Why it works: Butter and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 98,233 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
To Make Butter Quickly
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the cream
Immediately after the cow is milked, strain the milk into clean pans and set it over a moderate fire until it is scalding hot; do not let it boil; then set it aside.
When it is cold, skim off the cream; the milk will still be fit for any ordinary use.
When you have enough cream, put it into a clean earthen basin.
Make and season the butter
Beat the cream with a wooden spoon until the butter is made, which will not be long.
Then take the butter from the milk and work it with a little cold water until it is free from milk.
Drain off the water, put a small tablespoonful of fine salt to each pound of butter and work it in.
Work in a small teaspoonful of fine white sugar with the salt; sugar is a great preservative.
Store
Roll the butter into a roll, cover it with a bit of muslin and keep it in a cool place.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Cream (in the method)
- Its fat separates into butter when agitated, forming the butter itself.
- Fine salt
- Seasons the butter and helps preserve it.
- Fine white sugar
- Adds a little sweetness and helps preserve the butter.
The step that matters
Working the butter free of milk. Milk left in the butter is what spoils it, so the butter must be thoroughly worked with cold water and drained. Residual milk solids and water promote souring and spoilage, and salt and sugar only preserve well once the milk is removed.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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