Interactive lesson

Kajmak, cream and butter, step by step

Interactive lesson: from the fat in milk to cream, soured cream, young and aged kajmak, butter and ghee — with temperatures, salt and storage.

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The whole lesson as text

1. The fat in milk

Fat is the most valuable part of milk, and it gives kajmak, cream, butter and ghee.

Fat globules — Fat is present in milk as tiny globules. It is lighter than water, so when milk stands still it rises to the surface as cream.
The skin is kajmak — When milk is heated and cools slowly, a skin of fat and protein forms on the surface. That is kajmak.
Which milk — Cow's milk has 3.5–4.5 % fat; sheep's has 6–8 % and gives the richest kajmak. Goat's milk has small globules: the cream rises poorly and you need a separator.
Autumn is the season — Autumn and winter milk has more fat than spring milk. That's why kajmak and butter are made mostly from September to November.

Why: A litre of cow's milk holds only 35–45 grams of fat. If you know how it separates, you get more and better from the same milk.

1 kg of kajmak takes roughly 12–20 L of whole cow's milk, and 1 kg of butter about 20–25 L.
Buffalo milk has 7–8 % fat: it gives thick kajmak and white butter.

Cream is skimmed by gravity in the cold, or taken off at once with a separator.

Cold and still — Pour freshly strained milk into wide, shallow containers and put them straight away at 4–8 °C (39–46 °F). Leave undisturbed 12–24 h; don't move them.
Skim the top layer — Skim the cream into a jar with a ladle or a flat skimmer. It has 20–30 % fat, and you take off 70–85 % of the fat in the milk. A container with a tap lets the skimmed milk out from below.
Separator — A separator takes the cream off at once, from warm milk at 32–40 °C, in 10–20 minutes. The cream has 30–45 % fat, and the skimmed milk almost none.
Discs every time — Take the separator apart and wash it after every use. Discs left with milk on them overnight are the best place for bacteria in the kitchen.

Why: Milk waiting for the cream to rise must be cold. The old way, milk left overnight in the room, also gives cream full of bacteria.