FATS AND THEIR ECONOMICAL USE IN THE HOME. 9 



in many creameries the milk or cream is pasteurized to kill undesir- 

 able organisms, and the ripening of the cream is started and con- 

 trolled by the addition of a pure culture of bacteria which produce 

 the desired flavors. Care must also be taken in the handling and 

 storage of butter to prevent it from becoming contaminated with 

 disease-causing bacteria or from absorbing undesirable odors or 

 flavors. Such precautions, necessary to secure a wholesome product, 

 naturally add to the cost of butter, but obviously from the standpoint 

 of health are well worth the higher price. Butter of inferior quality is 

 frequently treated by a commercial process which removes the objec- 

 tionable odor and taste and then marketed as renovated or " process " 

 butter. As many housekeepers know, strong butter can be made more 

 palatable by washing it repeatedly in clean, cold water and then 

 resalting; if the final washing is done in milk a better flavor is 

 obtained. The commercial process of renovating butter is somewhat 

 similar to this domestic process. The butter is melted, and air is 

 blown through it until the undesirable flavor due to volatile sub- 

 stances is carried away. The product is then emulsified with soured 

 milk and worked like ordinary butter. Renovated butter sells for a 

 lower price than fresh butter, and for this reason it is used quite 

 extensively in cookery, and to some extent for table purposes. If the 

 process is carefully carried out it is of good flavor. Naturally, the 

 sale of renovated butter as fresh butter is prohibited by the Federal 

 and State pure-food laws. 



Rendered butter, called " ghee " in India, is preferred by some 

 people to ordinary butter. It is easily prepared by melting the butter 

 with or without adding water and allowing the mixture to become 

 cold, when the layer of butter fat is removed ; if desired, salt is added 

 to replace that removed in rendering. 



CREAM. 



Cream, which contains from 18 to 40 per cent of fat, should be 

 regarded as one of the available fats. It is generally used as a table 

 fat, being served with cereals and fruits, as a constituent of ice 

 cream, and plain or whipped with jellies or puddings. In rural 

 regions, where the supply is large, both sweet and sour cream are 

 commonly used for shortening, but to a less extent in cities and 

 towns, where cream is more expensive. Cream is very palatable to 

 most persons, and for this reason it is often prescribed by physicians 

 for people who require a diet rich in fats. A form of cream more 

 common in England than here, and known as " Devonshire Clotted 

 Cream," is prepared by heating to about 180° F. whole milk on 

 which the cream has been allowed to rise, cooling the mass, and 

 skimming off the cream. It has a light-yellow color and a character- 

 61287°— Bull. 469—16 2 



