Secrets of French Butter Making & Health Benefits

Secrets of French Butter Making & Health Benefits.

Imagine stacking the Eiffel Tower with golden bricks… of butter! Every year, French artisans craft a staggering 350 tons of traditional butter. It’s like constructing an annual butter replica of the Eiffel Tower! But this isn’t just any butter—it’s the rich, creamy treat that has been part of the French diet for hundreds of years, packed with important nutrients and beneficial fats that we’ll discuss further in this script.

So, what’s so great about this butter, and how do they make it so good? Stick around until the end for some surprising health benefits that make French butter not only delicious but also nutritious. You won’t want to miss the incredible facts we’ve churned up! Let’s dive in.

History

Butter in France is almost like a kitchen superhero. People in France and even the ancient Romans produced butter long ago, before automobiles and computers. But they were pioneers, blending unique methods from around the world, such as Roman salting techniques and traditional Celtic churning methods.
Then, the Middle Ages arrived, during which butter was extremely popular throughout Europe. There was a time when people were supposed to avoid sweets like butter, but people in France wanted to eat them so much that they paid for a special tower.

Move to rich Renaissance feasts, when French butter was the star of the show. Still trying to figure out why. Creamy and dreamy, it enhanced the flavor of food. Thanks to all those family-secret recipes handed down through the years, this was no ordinary spread—rather, a gourmet masterpiece. Now let’s see how the French Butter is actually made.

