Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Trick to double your BUTTER!

Oh, you're ganna love me for this one!!

We started exclusively using real butter a few years ago, upon the insistance
of my husband James.
His theory:  no one should consume a product {margarine} that's only 1 molecule
away from being plastic!
So, we made the delicious switch.
Isn't everything better with butter?!

Butter, is however, more expensive ... plus, there's no lo-cal alternative.
Butter is butter.

This is what makes this trick so wonderful!
You can double your butter, turning 1 stick into 2!
All you need is butter & water.


Start off by bringing a stick of butter to room temperature.

{I always buy my butter at Aldi. 
Unless it's on sale somewhere, Aldi price is always better.}

In a mixing bowl using your electric mixer, whip the butter & begin adding in
1/2 c. of lukewarm water, a bit at a time.
Continue mixing until water is completely blended with the butter.

Here's the 'whipped' butter that you end up with:



I LOVE this trick!!
It not only stretches your butter, it stretches your dollar ... & cuts your calories!

So, to recap:  equal parts butter to water.
Easy peasy.

I keep a tub of this on the counter where it stays perfectly soft & ready for use.
The additional tubs {I do several sticks at a time}, I store in the fridge.
Let it come to room temp. before using.

Don't use this whipped butter for baking ... stick with the real butter for that.



*Thanks to my friend, Billie, who found this trick & passed it along to me.

55 comments:

  1. Great idea for ease of spreading on toast, muffins, etc.!

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  2. Really good idea but I'd probably confuse myself...haha! Sometimes I churn milk to make my own butter...now that's GOOD butter!

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  3. I love this idea! We go through a lot of butter also (mostly for baking purposes!) but this will definitely help when it's for toast, or grilled cheese, or whatever! Thank you for sharing!

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  4. LOL....you are a genius! This is a super idea. I buy real butter and plastic margarine (for when I run out of the good stuff). Thanks, I can't wait to try it!!

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  5. I know, right?! This is fantabulous!!
    Hope you like it as much as we do.

    Another trick I should've added is that you can squeeze in a bit of honey to make the whipped honey butter. O lordy ;)

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  6. Thank you for this tip! I can not wait to try this tip out. My Husband loves to use spreadable butter but often times the butter is still to hard to spread on bread. However with this tip the butter will be much easier to spread.

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  7. Awesome! Hopped over from Women Living Well Wednesday Link-Up because I saw the title - loving this! We used butter exclusively too because we try to use products that have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. It's more expensive, but it's definitely healthier. Thanks, again!

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  8. You're welcome, everyone! I'm glad you all liked this tip as much as I did!

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  9. I'd love it if you linked up this recipe on my recipe linky! I think my readers would love it!
    http://www.littlehouseliving.com/2011/07/old-fashioned-recipe-exchange-75.html

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  10. Love! I wonder if I could use this in my butter bell? Would it be too soft for inverting?

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  11. Brilliant! I will have to try this!

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  12. Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Great idea! Defnitely have to try it out because we too refuse to buy "plastic." I'm sharing this link on my sister's Facebook page, Xtreme Couponing with Dee Dee. It's a great money saving tip.

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  14. It can stay out at room temperature always without going bad?

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  15. What a great idea and I agree with your husband....the body doesn't know what to do w/margarine or spray on butter (whatever that is)!!!

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  16. My mom never left butter at room temperature. My m-i-l, however, always did ... & my husband was used to having soft, room temp, spreadable real butter. She confirmed to me {years ago} that it would not hurt the butter, or us, if it was left out. I took her for her word. I've never had butter go 'bad', or rancid ... afterall, how long does a stick of butter last around here? Not long! LOL. I've always kept in a butter dish or snap-top container.

    I did google, however, for the sake of this blog question, & there's plenty to read ... & most agree that butter left out is perfectly fine. And we're living proof that it's not ganna hurt ya =))
    THANK YOU all for such nice comments!!

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    Replies
    1. We've had a couple of sticks of UNsalted butter go bad after sitting out for a few days (3 -5), so I think you can only leave salted butter sitting out, I don't remember ever having any problems with it.

