Ghee/Clarified Butter

RECIPE:

So what is Ghee or Clarified butter? The simple answer is it's the milk fat rendered from butter to separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat. It is produced by melting butter and allowing the components to separate by density. The water evaporates, some solids float to the surface and are skimmed off, and the remainder of the milk solids sink to the bottom and are left behind when the butter fat is poured or scooped off. What you are left with is a "clear" butter with no dairy solids or added water in it, and a healthy source of fat for your diet. It kinda sounds complicated but it's not, it's actually really easy to make....here's how!


Ingredients:

•  2 lbs of butter *(Organic/grass fed is really what you should use for this)
•  Flavoring if you want to use it (optional)
  

* I use 2lbs of butter because it fits the larger ziploc twist lid containers perfectly. You can make this in bulk and freeze it if you would like to as well. I tend to just make 2lb batches because it lasts quite a while.


Equipment needed:

• Stove
• Pot
• Large Spoon
• Cheesecloth (optional) 

Stir to make sure all the butter melts

Step 1: Place the pot on the stove and set to medium/high heat. Start placing the butter inside. As you are unwrapping the sticks of butter and placing them in the pot you will notice it is all melting and there is a foam layer on top of the butter.

Let it foam up!

 Step 2: Stir as the butter is melting to make sure it all turns to liquid. Allow the butter to keep heating and eventually it will start foaming up more and steaming. This is the good part! The water is evaporating off, and the milk solids are solidifying, leaving us with the clarified butterfat. (If you are infusing your butter with a flavor, add it at this step. Habanero works wonderfully with clarified butter!)

I was using a strainer but a spoon works better!

Step 3: Let this boil/simmer for 5 or so minutes, turn the heat down to low, using your large spoon start skimming the foam off the top of the butter. In the picture I was using a strainer, but a large spoon actually works better. After you get most of the foam off, turn the heat back up and repeat the process again.

Milk solids are at the bottom, butter on top

Step 4: At this point you will have most of the milk solids out of the butter, but there will be some left in the bottom of the pot. That is ok! We are just going to leave that alone, and gather off the butterfat now.

This is what I end up tossing because I didn't have a cloth.

Step 5: This is where the cheesecloth comes in handy, I of course never have one on hand, so I pour the clarified butter from the pot in to the storage container and stop when the milk solids get close to the edge. Then I skim as much of the clarified butter as I can off the top of the solids, and toss the rest. This method is a bit wasteful, but it works. The best method, and the one I am going to use in the future is to cover the storage container mouth with the cheesecloth and pour the butter and milk solids in to it. It will filter out the milk solids and allow the clarified butter to flow through. 

Clarified and delicious!

Step 6: Pop the lid on your container and refrigerate. You don't need to refrigerate if you have an airtight container, but I prefer to keep mine cold, it makes it last longer!

Give it a try and let me know what you think! One thing though, butterfat can contain some nasty stuff, so make sure you splurge a bit on your butter and get organic/grassfed. I have made this with cheap butter, and the taste difference is AMAZING when you use a quality butter!

Here are a few organic grassfed butters you can find pretty easily:

I also lucked out and found a King Soopers (Kroger for those of you in the East) that had King Sooners brand non GMO organic butter!