How to Make Butter – My Favorite Ingredient in Almost All Recipes!
So, what do you need to make butter? Very simple. All you need is cream, heavy whipping cream to be precise. I like to use 40% Heavy Whipping Cream. If you can find it, it’s great. A lot of stores don’t have really high-quality heavy whipping cream. You got to use at least 36% fat. If you find 42%, even better.
All right, friends. So, I’m going to show you how to make half a pound really quick. First, we’re going to whip it and, separate the cream from the buttermilk. It’s very simple.
Before you start the trick is to ensure all your equipment – tools, bowls, etc. is very cold. Having cold equipment really helps.
How to Make Homemade Butter
So to start pour your whipping cream into the bowl and start mixing at a fairly low speed. I’m at about four. Maybe I can go to five. You don’t want to go much higher than that. Because it will splatter too much. You don’t want it to splatter. So do it slowly and as it whips it’s going to get thicker and thicker.
As the cream gets thicker you can increase the speed just a little bit just when it is ready to turn into whipped cream. When you get to the whip cream stage just keep on going.
As you proceed, you’ll see how the cream is going to separate from the milk. And the milk is buttermilk. I love buttermilk. I use it in dressing. I use it in mashed potatoes, I use it in all kinds of stuff.
I promise you, when you make your own butter for the first time, you’re not going to believe it. You can put salt in it. or any kind of seasoning.
You’ll know when it’s about to separate because you can start to see the buttermilk. You see the buttermilk in the bottom when you start to see that, you know it’s going to happen any second. Friends, you may want to reduce the speed of your mixer, otherwise, it’s going to fly everywhere.
And before you know it Voilà, you’ve got butter!
So now what you do is scrape your butter off the walls of the bowl and out of the mixer blades and smush it all together. And you will notice as you smush it all together there will be buttermilk in the bottom of the bowl.
Be Sure To Rinse Your Butter
Now I’m going to take the butter and place it in a fine mesh bag. If you don’t have one you can use cheesecloth or even a face towel. And once you have it wrapped or in a bag you are going to wash your butter in iced water.
You want to make sure the water is very cold because if it is not cold enough the butter is going to go through the holes in your mesh, or into the cloth. There may be a little bit of this happening even when the water is cold but it is no big deal.
You will see, it is really simple. I bet you never thought it would be so simple to make butter. Nothing we do is difficult. Friends, I promise you nothing we do as chefs is complicated.
So now after a complete rinsing, you have some beautiful butter. Butter you can shape into a container.
Homemade butter is much paler in color than store-bought butter. And when it comes to flavor doesn’t even compare. Homemade is so much more delicious. It’s creamy and velvety. It’s, just plain amazing.
Oh, and the beauty of when you make your own butter is, you can freeze it for a long time, so you never run out.
I hope you give it a try – you will be glad you did!
Jean-Pierre continued his apprenticeship on the French Riviera where he worked at famous restaurants, such as L’Oasis at La Napoule, Le Vendome in Aix-en-Provence, and the the Carlton in Cannes. In 1976, he opened The Left Bank Restaurant, consistently recognized as one of the best in America for 22 years by magazines like "Bon Appetit," "Conde Nast," "Gourmet Magazine" and "Travel & Leisure."
Jean-Pierre was also a popular TV personality, having hosted National Public Television series like "Incredible Cuisine” and "Sunshine Cuisine." He was also nominated for "Best Culinary Video" by the James Beard Foundation and operated the nationally renowned “Chef Jean-Pierre's Cooking School” and was a sought-after guest on shows like "The Today Show" and "Larry King Live."
With over 1.1 Million Subscribers to his Chef Jean-Pierre YouTube Channel, he is a widely respected figure in the culinary world, known for his skill and dedication to his craft, but even more so known for making gourmet cooking fun and easy to learn.
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Chef, if you wanted to put salt in the butter, at what point would you do this?
PS I live near Fort Lauderdale. Do you still do live classes?
