What is Clarified Butter? (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between clarified butter and regular butter? ›

Clarified butter is butter with the water and milk proteins removed, leaving a composition of 99-100% pure butterfat. Before that, butter is 16-17% water and 1-2% milk proteins (also known as milk solids). To make clarified butter, you simmer unsalted butter in a pan over low heat.

Melt butter in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, without stirring, 10-15 minutes or until melted and solids separate from fat. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Skim off foam. Slowly pour off clear yellow liquid, leaving behind the residue of milk solids that has settled to bottom of pan.

When you clarify butter, you remove all the milk solids and water, but are left with the butterfat. This creates a higher smoke point, which makes clarified butter ideal for cooking and sautéing. The process is simple; it just takes a little time because of the low cooking temperature.

While some tout ghee as butter's healthier cousin, O'Neill says that ghee's perceived benefits may be overblown. “There is no significant difference between the two. The fat and vitamin content is almost the same.”

Ghee is a type of clarified butter popular in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking, made by heating butter to remove water and milk solids. While it's gaining recognition for its possible health benefits, you should still eat it in moderation due to its high fat content, which can lead to heart disease and weight gain.

Clarified butter "is shelf-stable and does not require refrigeration," Watts says. Clarified butter will stay good in an air-tight container like a jar for up to six months at either room or fridge temperature. You can reheat clarified butter in the same way that you would reheat regular butter.

Cooking with clarified butter has several benefits, particularly when frying. Milk solids are what cause butter to smoke and burn in cooking, so by omitting them, you are able to cook with butter at a much higher temperature and for a longer period of time. Milk solids also cause the butter to spoil, or become rancid.

Microwave Method

Cut butter into chunks and place in a microwave-safe glass container or measuring cup that is taller than it is wide. Microwave the butter, setting the timer for 3 minutes, but do not leave the microwave unattended. Watch the butter melt and rise.

Once boiling has stopped, pour butter through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or through a coffee filter into a heatproof container to remove browned milk solids. Let cool, then transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use. Clarified butter should keep at least 6 months in the refrigerator.

Ghee is clarified butter, a.k.a. butter that has been simmered and strained to remove all water. In France, clarified butter has uncooked milk solids, yielding a product with a very clean, sweet flavor.

Is clarified butter healthier than olive oil? ›

When wondering about ghee vs olive oil, we're going to guess that you're mostly concerned with the nutrient profile of each. And this is where we tell you, neither is better or worse for you! They're just different and both are great additions to a healthy diet.

The smoke point of clarified butter is 450 degrees F, allowing you to use it - instead of canola oil, which has a smoke point of 400 to 450 degrees F - to get a good, flavorful sear. Clarified butter is also sometimes called for in fussy sauces that can break easily, like hollandaise, because it makes them more stable.

Always check for mold or discoloration before using ghee. It has gone rancid. Rancidity occurs when ghee oxidizes, or gets exposed to moisture, heat, light, or air for too long. Rancid ghee has a sour flavor and an unpleasant odor and may appear white instead of yellow.

Like most things, making clarified butter at home is a great way to save money—guaranteed to be less expensive than purchasing a store-bought version.

Store it. As the milk solids have been removed, ghee doesn't go rancid as rapidly as ordinary butter does, so refrigeration is not so essential. However, it will extend its life, so it's worth keeping opened shop-bought ghee or homemade ghee in the fridge.

Clarified butter will keep about three times longer and will not char as easily in sautéing applications. Note: One pound of butter will yield about 1½ cups clarified butter. It will keep for about three months in the refrigerator and up to six months in the freezer.

When you make clarified butter, you skim milk solids off the top of melted butter and leave released water in the bottom of the pan. The stuff in the middle, the liquid gold, is 100% pure butterfat.

When wondering about ghee vs olive oil, we're going to guess that you're mostly concerned with the nutrient profile of each. And this is where we tell you, neither is better or worse for you! They're just different and both are great additions to a healthy diet.

Clarified butter is a popular choice for cooking lobster due to its high smoking point of 400°F – appropriate for the high heat required to cook a large, delectable portion of this luxurious seafood. It may help to add an extra layer of flavor when making lobster.