Ghee: The Traditional Indian Clarified Butter

Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in ancient India and is used in Indian and many South Asian cuisines. Ghee tends to have a higher smoke point than butter (485°) which can be ideal for sauteing or pan frying. Ghee is also absent of the casein and proteins found in butter because of the process in which it is made. People who cannot tolerate dairy are often able to tolerate Ghee. Ghee has a wonderful, nutty flavor.

Making your own Ghee is simple, it is literally 3 steps. It just takes patience and it is worth every minute.

Directions

1) Melt the butter

Place 1 pound of butter in a heavy bottom saucepan and melt over low heat. Alternatively you can place the saucepan in the oven at 200°F. Simmer until the butter until it is foamy on top and clear underneath. This takes about 10 minutes. The crackling sound of cooking butter will have stopped or become very quiet.

2) Let solids settle

Turn off the heat and let all the solids settle for 20-25 minutes.

3) Store

Strain the butter through cheesecloth into jars or an airtight container. Strain through double cheesecloth if you are concerned about removingcasein. Store in the cabinet or refrigerator (ghee does not need to be refrigerated).

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