How to make homemade ghee

On a yum-yum scale of 1 to 10, ghee (aka clarified butter) is completely off the charts.

Even better, it’s so simple to make that novice cooks can master it on the first attempt.

Place 2 sticks of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. After all the butter’s melted, a foam will appear on top. Created by the water content in butter, this foam evaporates as small boiling bubbles appear. Stir occasionally as the bubbles get bigger. White-colored solids will form on the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and a second foam will appear. Let it get a little more frothy, for another minute or so, then remove from heat. This process will take about 15 minutes.

Line a strainer with triple-folded cheese cloth and strain over a bowl. Peach-colored milk solids have now been removed from the butter. Pour the ghee into a container, such as a small mason jar and cover. The clear, golden liquid will become opaque when it cools.

This highly stable fat can be stored at room temperature for a couple months. It can be refrigerated to last longer, but the cold temperature will harden it.

Ghee’s smoke point is 485 degrees Fahrenheit so it’s ideal for high-heat cooking. In comparison, the smoke point of coconut oil is 350 degrees F; virgin olive oil, 391; and grapeseed oil, 420.

Try soft ghee on toast or a dinner roll and you may never go back to regular butter. Its flavor is both exquisite and comforting. So is its smell — sort of like catnip for people. Remember how Granny on “The Beverly Hillbillies” dabs vanilla extract behind her ears? Try a little ghee and see what happens.

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