[Music] imagine stacking the Eiffel Tower with golden bricks of butter every year French Artisans craft a staggering 350 tons of traditional butter it’s like constructing an annual butter replica of the Eiffel Tower but this isn’t just any butter it’s the rich creamy treat that has been part of the French diet for hundreds of years packed with important nutrients and beneficial fats that we’ll discuss further in this video so what’s so great about this butter and how did they make it so good stick around until the end for some surprising health benefits that make french butter not only delicious but also nutritious you won’t want to miss the incredible facts we’ve churned up let’s dive in butter in France is almost like a kitchen superhero people in France and even ancient Romans produced butter long ago before Automobiles and computers but they were Pioneers blending unique methods from around the world such as Roman salting techniques and traditional Celtic churning methods then the Middle Ages arrived during which butter was extremely popular throughout Europe there was a time when people were supposed to avoid sweets like butter but people in France wanted to eat it so much that they paid for a special tower moving to Rich Renaissance feasts when french butter was the star of the show still trying to figure out why creamy and dreamy it enhanced the flavor of food thanks to all those Family secret recipes handed down through the years this was no ordinary spread rather a gourmet Masterpiece now let’s see how the french butter is actually made the first step in making traditional french butter is getting milk from cows these aren’t any cows though some of these cows are raised in the Lush parts of France like Normandy and Bree for about 7 months out of the Year these cows feed on grass that is full of katene this makes them happy and gives the milk that deep golden color that makes french butter so delicious first each cow’s utter is gently Washed by a machine before milking even starts this keeps things clean and the milk pure and free of any germs that might get on board clean utters mean clean milk which is very important for making amazing butter the next step is some very Hightech pumping when cows walk into a certain area machines instantly attached to their UTS you won’t find any old-fashioned milkmaids here these machines are kind and quick so the cows don’t get stressed out and the milking is done perfectly once the milking is done the tools know when to stop and separate themselves without any help from a person making this happen helps keep the milk clean and the cows happy fresh milk is whisked immediately away into a cool holding tank after the cows are milked slowing down the growth of germs keeps the milk fresh and ensures it stays that way until it’s time to be taken to the dairy a truck comes every couple of days to get the milk before it even leaves the farm the milk is checked right there to make sure it meets all the quality standards now that we have the milk it’s time to get the creamy layer that’s key to making fabulous french butter the cream once the milk arrives at the dairy it’s time for a bit of a spin literally we use a super cool gadget called a centrifugal separator think of it like a merry go round for milk as it spins around super fast the lighter cream Rises to the top and the heavier milk stays at the bottom this is way faster than the old school method where they just let the milk sit until the cream rows up on its own yet we can’t just take this cream and turn it into butter we need to make sure it’s absolutely perfect which means heating it to a precise temperature about 95° C this process is called pasteurization and it gets rid of all the harmful germs and prepares the cream for making butter by keeping it safe and stable once the cream is pasteurized sometimes we add special cultures to it this isn’t just any old mix it’s like a secret recipe that gives the cream some yummy flavors and Aromas it’s what makes cultured butter so tasty and unique then it’s chill time the cream gets cooled down but it’s not just about making it cold this cooling is super important because it helps control how the fat is the cream crystallizes getting this just right means when we Churn it later we end up with the smoothest richest butter you can imagine once we’ve got our cream separated out from the milk it’s time for a crucial step called pasturization think of it as the cream’s superhero moment where it gains the superpower of staying fresh and safe this process involves heating the cream to about 52° C for 30 minutes or giving it a quick blast at 52° C for 15 seconds this isn’t just to make it hot these temperatures are higher than those used for milk because the cream is thicker with more solids so it needs a bit more heat to make sure everything’s properly pasteurized why do we heat it up so much it all comes down to eliminating any harmful bacteria and inhibiting specific enzymes that might give our butter a weird taste this stage AG guarantees the fresh and wonderful flavor of our butter if we’re making a special kind of butter we might add some good bacteria after heating the cream these bacteria which Aid in the fermentation of the cream are not just any sort like yogurt or sourdough bread cultured butter has a distinctively tart flavor and scent from this fermentation there is then a tempering phase of cool down here the cream gets a chill out period allow owing the fat inside to start crystallizing this isn’t just about making it cold but getting the fat crystals just right so that when we Churn it later the butter has the perfect creamy texture it’s all about balancing the solid and liquid fats to get that ideal spreadable consistency when the cream has chilled it’s time to turn it into delicious butter we put that into a churner this can be an electric machine that works more quickly or something like those antique hand churns the action begins here the churner moves quickly back and forth or spins to shake up the cream when we first turn it on the cream inside the churn becomes active because of all that shaking all the little fat bits in the cream which are typically floating around by themselves start to collide as they meet up they stick together imagine it kind of like a crowd of people getting pushed together so they start holding on to each other this shaking goes on and the cream gets thicker kind of like whipped cream at first but as we keep going something cool happens you start seeing bits of butter forming these are just the fat bits that have clumped together getting bigger and more solid as we churn usually after churning for about 20 to 30 minutes you’ll see a big change the butter clumps are now big enough that they separate from the rest of the liquid which is butter milk it’s like the butter has become its own little island in a sea of Buttermilk once we see that separation clearly we know we’re pretty much done the butter is then removed and either rinsed or somewhat kned refrigerating butter helps eliminate any residual buttermilk and improves its flavor we now have butter particles