Domestic science, principles and application

Manufacture of Butter. — Butter is made from the fat of milk by the process of churning, which causes the fat globules to collect into granular masses. It is then washed to remove protein matter, which decomposes easily, and is salted to preserve it and give it flavor. It is then made into prints or packed into tubs for the market. Butter may be made from either sweet or sour (ripened) cream. Sweet-cream butter has a very delicate flavor and does not possess good keeping qualities because it is not usually salted. The ripening of the cream and the added salt give to butter a stronger flavor which is preferred by most people and makes it better suited for marketing purposes. Nearly all the butter made in the United States is produced in well-regulated creameries. Composition of Butter. — The law requires that standard butter should contain not less than 82.5 per cent of milk fat, for the butter-maker can make butter with little or much water as he chooses. One authority gives the following as an average composition : — Fat Casein Salt Water 85% 1% 3% 11% The quality of butter depends on the breed of cow, the kind of feed given, but principally on the care with which the milk and cream are handled. Butter has the best color and flavor in the spring and summer when the cows are on fresh grass. The flavor is influenced greatly by the kind of bacteria that develops in the milk and cream. The cattle of the Guernsey breed produce butter of a naturally rich, yellow color. Food Value. — Butter is one of the most easily digested fats, and is very appetizing and healthful. With what foods should it be eaten, and why? Buttermilk is the part of the milk or cream that remains when the butter has been removed. It has very much the same composition and food value as skim milk, being a cheap and wholesome tissue-building food. The nutrients are very easily digested, and the acid is believed to exert a healthful influence in the body and is especially recommended to those suffering from stomach disturbances. Butter Substitutes. — Oleomargarine and butterine are often used in place of butter. These are made from purified beef fat, lard, and cotton-seed or other vegetable oil churned with milk and sometimes colored to resemble butter. When properly prepared they are clean and nutritious, and are much better than the butter from small dairies where the standards and sanitary conditions are not of the best. They may be substituted for butter in cooking, and are more economical. The odors from old and rancid butter are often removed by melting the butter and blowing air through it, after which the material is churned in milk and then resold as renovated butter. To distinguish butter substitutes from butter, dissolve a small quantity in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Beef fats boil noisily and make little foam; butter makes very little noise and much foam. CHEESE Cheese is the casein and fat of milk, drained, salted, and pressed. It is an important means of putting milk, a bulky and perishable food, into concentrated form, ena- bling it to be stored for future use and transported to distant markets.