making butter

[Guest guest]

Does anyone have any tips on making butter? I have a recipe that says to

put a pint of cream in a quart jar and shake it vigorously for 10 minutes.

I have a gallon of cream to do at a time. There is no way that I'm going to

wear my arm out shaking all that cream. I have tried putting it in my Bosch

mixer and whipping it until it made butter. That worked one time and one

time it never got past the whipped cream stage, even after an hour or more

of whipping. This last time, it took about 45 minutes per half gallon

batch. If it takes that long with a big automatic mixer, there is no way

that I could shake it by hand to get the equivalent. The next time, I used

the beaters instead of the whisks, but it still took about 45 minutes. Any

other suggestions?

Also, is there a faster way of working the buttermilk out of the butter than

by pressing it with my hands? When I try pressing it with a spoon in the

cold water, the butter becomes so cold and hard that it won't press easily.

Finally, once I get enough buttermilk out, I need to salt it. Exactly how

do I do that? My recipe was really helpful: " add salt to taste, if

desired. " Do I add the salt on top of the ball and then knead it in like

bread dough? How much salt is about right for one pound of butter?

By the time I've finished, I have dirtied up the Bosch bowl, beaters or

whisks, another large bowl to work the butter in, a strainer, a bowl with a

pour spout for the cold water, and a bowl for the buttermilk, and a spoon if

I used it. That's alot of dishwashing and alot of trouble for a little

butter. Please, if you have any tips as to how to make this process easier,

faster, or with less dishwashing, please share!! At 4 gallons of milk per

day, it adds up fast.

Bonnie