BUTTER. 21^ 



milk greatly influences the products obtained from them ; 

 but if they be rightly mixed together, the qualities of one 

 kind may serve to correct the faults of another, and thus 

 more valuable products may be procured from the combi- 

 nation of two or more kinds than could be had from either 

 separately. 



The process of churning unites into one mass all the 

 particles held in solution by milk, and brought into a some- 

 what more condensed state in cream ; but there still exist 

 in butter some rnilky particles, which cause it to undergo 

 a change : to avoid this, it is necessary to free the butter 

 carefully from milk. When butter is made from fresh 

 cream, and is to be immediately consumed, nothing more 

 is done to it than to work it over carefully with the hand, 

 till all the milk is expressed from it , it then retains all the 

 sweet and agreeable flavor of cream : but when it is to be 

 kept for any length of time, it is necessary that it should be 

 kneaded with cold water, till the liquid runs ofl* free from 

 milkihess. 



All the operations required to bring cream into complete- 

 ly-made butter, should succeed each other without delay ; 

 for the milk expressed from butter made of cream which 

 has remained too long a time upon milk, or in the churn, has 

 a vinous taste. 



The less care there is taken to free butter from the butter- 

 milk, the sooner will it become rancid ; in order therefore 

 to preserve to it all the qualities of fresh butter, it should be 

 carefully washed and kneaded : it must likewise be kept in 

 a cool place, or under cold water that can be frequently 

 changed : it is sometimes melted at a low temperature, and 

 allowed to remain in this state till all the watery particles 

 contained in it are evaporated. I have, in a former place, 

 spoken of the method of salting butter ; this is the surest 

 means of preserving it. (See Chap. X.) 



According to the experiments of Messrs. Deyeux and Par- 

 mentier, the rancidity of butter arises from its combining 

 with oxygen when exposed in contact with the air : butter 

 absorbs about -^ of its volume of oxygen, and acquires from 

 the union a strong, acrid, disagreeable taste. 



