Homemade Ghee - Better for Cooking Than Butter and Oil

Growing up, I remember my mother in front of a huge steel pot churning butter with a long wooden spoon. She would never let me get close to the pot due to the rapid heat and boils. What she was making is called Ghee, which is unsalted butter boiled heavily. We used ghee for everything from daily cooking to lighting small cotton wicks used in praying and as an ointment for blisters and burns. The ghee bottle in my home sits next to the salt and sugar; it's a staple ingredient I use quite often when cooking meals.

Benefits of Using Ghee vs. Butter and Oil

Ghee has a good shelf live. It can be stored without refrigeration if kept in an airtight container. Tip. jam bottles work great.

According to Ayurvedic Institute, ghee helps balance stomach acid and helps to repair the mucus lining of the stomach. (source: Ayurvedic Institute, 2002)

Ghee acts as a cream for burns, blisters and scars.

I have burnt butter before but have yet to burn ghee. It has a very high burning point and doesn't burn or smoke easily during cooking.

How to Make Ghee in Your Home

I decided to learn how to make Ghee without having to use the large pots and potentially hurting my back.

You need very little ingredients - Pure unsalted butter. I usually use 4 sticks of butter.

1.) Start by melting the butter in a medium saucepan or 2 quart pot on high-medium heat until it starts boiling or bubbling. Tip. You have to keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can spurt bubbles at a very high temperature and can burn harshly. The boiling happens quickly in 2-3 minutes.

2.) Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered until butter turns to a clear golden color.

3.) You will know when the ghee is done because there will be foam on top of the butter. Tip. I usually turn off the heat when the splattering sound stops and I see a clear color underneath the foam.

4.) After it cools, strain the ghee using a cheesecloth into a dry container. There will be a brown curd like component at the bottom of the pot. Tip. You can also use a very fine mesh strainer.

4.) Cool it and make sure to store the ghee in a dry air tight container. Tip. Keep it away from moisture. Never scoop out ghee with a damp/wet spoon.

Ghee obviously is a taste that I have grown to love. As you see, it is very easy to make. Nor oil or butter can beat the smell, flavor, and taste in foods ghee has to offer.