Post by thystledown on Feb 14, 2017 16:29:57 GMT -5
I bought a new butter mold on Ebay. A beautiful wooden one that isn't cracked like my family heirloom. I washed it, put mineral oil on it, and soaked it in cold water, and the butter stuck to it. What a mess!! Sooooo, we melted some ghee, poured that on it and really let it soak in. It bubbled where the wood was drinking it in. After a bit, we wiped off the excess. Then we let it set for a day or two. Then we soaked it a couple hours in very cold well water. Voila! Apparently a good butter mold must be seasoned like cast iron. Once it looked like my family heirloom, we felt good about it. It has to hold a lot of water to release the butter, but it also has to be well oiled so it won't crack going from wet to dry. I don't know if we have done this correctly, but it is now making pretty butter pats. I think it is a strawberry. I was hoping it could pass for a thistle when I ordered it. It won't, but it is charming and fits my smaller butter dishes. This is a new butter dish hubby gave me for Valentine's day. I have blue stoneware, so Polish pottery looks lovely on my table. I now have 4 round butter dishes. One plain glass and this new one are best for everyday. The other ones are cut glass. I also have a square china one big enough for a round pat of butter. And 3 butter molds now. The family heirloom, the round glass butter mold I posted about a little while ago, and this new one. I like the wooden ones best. The water comes out of the butter better with the wooden ones. The water can't get out the part the plunger goes through with the glass one. Also, just a tip for anyone who may not know: I weigh out my 1/4 pound of butter, then take a small amount (1/4 the total amount) to pack into the design and then add the rest and pack and smooth it with a heavy spoon--a table spoon, but not the measuring kind.