28 DAIRYING 



If too fresh, add more salt and if too salty, add water to wash 

 out the surplus salt; do not wash it too much, as the subsequent 

 working will remove some of this extra salt. If the working is 

 all to be done at one time the butter should be allowed to stand 

 one-half hour at least between the first and the last portions of 

 the working. 



Two or more workings are surer than one, of evenly distrib- 

 uting the salt without injury to the grain of the butter. This is 

 especially the case when a coarse salt is used. 



When twice working is practiced, the butter is taken from 

 the worker and the salt is well mixed, then put into tubs which 

 are placed in the refrigerator and left a number of hours, usually 

 over night. During this time the butter has hardened and the 

 salt dissolved so that when taken out and worked a second time, 

 the desired results may be obtained with less working than 

 when it is all done at one time. 



Repeated working of cold, hard butter presses out more or 

 less brine at each working and an excessively dry butter with 

 too much loss in weight occurs if the butter is not warmed up at 

 the time of working it. Salt attracts the fine drops of moisture 

 in the butter into larger drops of brine and these are easily ex- 

 pelled by excessive workings. 



3. The mixing of butter granules into a firm and waxy mass 

 is best accomplished by pressure rather than by grinding. The 

 perfect grain or body of butter is obtained by working the wheat- 

 like granules until a broken surface of the butter resembles a 

 piece of broken steel ; the fracture is distinct and not sticky ; the 

 butter has a velvety, springy feeling that is hard to describe, but 

 easily recognized by careful observation and practice. 



433. The butter working should be stopped before the but- 

 ter shows a tendency to be stringy and to pull apart like grease 

 with thread-like connections between the t.vo parts. Overwork- 

 ing has a tendency to give the butter a greasy appearance like 

 lard, which is not attractive to the consumer. If the butter is 

 cold and hard when worked, there may be a great loss of weight 

 by the expelling ot both salt and water from the butter, and on 

 the other hand working at a too high temperature has a tendency 

 to incorporate instead of removing 1 water. 



