My New Butter Churn

 

I am so excited. My new Churncraft butter churn arrived.  
I can't wait to try it.

 

Here is a breakdown of what arrived:

The Churn
This is a hand-powered butter churn with a 4 quart glass jar. Churns two quarts of cream into approximately 1-1.5 lbs. of fresh butter and approximately 1 quart of buttermilk. 

Dimensions:
Height: 14.5 inches
Depth: 7 inches
Total Width (including handle): 11 inches

The churn comes with a mat that keeps the churn from scooting around on your counter while you are making butter.

Butter Paddles
Wooden Butter Paddles are the perfect tool for processing and shaping your homemade butter. The grooves efficiently wick away buttermilk.

Butter Wrapping Kit
This kit includes grease-resistant butter paper, baker's twine and nicely designed gift tags for twenty packages.


 


A Better Butter Taste Test

 

Thank you Walter Green for allowing me to post the above photo

I just read Walter Green's entertaining article "Classic Butter Taste" in the current Lucky Peach Magazine. (Thanks Wanderlust Designer for the heads up!) I have read my share of butter taste tests, but Green's is by far my favorite. 

Photo Credit: Aleksandra Kingo

This is not your typical butter-tasting article; not only does Green offer his opinions on the taste and texture of 23 different brands of butter ("It tastes a lot like butter. It's more mild than the last one. But still buttery.") he also comments on package design, shape retention, shares a few anagrams, and so much more.

Have you ever read an article (listened to a song, watched a movie) and thought, "I want whoever is responsible for this to be my friend!" That is how I feel about Green. Anyone who can write a six page article about tasting butter and have me laughing out loud is someone I want around. 

Go pick up a copy of Lucky Peach, you are going to want to read this.




 

Butter from NYC

 

I took a trip to NYC and as always I picked up a few butters that I haven't seen on the west coast. (Luckily I remembered to take them out of the hotel fridge this time!)

When I am traveling, many of the brands are new to me it and it is difficult to know what is a good quality butter and what is a factory-store butter. I often take out my phone and do online research. I also look for key words like, pasture raised, family-owned farms, grass fed, and organic. I searched for gourmet markets in Manhattan, hoping to find some tasty butter. Below are a few of the stores where I purchased butter.

I am going to pick up some Manresa bread and try my new butters. I will post on these butters soon.


Le District is a French-inspired shopping district. This market is filled with culinary-specific stations, a brasserie-style restaurant, a bar serving artisanal drinks and delicious small plates, and a fresh grocery curated by talented chefs and taste-makers.

They had a good variety of French imported butters.

Le District is located in Brookfield Place, adjacent to the North Cove Harbor, and steps away from the World Trade, the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Le District
Brookfield Place, 225 Liberty St, New York, NY 10281

Le District Website


Zabar's is an Upper West Side gourmet epicurean emporium, specializing in the finest fish, bread, coffee, cheese, kitchen equipment and housewares. They have a good mix of imported and domestic butter brands. 

Zabar's
2245 Broadway (at 80th Street) New York, NY 10024

Zabar's website


Morton Williams is a family-owned and operated food market that was next door to our hotel. They had a nice selection of butter and I was excited to find Finlandia butter on the shelf.

Morton Williams
15 Stores in the New York metropolitan area

Morton Williams website



 

Heartbreak

 

The night before we left for home I started feeling pretty ill. I had caught a cold somewhere along the way. I woke up the next morning feeling awful, worried about the long day of travel ahead of me. 

We left the hotel in the early morning and as we pulled up to the airport I realized that I had left all of the butter I had purchased in Sweden, Norway and Iceland, in the hotel room freezer. I felt like crying. It was one of those moments when you wish you could go back in time for a re-do.

Luckily, the airline served us Icelandic butter with our meal. My family saved all of their butter for me. ❤️

Someone at the Reykjavik hotel is in for a nordic butter feast. I hope they enjoy it as much as I would have!