Clarified Butter

Clarified Butter
Posted in : Sauces Stocks Marinades on
by : ChefLars
Tags: ,

A Little Personal History:

Clarified butter smokes at a much higher heat. So, wether sauteing, stir-frying, grilling cheese sandwiches, frying eggs, etc.  if you don’t want a smoky kitchen setting of the fire alarm; using clarified butter is the way to go.

Description:

Clarified butter is butter that has had the milk solids and water removed. One advantage of clarified butter is that it has a much higher smoke point, so you can cook with it at higher temperatures without it browning and burning. Also, without the milk solids, clarified butter can be kept for much longer without going rancid.

Categories: Sauce
Servings: 1 1/2 cups
Time: – Preparation:   5 minutes
– Cooking:         60 minutes
Equipment: heavy sauce pan, coffee filter, glass jar and top
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound unsalted butter

Procedure:

  1. Put the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Melt the butter slowly and make sure it does not sizzle or brown.
  3. Increase the heat and bring the butter to a boil.
  4. When the surface is covered with foam, stir gently and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting.
  5. Gently simmer, uncovered, and undisturbed for 45 minutes, until the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown and the butter on top is transparent.
  6. Strain the butter through your coffee filter with a glass jar underneath. Seal tightly.

Advanced Preparation:

  • Clarified butter is intended to be prepared in advance so it’s ready to use when needed.

Tips, Notes, and Variations:

  • The primary purpose for clarified butter is to saute vegetables and sauces (e.g. Hollandaise) over medium low heat for extended time (e.g. 15 min. or more) so they don’t to brown.
  • An alternative way to clarify butter is to melt and pour the hot butter into a container and refrigerate to allow solids and foam to separate while cooling. After it has solidified, you can easily scrape off the hardened foam from the stiff clarified butter layer.
  • A stick (8 tablespoons) of butter will produce about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter or 1 cup of butter will make 3/4 cup of clarified butter.