# Butter - I Noticed Something Funny



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I regularly buy and can butter for the "Holidays"(what my daughters call SHTF) and last night while canning 10 pounds I noticed that when I took each jar out of the canner, they had about twice as much liquid in the bottom as past batches had. It was not there due to the melted butter not being stirred adequately when I ladled it into the jars because it was roughly the same level in each of the 21 jars.

Your openions, is this a way that the manufacturer is choosing to cut costs so they will not have to raise the price or is it just a one time fluke?

This issue is not critical to me or anything, its just a matter of curiosity.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Is it the same brand as normal? I do know that some good butters are different during different seasons. they get richer in the spring/summer when the cows are getting nice new grass. 
but (not saying they are doing this) some butters have been known to be whipped with just a bit of water in them to make it cheaper to sell... but whipped is not exactly what I mean.. more like "added" somehow.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Its the same brand I usually get, the cheap "store brand"(Brookshires), thats the only thing that goes on sale for a price you can stock up on around here.

What I was thinking what I would do is to wait a week or so and let a fair amount of stock pass the stores shelves and go in and get a few more pounds and try it again and see if the results are the same. If so, I was thinking of taking a few jars that I canned back in the fall, melting them and letting the liquid settle and then resetting it. I will then take a jar of old and new to the store and show it to the manager and ask him whats up.

Brookshires, down here, is pretty good with customer inquiries and complaints so I may just get a good answer on it. 

Buuuuuttt, who knows, they may just fart me off and ignore the issue.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I think this will be the new norm. :gaah: I heard something the other day about producers looking for ways to cut cost. Like Emerald said whipped with water or even air. (Yes, I said air)

Simple packaging, less veggies and more water (The smaller can/jar or pack)... that kind of things. We must pay more but get less. 

Just my thoughts ... :gaah:

For some strange odd reason ... Ghee came to mind while reading your post.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

I noticed the same thing when we purchased Walmart butter, it seemed to contain a LOT of water.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

partdeux said:


> I noticed the same thing when we purchased Walmart butter, it seemed to contain a LOT of water.


My youngest daughter works at Wally World and she tells me the latest "cost cutting" things she sees there.

The biggest IS less product in the normal packaging, keep your eyes open when shopping.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Davarm said:


> My youngest daughter works at Wally World and she tells me the latest "cost cutting" things she sees there.
> 
> The biggest IS less product in the normal packaging, keep your eyes open when shopping.


This is a big trend that has been going on for about 4 to 5 years now.. same pack same price and lower amounts in the package.. I am an avid label reader due to my weird food additives allergies and I noted it right off.. pisses me off. 
Like the box of mushrooms at the Meijer stores... it started out as 12oz for $2 and then went to 10oz for $2 and now(about three years down the road) it is 8oz for $2.. but they do put them on sale in their 10 for $10 11th free about once a month.. we buy up as we love the fresh baby bellas.. but did they think we were stupid? those kind of changes will really screw up a recipe if the cook isn't paying attention..


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Davarm said:


> My youngest daughter works at Wally World and she tells me the latest "cost cutting" things she sees there.
> 
> The biggest IS less product in the normal packaging, keep your eyes open when shopping.


I know that Walmart poultry has water (brine) injected in it to increase weight


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Yea Blob, I didn't have to be told that one. I bake the chicken leg quarters before I jar and can them, it is not unusual for the liquid to cook out and over run the pan. 

Chicken from a local meat packing plant hardly has any liquid(by comparison) cook out when baked.

Just about enough to make you move to the mountains and lock the door on your $450,000 bunker.


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## Gypsyshome (Apr 21, 2011)

FYI, on the cheep chicks... Just think about where it is grown,and processed. I do not want the xtra antibotics and water. I just bought whole 5 lb birds for 89 cents/lb. at a sm. gro. store in the "sticks"... at Winn Dixie they are charging 1.49/for 5lb birds (nice size) and 7/8lbs was 1.78...Don't ask me why the diff. on price. ya gotta cut em up, but not a big deal.


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## Gypsyshome (Apr 21, 2011)

OOPS, sorry the chickens were Sanderson brand


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Gypsyshome said:


> FYI, on the cheep chicks... Just think about where it is grown,and processed. I do not want the xtra antibotics and water. I just bought whole 5 lb birds for 89 cents/lb. at a sm. gro. store in the "sticks"... at Winn Dixie they are charging 1.49/for 5lb birds (nice size) and 7/8lbs was 1.78...Don't ask me why the diff. on price. ya gotta cut em up, but not a big deal.


I have my own views on all the anti biotics in the food chain. People are blamed for creating the super bacteria strains by not finishing their prescribed rounds of anti boitics when they are sick, better explanation is that their is so much of the stuff in the food supply the bugs are getting immune to it.


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## LilRedHen (Aug 28, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I have my own views on all the anti biotics in the food chain. People are blamed for creating the super bacteria strains by not finishing their prescribed rounds of anti boitics when they are sick, better explanation is that their is so much of the stuff in the food supply the bugs are getting immune to it.


