The Old-School World War II Trick That Doubles Your Butter

During World War II, meats, cheeses, oils, and butter were rationed. After the 1942 butter shortage helped margarine's popularity skyrocket, some crafty homemakers began devising ways to make butter last. Whether your budget is tight and you're looking to extend the longevity of the grocery store butter brand you have stocked in your fridge or have scored a fancy butter brand that you'd simply like to eat with more meals, a bit of culinary creativity can help you savor the taste of butter for longer. The secret is evaporated milk.

Simply cream the butter and evaporated milk until smooth. Depending on how thick you want the butter, you can adjust the amount of evaporated milk added, for instance using 8 ounces of evaporated milk mixed into 1 pound of butter. Your new creation can last a month in the fridge. Though this hack has been used by homemakers since the 1920s, an article published in 1943 instructed those looking to double up their butter to first cut a pound of butter into cubes and let it reach room temperature before adding an unflavored gelatin packet to evaporated milk, salt, and then mix the enhanced evaporated milk together with the butter. You can salt your own stretched-out butter recipe to taste or add honey for a sweeter spreadable option. 

This evaporated milk and butter approach has been a proven success because it also made an appearance in the 1947 Kitchen Hacks for Economy. If you don't have evaporated milk on hand and are looking to feed a bigger crowd, churn any milk or cream into butter and whip in a mixer to have more bang for your proverbial buttered buck. Condensed milk is another good option that achieves very similar results. Use on potatoes or toast, but be warned: Once you start spreading this mixture onto homemade yeast rolls and warm stacks of pumpkin pancakes, you may be pleasantly surprised — and may need to plan to make another batch soon.

If you're trying this thrifty butter hack at home, note that evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are two different products. Sweetened condensed milk has sugar added to the ingredient, so unless you're hoping for a sweeter butter spread, look for labels marked evaporated milk for your culinary experiment. Invented in 1885, evaporated milk was improved in 1909 and became a helpful ingredient for troops during both WWI and II. Since it is shelf stable and doesn't require refrigeration until it is opened, keeping cans of this ingredient at home is a handy staple with a variety of helpful uses in the kitchen.