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    2. Same experience here - unsalted goes 'off', salted fares just fine!

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  17. WONDERFUL idea! Thanks so much for sharing this!!!

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  18. Great tip! Definitely going to try it!

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  19. I didn't know this!! I can't wait to try!! Thanks for sharing!

    Nonny
    I am stopping by from the Pin It Party
    www.notionsfromnonny.blogspot.com

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  20. Fantastic idea! Agree...Aldi's has the best prices!

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  21. Yay! Thanks for stopping by =)

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  22. It's such a cool trick! Thanks for stopping by!

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  23. They do =) Thanks for commenting!

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  24. Great tip! I too shop at Aldi!! Thanks for sharing this at my Pin Me Linky Party.

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  25. this is great! I will do this. i love ur blog. :)

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  26. I use equal parts of butter, oil and water to get even more!
    The oil needs to be something flavorless, so no olive oil but basic canola oil works fine. Just let the butter sit in room temperature for a while and whip it all together with the electric mixer.

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    Replies
    1. I have long mixed my butter with a very bland extra virgin olive oil in order to keep it soft, but will try adding water as well. Canola is a no-no in our home - all GM

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  27. Does it taste bland or watered down at all?

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    1. There's a difference in flavor, simply because it's been 'diluted' somewhat. But it's not drastic & the other positive points outweigh it, in my opinion =)

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  28. Sorry I'm so late to the conversation. I just found this via Pinterest. This is really interesting. And it doesn't ever separate? I would be afraid of that happening.

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  29. Sorry I'm so late to the conversation. I just found this via Pinterest. This is interesting. And it doesn't separate? I would be afraid of that happening.

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    1. Hi - glad you stopped by. I've never had it to separate. After you get it whipped together, it stays just like that. Hope you give it a try & like it.

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  30. Angela, thanks for the tip!! You think maybe using a lil less water would help keep the flavor? Shoot, stretching it at all is better than nothing right?

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    1. I've not tried it, but it just may work =) Glad to have you stop by.

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  31. Angela, thanks for the tip! Do you think using less water would help retain the flavor? Shoot I mean stretching it at all is better than nothing right?

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  32. Wow! I can't wait to try this! I buy the LandoLakes "light" butter but it is SO expensive! If this works, it will save me a lot of money! Thank you!

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  33. If the butter is SALTED, it won't go bad at room temp . . . UNSALTED butter will spoil (eventually)

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    1. I've never had butter go bad & I've left ours on the counter for many years -- my mother-in-law, who told me about doing this, has done it years before me. Honestly, butter doesn't last long enough here anyway ;)

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    2. I can vouch for that. I use salted butter and never have any problems even though it takes me months to get through, mother uses her unsalted much faster but by the time she gets to the end of the block the outsides have gone white (whilst it tastes fine it looks much more like coconut oil). Though that might be because her kitchen is a lot warmer than mine - kinda like the tropics vs the arctic ;-)

      Having a butter that is spreadable out of the fridge without paying exorbitant shop prices has got to be worth the effort so thanks for publishing this. Might I suggest that the water should first be boiled to kill off any bacteria that might feed upon the milk solids in the butter though?

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  34. Have used equal parts butter and rice bran oil. positive is that its still soft/spreadable in fridge. But love the thought of using water can't wait to try. Will be much cheaper :)

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    1. I've never used the oil. I like the spread factor, for sure! Thanks for your tip too!

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  35. I tried this for the first time tonight and I have butter soup! I used my wand-emulsion blender, thinking it was more powerful than my mixer. How long did you whip it?

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    1. aw ... that's too bad =( I only use my hand mixer & it just takes a few seconds to start coming together. Maybe mix it a minute or so, tops.

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  36. Awesome tip! Thanks for sharing Angela! Just found you on Pinterest. Love your blog!

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    1. Hi Charlotte! Welcome!
      I think you'll like this one for the butter!
      And thank you for the sweet compliment =)

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