Fun & Interesting

Thanks for Sharing Our Recipes on Pinterest

We wanted to take a moment to thank our superfans for “pinning” and “repinning” Challenge Dairy recipes to Pinterest to Pinterest. If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, it’s a fast-growing social platform where people organize and share the things they love.

We recognize the effort some of you went through to share our recipes. That’s why we’re pleased to announce a new, simple way for you to interact with Pinterest.

How to pin Challenge Dairy recipes to Pinterest:

• Find the recipe you want to share and click on the red “Share this recipe” option. It will bring up four sharing options, including the new “Pin It” button.
• Click on “Pin It” to enter a description and pin the recipe to the pinboard you choose. (You must be signed in to Pinterest.)

That’s it. Happy pinning!

posted on March 23, 2012

Holiday Baking Tip: Using Salted or Unsalted Butter

This one is quick, so you can get back to your holiday preparations...

Before you begin the cherished ritual of baking Christmas cookies, we thought it would be helpful to remind you of the rule of thumb for baking with salted versus unsalted (sweet) butter. You can bake with either, but if you choose to use Challenge Salted Butter in your recipe, we recommend omitting one teaspoon of salt per ½ cup of butter added to the recipe. This guideline will ensure your cookies turn out perfect every time.

Merry baking!

posted on December 23, 2011

The Modern Butter Churn: No Plunging or Cranking Required

What image comes to mind when you think of churning butter? Does it involve a Laura Ingles look-alike hovered over a small cylindrical, wooden barrel churning its contents vigorously with a plunging motion? While the manual varieties are most likely what most people imagine, churns have come a long way since those more rudimentary designs, like the rocker, tin, and stoneware varieties. Today, the modern butter churn is composed of stainless steel, which is resistant, not only to germs, but also to rust, chipping and other wear and tear. In fact, the stainless steel churn was introduced by Challenge Dairy in 1965, and it has been the predominant churn used by butter manufacturers ever since.

To learn more about Challenge Dairy’s history of innovation, visit our interactive timeline.

posted on November 3, 2011

Thank You, Accidental Butter Discoverer

Would you believe butter has been a culinary staple for more than 4,500 years?

Hieroglyphics in King Tut’s tomb indicate it was used by the Egyptians, and archaeologists have commonly found barrels of butter buried in bogs in Ireland dating as far back as the 14th century. Though how it was discovered is merely hypothesis, it was most likely discovered accidentally by nomads, whose constant movement created a “churning” effect that changed the consistency of milk during travel. Luckily, we no longer need to rely on serendipity, or burials, to get butter today.

Though Challenge Dairy uses the same basic ingredients as the ancients in its butter today (pasteurized cream and salt), scientific and technological advancements have allowed us to offer more variety of butters to consumers. From our original recipe butter to our versatile Tuscan Style butter, our butters make great meals, from start to finish. So thank you accidental butter discoverer! The number of meals that you made taste better is beyond measure.

posted on October 17, 2011

Test Your Challenge IQ and Track 100 Years of Real Butter

Visit Challenge Dairy 100 Year History Timeline for an interactive look into the past 100 years of Challenge Dairy history.  Not only will you learn fascinating facts about the evolution of Challenge taste and quality, but you will also have the chance to test your knowledge of American history and culture. For instance, when was the stainless steel churn introduced and who invented it?  The answer to that question and many more may just surprise you. 

Check it out!

posted on September 29, 2011

The Majestic Elk: Symbol of Challenge Dairy

Elk are magnificent creatures and can be stunning to see up close. People often travel great distances to catch a glimpse of them in the wild, but sometimes the elk find their way into the parks and streets of forest-edge towns. Check out this article about some elk wandering Estes Park, CO. Scrappy elk draw visitors to Colo. mountain town

As beautiful as they are, people often ask us why an elk adorns our butter packaging (and not some different, more logical creature like, um... a cow). It’s a great question.

An elk has been the symbol of Challenge since the very beginning. The first president of Challenge Cream and Butter Association, J.P. Murphy, selected "Challenge" as the company name while he was traveling from the San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles to begin his new assignment with the butter cooperative. As the legend goes, one evening over dinner Mr. Murphy studied a mural on the wall depicting two elk sparring for the position of "king of the forest." Under this mural were the words, "The Challenge."

At the time, Mr. Murphy felt this was exactly what he and the cooperative’s dairymen were trying to accomplish. They were challenging the larger dairy establishments with a younger product of superior quality.

So began a tradition that has continued for over 100 years – a tradition built on quality and the recognition of the effort required to uphold and defend it.

Have you seen any sparring elks lately?

posted on September 3, 2011

Iowa State Fair’s Butter Cow Celebrates 100 Years

Joining us in celebrating its 100th birthday is the Iowa State Fair Butter Cow.  While there have been (and still are) many imitations, the buttery bovine originated in Iowa in 1911 - the same year Challenge Dairy began.  Each year, one sculptor is commissioned to interpret the butter cow, which is viewed by fair-goers from all over the country.  In more recent years, sculptors have been invited to fashion all manner of subjects and perspectives using this unusually creamy artistic medium. 

Visit the Iowa State Fair website for a look at some of these amazing creations and for some interesting facts about the evolution of this tradition.  Can we get a volunteer for a Challenge Dairy Elk sculpture for next year’s fair?

Congratulations on 100 Years, Iowa State Fair Butter Cow!

Image © the Iowa State Fair
The Butter Cow image is a copyrighted work of The Iowa State Fair and is displayed according to the granted permissions of the Iowa State Fair website.

posted on August 12, 2011