Butter Up

There is something inherently more magical about making "staples", the things we just assume appear fully-formed on the grocery shelves like bread and butter. It's as if we gain some empirical knowledge by pulling back the black curtain of mystery to reveal how things really happen.

And there lies the wonder of making butter in Thor. What used to take an afternoon on the porch with a churn now takes mere seconds in the Vita-mix. Whir, wiz, woosh and you've got a mass of beautiful golden butter and the separated buttermilk (which I've saved for making Okara bread). Next I will extend the process by trying flavor mix-ins. The options are endless...

Homemade Butter

(adapted from Vita-Mix cookbook)

2 cups heavy cream

Pinch of sea salt

Place cream and salt in the Vita-Mix container and secure lid.

Start on Variable #1, increase to #10, then high.

Run machine until mixture is thick and you hear a change in the sound of the machine.

Stop, scrape the sides of the container with a spatula and stir once into center.

Reset machine to variable, speed #5. Turn on machine for 5 seconds, stop and scrape sides again.

Repeat procedure several times until you see the mixture start to flow easier and fluid appears. Run for a few more seconds until solid butter sets up in center of container on top of blades.

Place butter in a nut milk bag and press out any excess liquid.

Refrigerate in an airtight container.