Buttery goodness
In follow up to yesterday’s posting, I thought I should share the secret of making clarified butter. But first, I should answer the question – what is clarified butter? Clarified butter is butter that has had the moisture and milk solids removed, thus leaving only the fat. Why do we use clarified butter? Because everything is better with butter! It adds a richness and flavor unrivaled to regular oil. Its worth noting that once butter is clarified, it has a higher smoke point. Regular butter starts to burn and break down at about 250 degrees, whereas clarified butter’s smoke point is about 275-280, allowing you to cook foods at higher temperatures. So how do we make clarified butter? Its pretty simple if you following these steps:
1) Cut your butter (I usually melt a pound at a time) into small uniform pieces so it melts quickly and place in a bowl over simmering heat (double boiler). I usually keep it on there for about 90 minutes until a nice “crust” of milk solids forms at the top (see above left picture).
2) Take your fork and gently lift the solid milk pieces from the top(see below). These can be discarded.
3) Ladle out the beautifully clear liquid butter being careful not to disturb the water that has settle at the bottom. You only want the butter floating on top (remember fats are lighter than water). It should look like a viscous yellow oil.
4) Store in the fridge for months!
Any questions? Email me!