# Hard Butter



## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Isn't it a given that butter's hard in the winter?









Buttergate: Why are Canadians complaining about hard butter?


Canadians say that the consistency of local butter has changed. Experts may have found the culprit.



www.bbc.com


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Direct your butter questions to me.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Doug Gifford said:


> Isn't it a given that butter's hard in the winter?


Not until scientists say so...

Can we focus our efforts smart people?? Can we all put a hold on the study of "do plants have feelings", and "are dogs self aware" (I'm not f'n kidding, this one was in my news feed this morning). We are in a pandemic... main difference between epidemic and pandemic is the scale, as in global. Let's get all of our smart people and work towards better vaccines, controlling variants, root causes, filtration upgrades... really, anything more productive than _butter_!

My rant, my opinion, think what you may.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

SWLABR said:


> Not until scientists say so...
> 
> Can we focus our efforts smart people?? Can we all put a hold on the study of "do plants have feelings", and "are dogs self aware" (I'm not f'n kidding, this one was in my news feed this morning). We are in a pandemic... main difference between epidemic and pandemic is the scale, as in global. Let's get all of our smart people and work towards better vaccines, controlling variants, root causes, filtration upgrades... really, anything more productive than _butter_!
> 
> My rant, my opinion, think what you may.


You realize that there are different sciences?

I'm pretty sure that those in that butter study aren't virologists or immunologists.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

SWLABR said:


> Not until scientists say so...
> 
> Can we focus our efforts smart people?? Can we all put a hold on the study of "do plants have feelings", and "are dogs self aware" (I'm not f'n kidding, this one was in my news feed this morning). We are in a pandemic... main difference between epidemic and pandemic is the scale, as in global. Let's get all of our smart people and work towards better vaccines, controlling variants, root causes, filtration upgrades... really, anything more productive than _butter_!
> 
> My rant, my opinion, think what you may.


Big Butter has spoken


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Of course there are different scientists... my best friend is one, his wife is another... and another good friend is married to one. We joke about the _plants with feelings_ thing all the time. They are good sports, and remind me how well they are compensated for studying such things. 
Actually, my friend works with chickens, specifically their sh*t, so he's doing his part.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Get me some butter and the scissors, Oh put the butter in the microwave first.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I dunno, if the cause of this change (assuming a change, this seems anecdotal) is that we're getting second-hand palm oils in our milk some butter-eaters might care.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

If all you're doing is melting it to pour on popcorn, or spreading it on toast, that's one thing. But folks who bake have generations of recipes using reasonably soft room-temperature butter. If that butter is not easily blended with other ingredients because it stays hard at room temperature, then that means the recipe may not work out well. Not a trivial matter for those trying their damnedest to get the result right. And yes, I suppose one can say "Just stick it in the microwave", but for how long, and at what power setting, and what sort of outcome am I aiming for?


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

butterknucket said:


> Direct your butter questions to me.


Can a person get "the cows only ever ate stuff we grew" butter? Then a person could test it.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

If butter is staying hard at room temperature then it has more heart and vein clogging trans fat in it.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Maybe the milking machine is being plugged into the bull at times. 


mhammer said:


> If all you're doing is melting it to pour on popcorn, or spreading it on toast, that's one thing. But folks who bake have generations of recipes using reasonably soft room-temperature butter. If that butter is not easily blended with other ingredients because it stays hard at room temperature, then that means the recipe may not work out well. Not a trivial matter for those trying their damnedest to get the result right. And yes, I suppose one can say "Just stick it in the microwave", but for how long, and at what power setting, and what sort of outcome am I aiming for?


I've made recipies with butter right from the fridge.....chopping it up with two knives instead of a pastry blender, and it works ok. If you want to soften it a bit cut it into small pieces and put it in a bowl in hot water for a minute or two.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

That assumes the baker can improvise effectively and is not simply reading a recipe from a printed page and doing everything it says.

Obviously harder butter is NOT the end of civilization or baking. I'm just saying that the consistency of room-temperature butter is of concern to some folks. Not me, but some.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)




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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

mhammer said:


> That assumes the baker can improvise effectively and is not simply reading a recipe from a printed page and doing everything it says.
> 
> Obviously harder butter is NOT the end of civilization or baking. I'm just saying that the consistency of room-temperature butter is of concern to some folks. Not me, but some.


My brother has been having meltdowns over hard butter for a few years now. I can't bear to inform him that he may be justified.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

sulphur said:


> You realize that there are different sciences?
> 
> I'm pretty sure that those in that butter study aren't virologists or immunologists.


I'm pretty sure you could make a vaccine out of butter and bacon.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

allthumbs56 said:


> I'm pretty sure you could make a vaccine out of butter and bacon.


