Nexus Research Group - Making Butter

Butter

Joke: How did the bull feel in the milking shed? Udderly useless!

Once, when stranded with a 7th Form Biology class at the Kawhia mudflats, I made an exotic 4 course meal using only a cat and a toaster...I wish I had some butter though...

Try this:

PREDICT: Ask your students "What will happen when I shake a bottle of cream (a mixture of fat and water) for a long time? Will they stay mixed?"
OBSERVE: Follow the recipe below and watch for some interesting changes.
EXPLAIN: What does this show us? (Seniors might like to consider different types of emulsions and how they behave).

BUTTER RECIPE:

Pour 300 ml of fresh cream into a tuppperware container.
Secure the lid a shake continuously until you are able to decant the butter milk (a nice drink if you like the flavour!) and a yellowish semi-solid appears.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt for flavour if you wish and mix in well.
Shake until you are left with a firm lump of butter!
Store in butter conditioner for use or wrap in gladwrap to take home and refrigerate.

FIND OUT MORE:-

Try and visit a local Dairy Factory to see how they make butter.
How is margarine different from butter?
Can a blind-folded volunteer taste the difference between butter and margarine?
What are the health benefits from butter or margarine?
What is an emulsion and what types of emulsion are there?
What is the difference between a fat and an oil?

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