Clarified Butter (Ghee)

Milk solids are what make butter easy to burn. By removing them, aka clarifying, we create a fat that’s perfect for high heat applications like searing. It’s super easy to do and keeps almost indefinitely in the fridge.

Makes 2 cups

INGREDIENTS

1 pound unsalted butter

METHOD

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it will separate into fat, water, and milk solids. The fat will rise to the top, while the water and milk solids will settle at the bottom. If you’d continued to cook until the milk solids caramelized, you would have brown butter. Or you can let the solids settle at the bottom for a milder tasting clarified butter.

Let the solids settle. Once the butter is completely melted, turn off the heat and allow the butter to cool for a few minutes and let the solids settle completely. If some milky solids have gotten stuck on the surface, skim them with a mesh skimmer or spoon.

Pour off the clarified butter. Carefully pour the fat into a mason jar or other heat-proof container. Don’t try to get every last drop! If you do, you’ll end up pouring some solids into your freshly clarified butter. Be content with 90%. Compost the rest (it’s mostly solids and water, and there’s not much use for them). The clarified butter will keep for months in the refrigerator.