Now that, I'd line up for.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Between vegans, vegetarians, Muslims and Jews, you'd never make your requisite % for herd immunity. And I don't know about you, but I'm _seriously_ short of taste receptors in my shoulder.

There are lots of food products whose commercial composition has changed over time, because some change or three made production, or shipping, or storage, or shelf life easier or cheaper. Sometimes those changes simply make the end product less appealing or harder to work with, like hard butter, and sometimes they have unintended consequences, like the boom in palm oil has had. What is palm oil and why is it thought to be bad? - CBBC Newsround


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Man trying to make some grilled cheeses and the butter is hard, my poor bread shredding to pieces.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

25 facts about the State Fair's butter cow


Here are 25 things to know about the Iowa State Fair's iconic butter cow



www.desmoinesregister.com


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

tdotrob said:


> Man trying to make some grilled cheeses and the butter is hard, my poor bread shredding to pieces.


Put the butter in the pan and melt it then put your sandwich in and when it's time to flip it over, put in a bit more butter. Better yet, fry up some good bacon and don't drain the pan. Add the bacon to your sandwich and put it in the pan, flipping it over after a few seconds. Cook the one side in bacon grease and then cook the other. If you are using a cast iron pan let it cool down with the bacon fat in it and then wipe it clean with paper towel....then heat it a bit and wipe it clean again. 
A lot of the recipes I know don't call for "softened" butter. It's either room temperature or melted. There's even a couple that call for cold, hard butter. Some people use mayo or thousand island dressing spread on the outside of their bread and forgo the butter or bacon fat. They're strange.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Doug Gifford said:


> Can a person get "the cows only ever ate stuff we grew" butter? Then a person could test it.


This is probably close and will give you soft butter.




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How to Make Homemade Butter - Tori Avey







toriavey.com


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> This is probably close and will give you soft butter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. I'll just need to find some grass-fed cream.  I did find some fairly local grass-fed butter (Colburne) but at about $27 a pound plus shipping, I'm not _that_ curious. I'll ask about local grass-fed butter on Facebook. My little FB community includes the kind of people who would know that.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Doug Gifford said:


> Thanks. I'll just need to find some grass-fed cream.  I did find some fairly local grass-fed butter (Colburne) but at about $27 a pound plus shipping, I'm not _that_ curious. I'll ask about local grass-fed butter on Facebook. My little FB community includes the kind of people who would know that.


As far as grass fed vs commercial butter goes, you used to be able to taste the difference and the home made grass fed was much better. Even the stuff you make shaking a jar.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

They better not take butter away from us.
It’s the last goddam thing we have to cling to.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Always12AM said:


> They better not take butter away from us.
> It’s the last goddam thing we have to cling to.


Trust me, it won't happen. If it ever did, dairy farmers would storm Parliament Hill in a way that would make Jan. 6 look like a Grade 1 field trip.

When I was growing up, the Quebec dairy lobby insisted that margarine - an increasingly popular item - be sold colourless (white), in order to differentiate it from butter. Margarine came in sealed plastic bags. My job in the family was to squeeze and pop the little mini-bag of yellow colouring in the larger margarine bag and squish it around to make the whole contents yellow.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Doug Gifford said:


> Isn't it a given that butter's hard in the winter?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


thats what I thought., we keep ours near the stove, and I assumed the cold air coming in from the range hood cooled the area by a few degrees/


SWLABR said:


> Not until scientists say so...
> 
> Can we focus our efforts smart people?? Can we all put a hold on the study of "do plants have feelings", and "are dogs self aware" (I'm not f'n kidding, this one was in my news feed this morning). We are in a pandemic... main difference between epidemic and pandemic is the scale, as in global. Let's get all of our smart people and work towards better vaccines, controlling variants, root causes, filtration upgrades... really, anything more productive than _butter_!
> 
> My rant, my opinion, think what you may.


...but then, what would all the people our universities churn out hand over fist with useless degrees (instead of the doctors we have sorely needed for decades) do for a living?


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

tdotrob said:


> Man trying to make some grilled cheeses and the butter is hard, my poor bread shredding to pieces.


its tough times man, but we will get through it.









I heard they are working on a new device using..."microwaves"?! that may help to soften butter.

just be patient.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Diablo said:


> its tough times man, but we will get through it.
> View attachment 352297
> 
> 
> ...


damn thanks for the advice. Can’t wait for this space age technology to hit the market so I can get that golden brown crust on my sammiches.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

A microwave will melt butter. Here's a better way to soften it.







