Why make butter?

[gertbysea]

Don't throw the buttermilk down the sink! Save it and freeze it. Good for baking, pancakes, curries any sauce needing milk. Add to a quiche. Use it for ice cream.  Never waste it even if you have no use for it today. Butter is one of the easiest things to do in the TMX. Just follow the EDC book for the first time. You can refine it another time by extra washing or extra bits. I use rice bran oil or grapeseed oil.

Bought 250 gms on Butter in Coles for $1.44 today. That is up from $1.24 a few weeks ago and 80 cent increase in a kilo. I wish the dairy farmer was getting that money not Coles.

Good luck.

Gretchen

[JenniCB]

Ok....I did it!!! it was actually much easier than I had anticipated and it was fun! From 600mls cream I got about 230mls buttermilk (now in freezer) and about 300g butter. However, I am now quite disappointed. I've read many a post where people have been raving over the taste and yet it didn't have a taste at all to me  Then I added some EVOO to make it spreadable and of course, now that's all I can taste 

[faffa_70]

Jen use something like grapeseed oil that is not as strong in flavour for your butter

[tarosuma]

Just to add my two cents worth, I have always thought that what people put 'under' the butter is the problem with weight control, not the butter itself.  eg bread!
Many people who follow paleo/primal lifestyles will attest to the fact that eating fat is a very important part of one's diet and that grains and sugars are the real cause of many weight and health problems.
Check out Marks Daily Apple/Primal Fitness website for loads of info!  Most people would be astounded if they knew how much fat I currently eat (while losing weight)

On that note, is there anybody else out there following a primal/paleo lifestyle?  It has been years now since I have eaten sugar or much grains but I have really fine tuned it lately - I used breastfeeding as an excuse for too long and the kg's were sneaking on.

[gertbysea]

Ok....I did it!!! it was actually much easier than I had anticipated and it was fun! From 600mls cream I got about 230mls buttermilk (now in freezer) and about 300g butter. However, I am now quite disappointed. I've read many a post where people have been raving over the taste and yet it didn't have a taste at all to me  Then I added some EVOO to make it spreadable and of course, now that's all I can taste 

Ho ho JenniCB. that is why I said grape seed oil  or rice bran oil. Of course Olive oil has such a strong distinctive flavour that it takes over. Also did you use enough salt?

Use that for cooking and make some more. If you can get cream cheaply when it is nearly out of use by date then you will find that is the best. You can also use double cream  if it is going cheap but not cream with any gelatin.

I think most of us have done the same thing. Doesn't matter a jot.

Gretch

[ahoney]

Unfortunatly they are both bad, margarine for all the reasons above and butter because it is made from a cow, cows milk is made for calfs not humans, we have nothing in common with cows, they have 3 stomachs, they are also lactating so full of hormones even if not fed hormones you need hormones to lactate and if your allergic to wheat well it's even more of a problem (they eat grassess).  However butter tastes better! I am raising my kids to use neither, I figure if they dont get into the habit of it they won't miss it!
As for the original question why should you make your own butter.......I bet it tastes amazing! (havn't made any myself, TMX should arrive next week , but organic butter is yummo!

[earth mumma]

HI Jennicb

I am an absolute fan of Cyndi O'Meara's "Changing Habits Changing Lives".  I love her nutritional wisdom (she's a nutritionist) and use it everyday with my family.  We eat full fat things (milk, yoghurt, cheese etc) and we maintain healthy weight. I love Cyndi's work so much that I am now a food coach and help people to work through either her Changing Habits or her 21 day program in my husbands Chiropractic clinic.    I have many clients who have had great sucess in gaining health, energy and vitality (and have lost some weight too) using her principles.  It's not for everyone and it may be interesting for you to have a look at her stuff.
    

[Nik2WIN]

slightly off topic (as I'm not going to mention butter) but I really believe that low fat products make you fat!  Who eats low fat?  Fat people!  Who could tell you the ins and outs of pretty much every single diet out there?  A fat person!

And I speak as a fat person so I'm not standing on a soap box being naturally thin.  I know exactly why I'm fat - its simply because I eat too much and drink too much wine!  I promise you if I substituted all my normal fat products for low fat products I wouldn't lose an ounce!

The 'obesity epidemic' has coincided with the growth of the diet industry and the availability of low fat foods.  The diet industry and its low fat products make BILLIONS every year.

My weight yo-yos according to how much moderation I can use and that's really the key, eat everything (natural) but in moderation.

Nik

[JenniCB]

I know Gretchen I should have used grapeseed. Was in a rush to get it done before getting kids from school and just grabbed what I had. I'll blame it on the kids 

Earth Mumma - I have that book! It was the first book I ever bought after getting my Thermie (it was recommended at the cooking class). I read it through once and then lent it to my sister in-law because I was quite impressed with it as an all round, cover everything, good nutrition book. I didn't know at that point that I would be making my own butter. Of course today I wanted to read the butter chapter and then realised I had lent it out Wow a food coach. That sounds interesting. Would love to hear more about what you do.

Nik - I totally agree with you. I think that low fat or diet foods are some of the worst foods on the market. I figure if you take something out (fat/sugar) you have to replace it with something else. Which unfortunately is often some sort of disgusting additive to make the product still look and taste palatable. I agree that they don't help you lose any weight at all either. Your philosophy is the same as Cindi's....eat real food, but in moderation.

Am going to make another batch when I next get some cream and will tweak the oil and salt factors. Thanks everyone. This forum is definitely a necessary complement to owning a THX. So good!!

[the_vermins]

I run meetings for a large weight loss company, has two W's in its name and while they recommend low fat this and that, I am more for smaller amounts of full fat foods.

Butter, as a small part of a normal diet, should have no more affect than any other food.  I will always choose butter over marg because I don't want the chemicals, but also because I only have bread maybe every second day and I'll be darned if I'm going to spread anything else on it!

Portions is the main concern for people.  Regardless of what you make, you need to make sure it is a sensible portion.  As long as you have a diet mostly with healthy foods, a little bit of butter on the odd occassion shouldn't make a difference. 

I often feel like a bad leader because I don't do the whole low fat thing, but hey.  I stick to the programme other than that!

[Nik2WIN]

I run meetings for a large weight loss company, has two W's in its name and while they recommend low fat this and that, I am more for smaller amounts of full fat foods.

Oooh, I'm so glad you posted - I've often thought of becoming a leader for the "seeing" company  and have had success with their program several times .....

Something I forgot to mention in my post was taste.  Fat is often the "taste carrier" in foods so if you take out the fat you have to add something to enhance the flavour (and flavour enhances are YUK).  They are rarely successful so that when you (ok I) eat something low fat, I don't get the satiety that I would have got from low fat.  I REALLY want ice cream and low fat yoghurt really isn't going to do the trick!  I really want a nice hot chocolate and an options sachet with hot water isn't going to work!

Interestingly I don't find the same with sugar and can more than happily go for low sugar options over proper sugar, particularly especially in drinks.

I still haven't worked out why you would make butter over buying it.  In the UK, it would work out more expensive to make it so I've not bothered.

Nik

Nik

[Mel66]

Another question from me again LOL!

Can anyone explain to me the benefits of making your own butter? I get the no additives and preservatives bit but is butter healthier for you than margarine? I know it is definitely better to bake with. Would making your own have less fat then buying? Am trying to work out which is the healthiest and best option weight wise to see if it's worth the work of making it myself. Thanks.

I have heard that margarine is 1 ingredient away from being plastic...so I always use butter