separating milk and cream?

hqueen13 · Sep 23, 2014

I'm getting raw milk and the farmer doesn't separate the milk and cream, which makes me happy. However I want to make butter, so I'm wondering the best way to separate the milk from the cream with the least amount of effort. My only thought was to pour it into a pitcher and let it sit until it separates, then Ladle out the cream. I just didn't know if there was an easier way or not.

Britesea · Sep 23, 2014

That's the way I always did it. With care, you can get almost all of it. I just used a regular ladle and stuck it in, letting the cream ooze in from the top rather than trying to scoop it out. I understand there are specific milk-skimming ladles out there though, which might work better.

sumi · Sep 23, 2014

We did the same. That way we got enough cream off for butter and still left plenty to make the milk creamy.

Just out of curiosity, how are you going to make the butter? We used to let it sit in a jam jar and when it was ready my bother, my father and myself would take turns and shake and shake and shake and then shake some more...

WendyJ · Sep 23, 2014

There are containers sort of like measuring cups that have the spout attached near the bottom that are designed for separating broth from fat when making gravy, perhaps something like that would work?

hqueen13 · Sep 23, 2014

@sumi I make it in my kitchenaid mixer in about 5 minutes. It actually takes longer to wash the butter than make it. Pour in the room temperature cream into the chilled bowl, cut the mixer on high and keep an eye on it. As it starts to separate, back the speed down slowly. Easy peasy!
Thanks, Britsea. I'll have to do that with the next gallon of milk I get.
Next project is finding a good butter press so I can have sticks of butter!

Britesea · Sep 24, 2014

I'm not sure about the chilled bowl. What I was taught is that if the cream is cold, you get whipped cream; if it is room temperature you get butter.

I use my portable mixer, but to keep the spattering down my DH drilled a hole in a wide mouth canning lid - just a little larger than the rod of the beater. I thread one beater through the hole into a pint jar half full of cream and close it down with the ring. That way, I can beat the c**p out of the cream without getting spatters all over me and the kitchen.

hqueen13 · Sep 24, 2014

Nice!
As I understand it the advantage to the cold bowl is the butter doesn't stock as bad.

Britesea · Sep 24, 2014

I've also heard that if you let the cream clabber first, it will turn into butter faster. I didn't really care for the flavor though, myself

hqueen13 · Sep 24, 2014

What do you mean clabber? Is that like sour?

baymule · Sep 24, 2014

Since ya'll are talking butter........

http://www.butterbell.com/

separating milk and cream?

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