In the summer, when the house is +75F, no softening required. But in the winter, when the house is 70-ish, it's pretty hard. Fairly narrow window - and pivoting right around the comfort zone.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Diablo said:


> thats what I thought., we keep ours near the stove, and I assumed the cold air coming in from the range hood cooled the area by a few degrees/
> 
> ...but then, what would all the people our universities churn out hand over fist with useless degrees (instead of the doctors we have sorely needed for decades) do for a living?


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Trust me, it won't happen. If it ever did, dairy farmers would storm Parliament Hill in a way that would make Jan. 6 look like a Grade 1 field trip.
> 
> When I was growing up, the Quebec dairy lobby insisted that margarine - an increasingly popular item - be sold colourless (white), in order to differentiate it from butter. Margarine came in sealed plastic bags. My job in the family was to squeeze and pop the little mini-bag of yellow colouring in the larger margarine bag and squish it around to make the whole contents yellow.


I think the colouring was done all across Canada. I recall doing it in Van in the 50's and parents said they did it. When we moved to the farm we had a couple of good milk cows so there was no need to buy butter. We had a large milk separator and a couple of gallon jugs with paddle arrangements and the folks had "free" labour. When my second wife and I moved back the Vernon with our son we used to buy fresh milk by the gallon from a farm and skim the cream off to make butter, ice cream and for cooking. Made butter either by shaking a jar method or in a blender.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

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Real Canadian Superstore Supermarket | Grocery shop online or instore







www.realcanadiansuperstore.ca






It is actually cheaper to make your own butter, 2 cups of cream will make 100 grams of butter (3 1/2 ounces) You have to get ALL the buttermilk out, or it will not cook right, and goes rancid pretty fast. And the buttermilk is your cooking bonus


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Stephenlouis said:


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Walmart sells two cups of 33% whipping cream for around $3.50....not too sure how much butter that will make. They sell a lb of butter for around $4.50. From the looks of it Real Canadian is more expensive. Not too sure how that is cheaper. That being said, once you have the butter made, put some a few layers of fine cheese cloth over the mouth of what you made the butter in and drain off the butter milk. Fill with the jar with very cold water and drain.....do this at least 3 times. Put the butter in a bowl and press all the liquid out with a wooden patula or the curved side of a wooden spoon to get all the water out. Salt to taste. Depending on how much butter you make is to hag it in cheese cloth to drain.








Works great if you are making lbs instead of ozs of butter. BTW, it takes 3 oz of butter to make about a dozen baking powder biscuits. If your cook book is old enough that's about 2 knobs of butter.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)




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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> Walmart sells two cups of 33% whipping cream for around $3.50....not too sure how much butter that will make. They sell a lb of butter for around $4.50. From the looks of it Real Canadian is more expensive. Not too sure how that is cheaper. That being said, once you have the butter made, put some a few layers of fine cheese cloth over the mouth of what you made the butter in and drain off the butter milk.
> Works great if you are making lbs instead of ozs of butter. BTW, it takes 3 oz of butter to make about a dozen baking powder biscuits. If your cook book is old enough that's about 2 knobs of butter.


That would make about a 1/4 pound... that link I put up was for grass-feed cows, no whatever oil they are adding LOL ...I get milk from the farm, it is way cheaper, and better after you pay 7.00 for the first glass bottle


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I've found a place near where my wife works that she can get grass-fed butter. So now we can try it. It's expensive but a couple of pounds to check it out won't break us.





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Yogurt, Sour Cream, & Butter


Limestone Organic Creamery is a certified organic farm near Kingston, Ontario. Our organic milk, ice cream and dairy products are processed and sold directly to our customers. Our organic farm store offers organic meats, produce and meals.



limestonecreamery.ca


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

I noticed my father's butter has a rancid taste compared to what I buy. I get the Lacantia salted butter. I think it's OK.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)




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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

player99 said:


> I noticed my father's butter has a rancid taste compared to what I buy. I get the Latancia salted butter. I think it's OK.


I think of Lactantia as a quality line of food. One reservation:






Lactalis Canada - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Stephenlouis said:


> That would make about a 1/4 pound... that link I put up was for grass-feed cows, no whatever oil they are adding LOL ...I get milk from the farm, it is way cheaper, and better after you pay 7.00 for the first glass bottle


You getting your milk from Cobble Hill or up Island from Crofton?


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I'm finding this thread interesting. I've been recently complaining about no name Superstore butter that seems hard as a rock and just doesn't "act" like normal butter. It's harder without any real flexibility when you cut it. Kinda just breaks apart, is flakey, and rarely even sticks to a knife. Butter used to be way more pliable even when it was cold it seems. Maybe I'll buy some Lacatania or another decent brand to see the dif. Now I'm curious.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> You getting your milk from Cobble Hill or up Island from Crofton?


Cobble hill, and Langley.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

It's the Palm oil that they have been adding to our Canadian butter:








Buttergate: Why are Canadians complaining about hard butter?