I recently discovered your channel and it is now my most watched cooking show. Love your passion and entertaining presentations.
I just watched your video on how to clarify butter.
Can this homemade butter be used to make the clarified butter?
Yes! 👍😊
Définitivement je vais faire l’essai de faire mon propre beurre. Merci Chef Jean-Pierre
Good morning Chef! We enjoyed all the cooking classes we took at your Ft. Lauderdale store. The 1st one was 10 years ago when we got a gift certificate from our family for our 50th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, we moved far away… I am so happy to see your videos and recipes on internet. I never forget how you used to close the class with GOD BLESS AMERICA. Wishing you good health and we hope that one day, we might be able to see you in person cooking the delicious recipes.
P.S. you sell the best balsamic vinegars..
Hi Alena, thank you so much!
WOW! I have watched dozens of cooking shows over the years but nothing comes close to your videos! We love it so much we want to come to Florida and take your classes. I hope you never stop teaching. Thanks again for all of the wonderful videos.
Can’t wait to introduce this to my granddaughter still love it.
I hope she loves it as much as I do! Thank you Andy!
Thank you Don! Wish you could have come to one of my classes. We had so much fun doing them and made some great lifelong friends.
Chef; You keep saying we can flavor the butter. At what point is this done?
Thanks.
Chef!!! Discovered and Love your videos. I came across one of your videos showing how you cook paella. I cannot find it anymore. Is it available?
I recently received a paella pan from my kids. It is 16” pan. It’s seems to big for my gas stove. Will the heat distribute throughout the pan as I’m cooking the rice? Or
Can I cook it in the oven instead?
Thank you Chef!!
Oven is best! 😊
HELLO THERE CAN I USE 35% WHIPPING CREAM FROM THE STORE? WILL THAT WORK? I AM IN TORONTO CANADA & HAVEN’T SEEN 40% CREAM – THANKS
I will work just fine! 😊
Thank you for your great recipes and beautiful humor
Do you let the meat warm up a little before cooking the prime rib
after it has been in the fridge for 24 hours
Not necessary! 😊
Hi Chef
Love your videos. Do you cook sous Vide, wanting to try it. Here in British Columbia, Canada food is extremely expensive, especially meat. I am to the understanding that you can use a cheaper grade of meat in a sous Vide and it will be really tender.
Greetings Chef, I started Watching your videos last week, and I must saying you’re as addicting to watch as the food to make. We have made our own butter now 2 times and the kids love to come watch it make. We are going to make the Key lime pie next and a good main course. Thank you for these easy to follow videos and I love the humor in them really seems like you having a blast the way cooking should be fun!!
Thank you so much! 😊
love your show! Watched lots of videos yesterday so today I am making your individual chicken pot pies! Next will :)be butter. I just need some ice and one of those bags.
Happy New Year
Thank you Pamalla! Happy Hew Year!
At what point should we add salt or seasonings if we would like?
A the end it is best!
Quiet I dont believe, you are such a riot, love your help in the kitchen !!!!!!
Thank you! 🙂
Chef, how much cream do you use here in your video? Merci
2 cups! 🙂
I loved this video and have subscribed to your channel. I just have one question about the butter. Approx how much cream, I can only get 35% cream, do you need to make 1/2 lb of butter? Oh, and is it better to make just the 1/2 at a time?
2 cups! 🙂
Made this today too (also made breadcrumbs, garlic puree and smash burgers). My stand mixer died at the whipped cream stage so I used my hand mixer for what seemed to be hours but so worth it!! Creamy and smooth and a game changer!! No wonder you use butter so much! It’s delicious!!
Thank you Debra, I love my butter! A hand mixer can be a good workout!
Chef is so encouraging. I love his wit and facial expressions. He makes me feel that I can do this, and so I do!!
Hi Chef. Please do a whole roasted duck video soon . There are no really good recipes and videos out there. Thank you so much.