The Scientific American cyclopedia of formulas : partly based upon the twenty-eighth edition of Scientific American cyclopedia of receipts, notes and queries 15,000 formulas / edited by Albert A. Hopkins.
- Albert A. Hopkins
- Date:
- 1910
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The Scientific American cyclopedia of formulas : partly based upon the twenty-eighth edition of Scientific American cyclopedia of receipts, notes and queries 15,000 formulas / edited by Albert A. Hopkins. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![(Home Test for Butter) being subjected to some such process of renovation. The purpose of the Government sur¬ veillance is to see that regulations are ob¬ served whereby no unwholesome material or process is used so that the purchaser or consumer is advised of the true char¬ acter of this kind or grade of butter. Home Test for Butter. The following home test for butter is from Farmers’ Bulletin 131 of the De¬ partment of Agriculture: The experi¬ ment may be conducted in the kitchen as follows : Using an ordinary coal-oil lamp as a source of heat, melt a piece the size of a small chestnut taken from the sus¬ pected sample in an ordinary tablespoon, hastening the process by stirring with a splinter of wood (a match will do). Then increasing the heat, bring to as brisk a boil as .possible, and, after the boiling has begun, stir the contents of the spoon thor¬ oughly, not neglecting the outer edges, two or three times at intervals during the boiling, always shortly before the boiling ceases. Oleomargarine and renovated butter boil noisily, sputtering more or less, as a mixture of grease and water would naturally behave when boiled, and produce no foam or but very little. Reno¬ vated butter produces usually a very small amount of foam. Genuine butter ordinarily boils with less noise and pro¬ duces an abundance of foam. The differ¬ ence in regard to foam is, as a rule, very marked. A butter is rarely found which yields an uncertain result, but if uncer¬ tain it should be considered genuine but¬ ter or a case of suspicion not confirmed. Circular No. 100 of the Bureau of Ani¬ mal industry, Department of Agricul¬ ture, gives a rapid method for the deter¬ mination of water in butter, by C. E. Gray. Preserving of Butter. 1. —The best method to preserve butter from the air is to fill the pot to within an inch of the top and to lay on it common coarse-grained salt, to the depth of % an inch or % of an inch, then to cover the pot up with any flat article that may be convenient. The salt by long keeping will run to brine and form a layer on the top of the butter, which will effectually keep out the air and may at Uny time be very easily removed by turning the pot on one side. Fresh butter, 16 lb.; salt, 1 lb.; fresh butter, 18 lb.; salt, 1 lb.; saltpeter, 1% oz.; honey or fine brown sugar, 2 oz. 2. —Appert's Method.—Take fresh but¬ ter of the best quality and press it (Preserving Butter) through a clean cloth in order to make it as dry as possible. Then cut it into small pieces and pack closely into glass jars, leaving no vacant spaces. Close the jars with cork stoppers, seal hermetically and fasten with wire in addition; put into cold water and heat to the boiling point. Butter thus treated will keep in a cool place for six months. 3. —Breon's Method.—Put fresh butter into tin cans, under a thin layer of water containing tartaric acid and sodium car¬ bonate, Fill up the cans with the liquid and solder on the covers. 4. —Melted Butter.—Butter may be melted directly over the fire or in a water bath (bain-marie). In the first case put it into a copper kettle and set over a clear, moderate fire. Any impurities will sink to the bottom or rise to the top in froth. Stir slowly and skim off the froth as it forms. When no more rises, cool to 50 to 60° C. (122 to 140° F.) and pour into earthen jars with narrow necks. When the butter has hardened put a layer of salt over the top and close tightly with paper. The best way of melting is in the water bath ; that is, with the vessel containing the butter placed in another with boiling water. It is a good plan to strain the melted butter through a cloth. It will keep unchanged for a year, but is good only for cooking. 5. —Pickled Butter.—Wash the semi- salted butter thoroughly and spread out in a thin layer on a moist table. Work into it 60 grams (6 parts by weight) of fine salt to each kilogram (100 parts) of butter. Pack the butter into earthen jars and set in a cool place for a week ; then, if there is any vacant space in the jar, fill it up with salt brine. If the butter is to be sent away, pour off the brine and put in a layer of dry salt. This salted butter has a good flavor and can be used for the table. Cut it out from the jar in horizontal pieces, smooth off the surface each time and fill the space with brine. 6. —Preserving Paper.—Cooking salt, in fine powder, 160 gr.; saltpeter, in fine powder, 320 gr.; whites of 20 eggs. Beat the albumen to a froth, mix the salts and add the mixture to the froth, little by little, with constant stirring, until a solu¬ tion is formed. In this soak a good qual¬ ity of bibulous paper and hang it across strings to dry. When dry go over each sheet with a hot smoothing iron, the face of which is kept well waxed. Rancid Butter, To Sweeten.—1.—100 lb. of butter is mixed with about 30 gal. of hot water, containing % lb. of bicar- [31]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b31361523_0045.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