Canadians say that the consistency of local butter has changed. Experts may have found the culprit.



www.bbc.com


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Paul Running said:


> It's the Palm oil that they have been adding to our Canadian butter:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Palm oil? Sounds like it would work.

I think most guys here use hand cream.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Stephenlouis said:


> Cobble hill, and Langley.


Langely? That's a fair drive for a quart of milk.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> Langely? That's a fair drive for a quart of milk.


My ex has a farm there, and more importantly my son LOL I go out that way a lot.


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

Son said he read someplace it was because of palm oil being added.

Couple years ago we brought some butter back from the States. Nothing like the butter we get here, and it was very good. Melts in the pan, not watery and chunks.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Morons, I have solved your dilemma.




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THAT Inventions Spread That Serrated Warming Butter Knife and Spreader, Red: Amazon.ca: Home & Kitchen


THAT Inventions Spread That Serrated Warming Butter Knife and Spreader, Red: Amazon.ca: Home & Kitchen



www.amazon.ca













Rechargeable Heated Butter Knife


WAS: $59.99 NOW ONLY: $29.99! Free Shipping + 50% Off This Week Only! 100% Money Back Guarantee Free Shipping Worldwide 99% of Customers Recommend this Product! OUR GUARANTEE We truly believe we make some of the most innovative products in the world, and we want to make sure we back that up with...




www.torontomarketshop.com





you may return to your mundane lives now.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

brucew said:


> Son said he read someplace it was because of palm oil being added.
> 
> Couple years ago we brought some butter back from the States. Nothing like the butter we get here, and it was very good. Melts in the pan, not watery and chunks.


It's not quite that heavy-handed. There's palm oil in some of the supplements for dairy cows. This year has been a very good year for butter sales and hence a motivation give bossy something that increases her yield. Palm oil in, palm oil out.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Canadian farmers advised to ditch palm oil after 'buttergate' row


The dairy group looking into the hard butter issue has called for a freeze on palm fats in cow feed.



www.bbc.com


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Diablo said:


> Morons, I have solved your dilemma.
> 
> 
> 
> ...







__





Butter Grating & Spreading Knife - Lee Valley Tools







www.leevalley.com


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Doug Gifford said:


> __
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I've got one of those... or rather, my wife purchased one of those. I don't (personally) think it works to the full extent they say it does. Better than nuthin', but not the be all end all.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Diablo said:


> Morons, I have solved your dilemma.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Heating butter (and other) knives to get things to 'melt'? That's been done for years.




Don't need no fancy rechargeable thing.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I'm going to make a grilled cheese for lunch. I'll report back.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Electraglide said:


> Heating butter (and other) knives to get things to 'melt'? That's been done for years.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ahh I have a scar on my lip from using this method to uhhhhhhh melt butter in HS


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

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Loading…






www.cbc.ca


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

fretzel said:


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So they found one that was much softer than all the others, but they don't tell us what it was. Probably went and bought it all up.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Am I the only one who came in here thinking you were talking about a new pedal? Probably


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

tdotrob said:


> Ahh I have a scar on my lip from using this method to uhhhhhhh melt butter in HS


Mom (looking at table set for supper): "Why are all your knives black on the ends?" 

Kapn: "That's from hot-knifing hash, Mom." 

Mom: "Oh. I see."


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)




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## Jim Wellington (Sep 3, 2017)

KapnKrunch said:


> Mom (looking at table set for supper): "Why are all your knives black on the ends?"
> 
> Kapn: "That's from hot-knifing hash, Mom."
> 
> Mom: "Oh. I see."


I remember walking into a party when I was in my 20`s....looked over at my buddy who was sporting a bright red image of a butter knife on his neck....ooops.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Lincoln said:


> Am I the only one who came in here thinking you were talking about a new pedal? Probably


probably


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

fretzel said:


>


Hopefully the poster got taken to task in the comments for not even being able to spell the name right.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)

jb welder said:


> Hopefully the poster got taken to task in the comments for not even being able to spell the name right.


Haha! 20 comments and one person corrected channel owner. Truthfully, I know the song more than the band. 
Any other good tunes by them?


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

fretzel said:


> Any other good tunes by them?


I'm more familiar with their nephews who are in _The Sadies_.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

thread title sounds like the name of a porno for chubby chasers.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

KapnKrunch said:


> Mom (looking at table set for supper): "Why are all your knives black on the ends?"
> 
> Kapn: "That's from hot-knifing hash, Mom."
> 
> Mom: "Oh. I see."


My mom got tired of the knives going missing(can’t put em back in the drawer) and ended up just giving me a pair to as she said “do whatever the [email protected]$k your doing w them”


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