Homemade Butter

OK, I seriously didn't believe it would be so easy.  I read a blog post HERE and thought I'd try it.  The comments below the post also have some interesting information.  Here's what I did:

1 pint of Heavy Whipping Cream

dash of salt

Hand Mixer (not a stand mixer - like a Kitchenaid)

I used a larger bowl than I thought I'd need and it turns out that was a good idea!!!

Beat your Heavy Whipping Cream for a long time!  First, it turns into whipped cream, which is great for desserts!!!  At that point, I added a little salt.  I have no idea how much, just a few shakes of the salt shaker.

Keep mixing.  At some point (around 20 minutes of mixing for me), you'll start to see a milky liquid separating from the solids.  The liquid is buttermilk.  You can save it and use it if you want.  Press the solid butter into a mound and you'll see the buttermilk seeping out of it.  Keep pressing and then pour out the buttermilk.  Run cold water into your bowl and press on the butter again.  Discard the liquid.  I rinsed the butter probably 3 times.

And now you have homemade butter.  You don't have to do the pressing and rinsing part, but your butter supposedly won't last as long in the fridge.

I ended up with about 3/4 cup of butter (or 6 ounces).  

Here's a quick price comparison of making my own vs. buying butter.

16 ounces of salted butter - generic brand - $2.27 = .14/oz

16 ounces (1 pint) of Heavy Whipping Cream - $3.39

So taking into account that 1 pint made 6 ounces of butter, it cost me about .56 per ounce.  However, I'm sure I didn't pay that much for my cream.  Plus, my butter tastes better and has fewer chemicals than store-bought.