How to make dairy products from cream using NETCO cream separator

Using a NETCO cream separator machine, you can effectively separate cream from milk and make a variety of dairy products from it. Once you have cream, you can create a range of products including butter, ghee, sour cream, cream cheese, and more. Here’s how you can make different dairy products:

1. Butter

• Ingredients: Cream, salt (optional).
• Process:
  1. Pour the cream into a chilled mixing bowl and whip it using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or food processor.
  2. After a few minutes, the cream will separate into butter and buttermilk.
  3. Strain the butter solids from the buttermilk and knead the butter under cold water to remove residual buttermilk.
  4. Add salt if desired and shape the butter for storage.

2. Buttermilk

• Process:
  • The liquid left after churning butter is traditional buttermilk, which can be used immediately in baking, pancakes, or as a refreshing drink.
  • Alternatively, to make cultured buttermilk, mix regular milk with a little active buttermilk and let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.

3. Whipped Cream

• Ingredients: Heavy cream, sugar (optional), vanilla extract (optional).
• Process:
  1. Chill the cream and your mixing bowl.
  2. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then add sugar or vanilla if desired.
  3. Continue whipping until it reaches the desired consistency.

4. Sour Cream

• Ingredients: Cream, cultured buttermilk or sour cream as a starter.
• Process:
  1. Mix cream with a few tablespoons of buttermilk or sour cream.
  2. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 24 hours or until it thickens.
  3. Stir and refrigerate before using.

5. Ghee (Clarified Butter)

• Ingredients: Unsalted butter.
• Process:
  1. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat.
  2. Continue cooking until the milk solids separate and sink, and the liquid turns clear golden.
  3. Strain the clarified butter to remove solids and store in a jar. Ghee has a high smoke point and can be stored longer than regular butter.

6. Cream Cheese

• Ingredients: Heavy cream, milk, mesophilic starter culture or lemon juice, salt.
• Process:
  1. Heat cream and milk to about 30°C (86°F), then add a mesophilic starter culture or a few tablespoons of lemon juice.
  2. Allow the mixture to set and thicken at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
  3. Drain the curds through cheesecloth until it reaches a thick, spreadable consistency.
  4. Salt to taste and refrigerate.

7. Crème Fraîche

• Ingredients: Cream, buttermilk or sour cream.
• Process:
  1. Mix heavy cream with a small amount of buttermilk or sour cream.
  2. Let it sit at room temperature for about 24 hours, or until it thickens and develops a tangy flavor.
  3. Store in the fridge. Crème fraîche is great in soups, sauces, or as a topping for desserts.

8. Ice Cream

• Ingredients: Cream, milk, sugar, vanilla or other flavoring.
• Process:
  1. Combine cream, milk, sugar, and flavoring in a bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved.
  2. Pour into an ice cream maker and follow the machine’s instructions.
  3. Freeze the mixture until it hardens to your desired consistency.

9. Half and Half

• Ingredients: Cream, milk.
• Process:
  • Mix equal parts cream and milk to make half and half. This can be used in coffee, tea, or recipes calling for light cream.

10. Heavy Cream

• Process:
  • If the cream you separated is lighter, run it through the cream separator again or mix a portion of separated cream with milk to increase the fat content, creating heavy cream.

Using the cream separator allows you to adjust the cream-to-milk ratio depending on the richness you want in each product. Enjoy experimenting with these delicious homemade dairy items!