Clarified Butter and Everyday Cooking

Most grocery stores that carry Eastern or Indian products also sell Ghee which is clarified butter. It's less expensive for us to buy a pound of butter and boil it ourselves to make our own clarified butter for everyday cooking.

The basic technique of making clarified is simple. Place one pound of unsalted butter into a heavy bottomed saucepan large enough so that the butter doesn't boil over. Melt the butter over medium heat and bring to a boil. The bubbles will break and then you bring the butter to a boil again and then remove from the heat.

The separation of the clarified butter from the solids and whey could be time-consuming but my boyfriend found a great trick. We allow the butter to cool to less than 115 degrees. While it is cooling, we tie an 18-inch piece of kitchen string through the top corner of a disposable zip bag. When the butter is cool enough, pour it into the bag. Hang the bag from a cupboard door handle and watch the butter separate into layers.

While the butter is separating, get a small bowl for the waste and the container you will keep your clarified butter in. Once the separation is complete, holding the waste bowl under the bag, cut a very small hole in the corner of the bag. Let the solids drain into the waste bowl and then quickly replace it with your storage container. When the clarified butter has drained from the bag, remove the container and let the whey drain into the waste bowl.

While I don't actually cook with butter every single day, I like to keep my squeeze bottle of clarified butter handy. The clarified butter has a higher smoke point because all of the solids have been removed making it possible to get a real butter flavor when frying.

The clarified butter adds a nice taste to eggs (if I don't have any bacon!) and pan-fried potatoes. My favorite use for clarified butter is when I'm pan-frying fish. Sautéing onions and garlic in clarified butter rather than olive oil creates a nice taste for simple pasta sauces.

Save some money and add a buttery flavor to your food by making your own clarified butter.