Butter is a nutritious product, without which it is difficult to imagine a full breakfast of any person. For its production, cream of cow's milk is used. What are the oils common in many grocery stores made of? In fact, the technology for the production of this creamy product originates from ancient times, when our ancestors still made butter with their own hands without the help of powerful equipment.
Production technology
Not many people know that the first butter appeared 3000 years ago in India. The industrial production of this product was founded in Italy - it was there that at the beginning of the 19th century mechanical devices were invented intended for the manufacture of a fatty product, which became the progenitor of butter. What oil is made of is known to everyone today. It is worth noting that it was Vologda oil that was considered the pride of domestic producers.
The quality of this product depends on several factors. There is not a single ingredient or technological process that can be replaced with any analogue. The quality of raw materials, control at each stage of production, strict adherence to technology - all this together allows you to get a high-quality cream product.
How to make butter?
On the scale of industrial production, both first and second grade milk can be used. In many European countries, such a concept as second-class milk is absent altogether, however, domestic producers successfully use raw materials that have obvious shortcomings for the production of butter. Moreover, this does not contradict sanitary and hygienic standards.
How to make butter? The production of this high-calorie product is a fairly complex process, each stage of which is extremely important and requires compliance with all standards. The ultimate goal is the concentration and release of milk fat. On an industrial scale, butter can be produced in two ways:
- Mechanical whipping cream with a fat content of 35-40%.
- Conversion of fat cream (70-85%).
The first method allows you to get a better and tasty creamy product, however, this method does not allow to achieve high results in terms of performance.
Whipping cream
Knowing what oil is made of, you can begin to study one of the technologies for its production. First of all, high-quality raw materials, that is, cream, are cooled and kept at a temperature of +2 to +8 ° . At this time, the cream ripens, their viscosity increases, as well as the formation of specific fat globules, which subsequently become the center of fat crystallization. A lower temperature allows the cream to mature faster, and mechanical rotation further accelerates the process.
Then high-fat raw materials are placed in oil-drums, which are ordinary wooden barrels or rotating metal cylinders. Mechanical shocks contribute to the nucleation of oil grains, which, in essence, are crystallized particles of oil fat. As soon as the buttermilk began to spray, the rotation process stops and the washing of the oil grain begins. Calcined salt is used to increase the durability of butter. After that, the whole mass is passed through special squeeze rollers, through which a sufficiently dense and uniform layer is formed, ready for packing, packaging and storage.
Convert High Fat Cream
The essence of this method is the conversion of an oil-in-water emulsion into a water-in-oil emulsion, which occurs using thermomechanical processing. During this process, high-fat cream with a fat content of 72.5% or 82.5%, respectively, is obtained. After this, the cream is passed through an oil former, due to which they acquire a specific structure characteristic of oil. This technology allows you to get a creamy product, which differs in many respects from butter obtained by whipping cream.
After performing all the manipulations, the butter should “mature” - it is kept for several days at a temperature of + 12-16 ° C to complete the crystallization process.
Surely many noticed that at room temperature the butter seemed to “spill over” - this is the result of non-compliance with the temperature regime.
Real butter
Having figured out what oil is made of, one can distinguish several main signs of a high-quality cream product. Selecting it in the store is not so simple, since most labels have the same inscription - “pasteurized cream”. In fact, there is a special gastronomic classification of real butter, based on which the following types are distinguished:
- Traditional product with a fat content of 82.5%.
- Amateur butter, the fat content of which is at least 80%.
- Peasant oil with a fat content of at least 72.5%.
All other percentages are water and a small amount of buttermilk. Only experienced manufacturers know how to make butter not only tasty, but also healthy. The production technology of such a product is directly related to those methods that were used long before the appearance of mechanical units. Back in the days of the Soviet Union, high-quality products were marked with the GOST mark, which has now been replaced with P 52969-2008. This designation indicates that the contents of the package will delight you with a pleasant taste familiar from childhood.
Home cooking
Today, it is rarely possible to meet a family that does not care about their health and nutrition. Well-being and strong immunity depend on the quality of the products, which is why many tend to buy exclusively high-quality food products or cook them yourself. How to make oil at home? The answer to this question is presented by Jamie Oliver's recipe, which offers an easy way to make a high-quality cream product.
The following ingredients are required for cooking:
- Fat cream - about 400 ml. The fatter the feedstock, the more oil will be the final result.
- A small amount of calcined Extra salt.
- Mixer.
- A charge of positive emotions.
The process itself is not complicated. The main thing is to choose high-quality cream with the highest percentage of fat content.
Technology for making homemade butter
Before making homemade oil, it is necessary to prepare a fairly deep (preferably metal) dish. First of all, you need to thoroughly whip the cream with a mixer. This is done at maximum equipment power for 10 minutes. Then the creamy mass should rest a bit, after which the process is repeated again.
Literally after 15 minutes, you can notice that the liquid cream turned into a small amount of butter. The liquid obtained as a result of whipping must be drained and stirring cream continued at high speed. As a result of three times beating, you should get something that is vaguely reminiscent of butter. This is not the final process.
Using a regular spoon, the oil is collected in a lump and left for some time to “ripen”. After some time, excess fluid should be released from this mass. After that, the butter is laid out on parchment and salted, folded in half, kneading again. This procedure can be performed several times for more thorough mixing.
Homemade butter is ready. About 400 grams of butter should come from 400 ml of butter cream (33%).
Some more facts about butter
Unlike the way sunflower oil is made, a creamy product requires careful observance of every stage of the technological process and high quality of all ingredients. Only a real creamy product is gently spread on bread, does not crumble, has a rich yellow color and has a pronounced taste and aroma.
There are several more types of butter, in addition to those that were indicated just above. So, for example, there is also a creamy product with fillers that improve its organoleptic characteristics.
For the preparation of butter, not only cow's milk and cream are used. Buffalos, goats, sheep, yaks and even zebu (in India and African countries) - all these animals are a source of natural raw materials, which will become the basis for butter.