kneading and cleaning the butter comes next this stage is important since it enhances the flavor feel and shelf life of the butter washing the butter should come first do this immediately after churning take the butter and put it into a bowl of very cold water some even make sure it’s quite cold by adding ice water the cold water helps firm up the butter and makes it easier to handle to extract the buttermilk knad the butter while it’s submerged in water this buttermilk needs to be completely removed because any left behind can make the butter go bad faster change the water and repeat this process several times about four to six times until the water stays clear this means all the buttermilk has been removed the butter is then kneaded during this step the texture is fine tuned and the leftover water is spread out evenly in the butter for the flavor and texture as much as you want to keep your butter fresh follow these instructions the butter can be molded stored and salted if preferred after it has been cleaned and worked this method guarantees you will have delicious premium butter that keeps well in the freezer or refrigerator every stage from washing to kneading is intended to improve the butter when making traditional french butter the next step is salting this comes after churning and washing the butter after this step the butter starts to take on its own taste and lasts longer not only does salting the butter make it taste better but it’s also a key part of keeping it fresh this keeps the butter fresh longer because the salt stops germs from being created there are different methods and tastes in different places that can change how much salt is added for instance salt is often added to traditional french butter but some Butters are sweet and don’t have any salt in them be careful when you add salt first you take stock of how much butter you’ve mixed the butter is then then given a little salt equal to 1.5% of its weight next fold the butter a few times to spread the salt out evenly this is very important because it changes how the food feels and tastes when it’s done adding salt to butter makes it wonderful whether you live in a modern house or a classic French kitchen this is why butter is essential for eating and cooking after the butter has been churned washed and even salted it can be shaped in different forms based on what it will be used for or how it will be presented the first step in forming butter is putting it on a clean surface at this point the butter may still have small amounts of Buttermilk in it so it usually needs more mixing this mixing not only gets rid of the last bits of Buttermilk which makes the butter taste better and last longer but it also ensures that the butter has a smooth even texture the butter is pressed and folded many times to remove any stuck buttermilk and make the consistency even any extra items like herbs spices or extra salt can be folded into the butter at this point to create different flavors shapes that are often used are blocks rolls and more artistic molds making butter into logs or rolls is a good way to store and use it because it makes it easy to cut into pieces as needed to make the food look better you can use butter molds with different designs to make it into pretty shapes that can look great on the table after that you can put it in the fridge to get firm where it will stay until you need it you can also freeze butter if you need to keep it for a longer time in the past butter was shaped by hand or with wooden tools which both helped shape the butter and get rid of any buttermilk that was left over today for bigger operations this process can use Hightech tools that make sure the shapes and sizes are always the same before being packaged the butter is cut into the needed sizes you can use a wire cutter for more accuracy or a knife for smaller amounts after it has been cut the butter is wrapped this could be done with wax paper or more eco-friendly materials which are becoming more popular because they’re better for the Earth after the butter is wrapped it’s put in a box which makes it easier to store and distribute modern packaging tools have greatly improved this process butter packages are now filled sealed and even labeled by machines these tools ensure that the packaging is not only effective but also maintains the quality of the butter by keeping it from coming into contact with air and other contaminants finally the packaged butter is kept somewhere cool until it is sent out this last step ensures that the butter stays fresh until it reaches the customers it ALS also preserves the rich taste and creamy texture that are typical of good french butter now is the time for the butter to undergo a set of quality checks these tests are very important to ensure that every block of butter is perfect first butter is tested regularly to see how much water fat and acid it contains these tests guarantee that the butter will taste wonderful and contain the proper amount of each ingredient it is also checked for signs of the presence of unwanted bacteria this keeps it safe to eat and prevents it from going bad too quickly another part of quality control is testing the Butter’s taste every sample of butter must taste the same to ensure this professionals use Cutting Edge methods to mix different batches of cream this ensures that all the butter you buy will have the Great Taste you expect plus there’s the high tech part A number of places that make butter use current technology like inline sensors these gadgets monitor the butter in real time and allow changes to be made right away to maintain high quality but aren’t saturated fats unhealthy not really saturated fats like those in butter are not only good for us they’re necessary for our health these fats help make hormones and cell membranes they also help the brain heart lungs bones and nerves work well they also help the immune system be strong also they have important vitamins in them like a d e and K2 these vitamins dissolve in fat so your body needs fat to absorb them butter is also full of nutrients that give you energy and help you feel full making you less likely to snack often because of this butter is a better choice than margarine one more thing butter is full of buits which keep your digestive system free of swelling and infections it also has vitamin K which helps calcium stay in the bones instead of the blood vessels which may help stop arteriosclerosis butter from grass-fed cows is especially high in vitamin A which is important for the health of your thyroid and adrenal glands you can improve many parts of your health by adding butter to your diet from your immune system to your energy levels now you know how to make real french butter we’ve taken care of every step from getting the milk from the farm to putting it in the boxes for you this unique butter makes all of your meals taste better and brings a bit of French culture into your home do you have a great recipe that uses butter or maybe you want to ask something about today’s video please leave a message below I want to hear from you we’ll see you at the next show oh