many many ways to do it.

I use a stand mixer with a whisk and heavy cream from the supermarket.

put the cream in a bowl, whip slowly at first until it froths, then increase speed until you get butter.

you will see the cream go to whip cream, then over beaten, then grainy, then lumpy and now you have to be careful because as the butter 'falls out' of the cream you're left with the watery whey aka (real) buttermilk and if you don't slow the mixer down it spatters all over.

there a zillions of videos etc.
here's one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmin9PBXP_g

That is a great thing to make with kids. For some reason it amazes kids that you can make certain things at home and butter seems to be one of those things!

 

[Dawgluver]

When I was in third grade, we made butter. Our teacher put cream in a jar, and we all took turns shaking it until it turned to butter. Then we ate it on crackers. Of course, then we had to write about our "experiment".

 

[taxlady]

I had a South African boy friend who didn't believe that you could make butter at home, so we did. He was completely boggled that it worked.

 

[Addie]

I did that with my girl scouts. They each had to bring an empty jar that could hold a pint minimum and another one for the buttermilk. The troop provided the salt. They got to take the butter home much to the surprise of their parents. And with the buttermilk, a recipe for buttermilk biscuits and/or pancakes went home also. The only drawback was they didn't want to share "their" butter with their siblings. Parents were okay, but not the other kids in the family.