Clarified butter is a must in our kitchen! It gives a deep taste to whatever you cook. Sometimes it is also called ghee which is the Indian version of pretty much the same thing.
The food burns quite quickly when you fry it in ordinary butter – but it works differently with clarified butter – it is first at 482 ° F (250° C) that the food can burn when you use clarified butter.
How come it is possible to have clarified butter at room temperature without it going bad? Well – the reason is that the butter contains milk proteins and moisture. If you remove these, you can store the clarified butter for over 6 months at room temperature before it starts to turn sour.
What s ghee? Ghee is very similar to clarified butter – but you let it boil longer. The longer cooking time makes the milk proteins a little brownish. Ghee, therefore, has a slightly nuttier taste, unlike clarified butter.
Ingredients: 2 pounds (1 kilo) of butter gives about 2 cups (5 – 6 dl) of clarified butter
Method:
- Put the butter in a saucepan.
- Let it melt on medium heat.
- Lower the heat when it starts to boil.
- Let it cook with tiny bubbles for 16 – 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the stove.
- Leave it alone for about 2 hours so that the milk proteins have time to sink to the bottom.
- Gently skim off what is still on the surface.
- Strain it gently through a kitchen towel or coffee filter. Be careful not to get what is at the bottom of the pan.
- Pour it into jars—store at room temperature.
Shelf life: more than 6 months
Enjoy!,
