as the final texture of the butter The properly aged cream is then warmed a few degrees Fahrenheit and churned Churning Churning is accomplished by a variety of mechanical devices that may take 15 minutes or a few seconds to damage the fat globules and form the initial grains of butter The fat crystals formed during aging distort and weaken the globule membranes so that they rupture easily When damaged globules collide with each other, the liquid portion of their fat flows together to make a continuous mass, and these grow as churning continues Working Once churning generates the desired size of butter grains, often the size of a wheat seed, the water phase of the cream is drained off This is the original buttermilk, rich in free globule membrane material and with about 0.5% fat (p 50) The solid butter grains may be washed with cold water to remove the buttermilk on their surfaces The grains are then “worked,” or kneaded together to consolidate the semisolid fat phase and to break up the embedded pockets of buttermilk (or water) into droplets around 10 micrometers in diameter, or about the size of a large fat globule Cows that get little fresh pasturage and its orange carotene pigments produce pale milk fat; the butter maker can compensate for this by adding a dye such as annatto (p 423) or pure carotene during the working If the butter is to be salted, either fine granular salt or a strong brine goes in at this stage as well The butter is then stored, blended, or immediately shaped and packaged Kinds of Butter Butter is made in several distinct styles, each with its own particular qualities It’s necessary to read labels carefully to learn whether a given brand has been made with plain cream, fermented cream, or cream flavored to taste like ...then “worked,” or kneaded together to consolidate the semisolid fat phase and to break up the embedded pockets of buttermilk (or water) into droplets around 10... such as annatto (p 423) or pure carotene during the working If the butter is to be salted, either fine granular salt or a strong brine goes in at this stage as well The butter is then stored, blended,... micrometers in diameter, or about the size of a large fat globule Cows that get little fresh pasturage and its orange carotene pigments produce pale milk fat; the butter maker can compensate for