How to make butter

Step 3 Wash the butter

Now it's time for a step that isn't often mentioned in chronicles of butter-making--washing the butter. There are still milk solids left behind in the butter that didn't make it into the buttermilk, and so it's vitally important to wash the butter if you want to keep it for more than a day, even in the refrigerator. To do so, knead the butter until all the liquid comes out, and then run it under a faucet while kneading it, and continue until all the liquid runs clear.

Comments

[yazatas]

While doing this I found the butter started melting all over my hands. At that point I had to stop kneading. Do you have a tip to help with this trouble?

[andwmi]

When I make butter, I put about a gallon of water in the fridge to get nice and chilly.  I then use this water for washing the butter in a large bowl.  It keeps the butter from being melty and I can use a large flat spoon to smash the butter against the sides of the bowl and really press out the buttermilk.  If the butter gets too hard for you then you can just add some more tap water to warm it up a bit.