After watching Food Inc., three years ago, I have not eaten chicken since. I was horrified at the lady who had gotten allergic to antibiotics because she had to work in the chicken house and when they were scooping up the dead ones and moving them with a bobcat, it made me sick. The Rooster refuses to eat beef and is allergic to the preservatives in ham, sausage and commercially canned meat, so needless to say, we eat a lot of veggies.

Curiously though, neither of us have had a cold or the flu since we have cut back so drastically on meat.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

LilRedHen said:


> After watching Food Inc., three years ago, I have not eaten chicken since. I was horrified at the lady who had gotten allergic to antibiotics because she had to work in the chicken house and when they were scooping up the dead ones and moving them with a bobcat, it made me sick. The Rooster refuses to eat beef and is allergic to the preservatives in ham, sausage and commercially canned meat, so needless to say, we eat a lot of veggies.
> 
> Curiously though, neither of us have had a cold or the flu since we have cut back so drastically on meat.


We have on order a cow from a local farm that is completely natural. SWMBO gets sick a LOT, and the infections are getting harder and harder to knock down.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Davarm said:


> I have my own views on all the anti biotics in the food chain. People are blamed for creating the super bacteria strains by not finishing their prescribed rounds of anti boitics when they are sick, better explanation is that their is so much of the stuff in the food supply the bugs are getting immune to it.


I also blame the people who run to the dr. with every little sniffle and get antibiotics.. I don't use them unless I am super sick and it just will not go away on its own. Most of our own immune system will take care of the stuff we get if we let it.. but this is a society of "gotta be well now" to wait out a week or so of being sick. 
I am not against antibiotics in the least but they should only be used where needed not as a "maybe it'll help".
all the additives to food are such a nightmare for me.. some I am okay with and others make me downright sick and some give me hives as big as silver dollars alllllll over.. I tend to stick to the outside of the grocery store and cook as much as possible from scratch.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

The livestock in some states consume more antibiotics than all the humans in the country. Super bugs (disease resistant) have been found in a lot of these farms. Some of the scariest are now able to eat antibiotics as food. 

The farming industry does it to keep their animals healthy under less than hygienic conditions. Big phrama loves selling the drugs to them. Sooner or later it's gonna cause an outbreak of something nasty. Maybe then we'll get some regulations to end this. 

Oh wait all regulations are bad and invasions of personnel liberty. Enjoy the plague.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Davarm said:


> I regularly buy and can butter for the "Holidays"(what my daughters call SHTF) and last night while canning 10 pounds I noticed that when I took each jar out of the canner, they had about twice as much liquid in the bottom as past batches had. It was not there due to the melted butter not being stirred adequately when I ladled it into the jars because it was roughly the same level in each of the 21 jars.
> 
> Your openions, is this a way that the manufacturer is choosing to cut costs so they will not have to raise the price or is it just a one time fluke?
> 
> This issue is not critical to me or anything, its just a matter of curiosity.


I noticed frying eggs the other night that at the start of heating up butter that it was popping. I lowered the heat some more to cook the eggs. Water in the butter I suppose.

Do you have a pictorial on your butter canning? Sure would like to see how this is done so I can can ours.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Freyadog said:


> I noticed frying eggs the other night that at the start of heating up butter that it was popping. I lowered the heat some more to cook the eggs. Water in the butter I suppose.
> 
> Do you have a pictorial on your butter canning? Sure would like to see how this is done so I can can ours.


I dont have a picorial but several people on this site have posted instructions(including me) on how to do it.

I will look up the links and post them for you. May take a while as I've been told that I burn the candle at both ends(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and am on the go from sun-up to sun-up. Buuuut....I will get it together for you.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

Davarm said:


> . May take a while as I've been told that I burn the candle at both ends(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and am on the go from sun-up to sun-up. Buuuut....I will get it together for you.


:wave: you are just soooo cute, nice to know you're paying attention to your elders!!:2thumb:


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

Davarm said:


> I dont have a picorial but several people on this site have posted instructions(including me) on how to do it.
> 
> I will look up the links and post them for you. May take a while as I've been told that I burn the candle at both ends(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) and am on the go from sun-up to sun-up. Buuuut....I will get it together for you.


thanks..you sound like my dh. never stopping.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

neldarez said:


> :wave: you are just soooo cute, nice to know you're paying attention to your elders!!:2thumb:


Thank you Ms Nelda, it puts a little "Hitch in my Giddy-Up"(for those of you north of the Red River, thats a little extra distance in each step) when someone makes me feel like a "young-un"!



Freyadog said:


> thanks..you sound like my dh. never stopping.
> Today 03:04 PM


The dh sounds like a wise and upstanding man!


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

Davarm said:


> Thank you Ms Nelda, it puts a little "Hitch in my Giddy-Up"(for those of you north of the Red River, thats a little extra distance in each step) when someone makes me feel like a "young-un"!
> 
> The dh sounds like a wise and upstanding man!


:lolsmash: If you don't quit grinning like that you're going to get bugs in your teeth!!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

neldarez said:


> :lolsmash: If you don't quit grinning like that you're going to get bugs in your teeth!!


I got my first motorcycle at 12 and didn't get a car until I was almost 25, kinda used to bugs in my teeth.......survival food!


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

Mmmm crunchy like sesame seeds, LOL


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