CHAPTER VI 



Churning 



CHURNING is the gathering together of the fat, 

 which carries with it a little moisture and some 

 curd, to which is added some salt, altogether con- 

 stituting butter. Easy and thorough churning de- 

 pends on the ripeness of the cream, its tempera- 

 ture, and the nature of the agitation. 



Ripeness of the cream. When ready for the 

 churn the cream should have a pleasant acid flavor, 

 a smooth, velvety appearance, and should be thick 

 enough that it will adhere in a thick coating to the 

 paddle or spoon. 



Farm conditions hardly justify the use of any of 

 the tests for determining the ripeness of the cream. 

 These tests are based on the fact that a definite 

 quantity of alkali will unite with a definite quan- 

 tity of the acid in the cream. By using an alkali of 

 known strength, it is easy to measure the amount 

 of acid that has developed during the ripening. 

 From five and a half to six and a half tenths of a 

 per cent, of acid at churning time is usually suffi- 

 cient. 



The tests for this purpose, with directions for 

 their use accompanying, which may be purchased 

 from any dairy supply firm, are the Farrington's, 

 Van Norman's, and Mann's. 



Temperature. The globules of fat are supposed 



