Salting Butter

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 26, 29 August 1891, Page 4

Salting Butter

Inthe 'Prairie Farmer' Mr T. D. j Curtis 'supplies an excellent article on j th** various methods of salting butter. The old practice is to spread out the I , butter; sprinkle over the salt, and 1 proceed to grind it in by main foi cc, ri gardless of the effect on the grain | end on its keeping quality. A prefevable way is to sprinkethe salt over tbe butter whilst it is in granular form, after washing, and at once commence to stir it in, mixing it" evenly througbout the mass, without breaking fche granules or causing them to Btiuk together. The salt, it what it ehould be, readily dissolves and covers, every particle of the butter without leaving undissolved Bait in it. Undissolved salt in butter is always most objectionable. Properly speaking, the above method is brine saltlug; but. brine salting, so-called, requires the preparation in advance of pure saturated brine made by dissolving about 36 per cent, by weight of salt in cold water, or, if the water be heated,, to boiling point,- 40 per ■cent. This- secures saturation of the biine.' If more salt is added than the water will take up, the 6alt may be aihyved to settle, wheu the brine can te drawn off. Suliicieut brine to float the butter shouid then be poured into the churn and allowed to remain ten minutes The brine may be -drawn, off as soon as it has come into ■contact with every granule of butter, drairied^and then pressed into a solid "mass. The granules will not readily adhere together unless the temperature Is gradually raised to 58deg or "60deg. If tbe butter -ia made up at too low a temperature, after salting in this fashion, it is likely to turn out ♦crumby when cut. Tbe salt used in -any of the above methods should be "■of the purest. Cost is not so much a consideration -as purity and proper -consideration. The salt should be 'fine even-grained, soft and very -soluble, and free from dust and dirt. Above all, dairy salt must be fre9 from-alkali, which is a mos»t injurious substance for dairy produce. If the •brine" turns litmus paper blue, it would be wise to give up using that salt The .brine may be nsed times -over provided a little fresh water aud '-■•salt are' added each time to keep up the required quantity. It is better, however, to use a fresh solution each • '''-time.— Dunediu Star.