All butters are made from pasteurized cream and is made by churning cream. Cream is an emulsion of fat droplets dispersed in water. As the cream is churned the fat droplets soften slightly and start to join up as they start to bump into each other. Gradually larger lumps of fat form until the original arrangement of fat dispersed in water has swapped around leaving droplets of water in the fat. Buttermilk which is largely water is drawn off and you are left with lumps of butter.

Why is it that when you leave butter unwrapped in the fridge it picks up unwanted smells and odours? It is related to a process in the perfume industry called ‘enfleurage’: freshly picked flowers are put on a layer of fat for some hours or days, then the fat is distilled to remove the volatile perfume molecules which have been trapped in it. This effect is due to the hydrophobic (fear of water) nature of these aromatic molecules: they dissolve badly in water, but easily in fat. The same effect can happen when you refrigerate unwrapped butter: any strong smell, due to molecules can get trapped in. The technique of enfleurage can be made to good effect also by utilizing the fragrance of Herb’s and other aromatics in savoury butters and oils and in marinades. Clarified butter: is unsalted butter with the water and the milk solids removed. You prepare clarified butter by slowly melting the butter so that the water evaporates and the milk solids settle to the bottom of the pan. The clarified butter is then either spooned out or carefully poured out leaving the milk solids behind. Because the milk solids are removed clarified butter has a higher smoking point, Meaning that you can heat up the butter to a higher temperature without burning or smoking.

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