Uses for Clarified Butter in Cooking and How To Prepare it

Who doesn’t love butter? It’s a staple in most households for spreading on toast, frying eggs, and baking. But how many of you have ever made clarified butter before or cooking with clarified butter?

So why clarified butter? What are the uses of clarified butter in cooking? And how do you make clarified butter at home? Making clarified butter is not only easy but it also provides numerous benefits that make clear why you should be doing this at home. Let us find out!

A Bit of History

Around the world clarified butter is known by different names – ghee in India, samna in Arabia, and sarson ka tel or tinta in Pakistan. But clarified butter is clarified butter no matter what you call it. Clarified butter has been used for centuries as a healthy alternative to cooking oil and margarine. It is also used traditionally as an ingredient for a pan-Indian clarified ghee curry dish called “rasoi”, which is enjoyed in most parts of India.

In the West clarified butter was used as a base for cooking and frying due to its high smoke point from ancient times until sometime after World War II. Clarified butter is one of the key ingredients of French cuisine. And though some people say it is not healthy, it actually has many health benefits over most of the commonly used oils and fats today.

As the popularity of vegetable oils grew, over time clarified butter fell into obscurity. After all, you can’t buy pure clarified butter in a store, but that is not a deal-breaker. You can easily make it at home and keep it on hand in the refrigerator or freezer for months. Melting any regular butter (unsalted or salted butter) can turn it into liquid gold.

What is Clarified Butter?

Clarified butter and melted ghee have been around for centuries. The word “clarify” simply means to make clear or pure; it is nothing more than clarified cooked butter. The process separates the dairy milk solids and whey from the butterfat. Leaving behind a purer form of butterfat. 

It looks like melted lard or vegetable oil. The color is golden yellow. And it looks transparent after removing all the milk solids.

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How to Make Clarified Butter at Home:

Clarified butter is easy and inexpensive to make at home. You can make it with any regular unsalted or salted (sweet) butter you have on hand.

1) Melt unsalted butter at low heat in a heavy-based saucepan. Don’t use a pan that is too small or the butter will overflow when it starts to boil.

2) The unsalted butter will melt, bubble, foam, and froth; continue heating to remove water content.

3) As soon as the bubbling stops and the froth disappears (you can skim off the froth), remove the pan from heat, (except if you’re making clarified ghee). Pour melted butter through a strainer into another container to separate the pure butterfat from milk sediment and whey; then let cool and use or store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 months or freezer for 6 months.

That’s it – that is how you make liquid gold at home.

Advantages of Clarified Butter:

1) Clarified melted butter has a higher smoke point than whole butter, so it can be used for cooking at high temperatures without burning. It is a great substitute for melted ghee too.

2) This liquid butter has a longer shelf life – up to three months in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer.

3) It has a rich buttery flavor and aroma, but the odor of clarified butter can be eliminated by adding up to 1/2 teaspoon of lime juice for every stick of butter.

4) It can be cooked at high temperatures without generating toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and heart disease: The unstable molecules get removed when all the milk solids and water are removed from melted butterfat.

5) The melted butter toasts better than whole butter because it has a higher smoke point. The flavor of clarified butter is also richer than whole butter, so it enhances the flavor of your toasted foods

6) Uses of clarified butter include replacement for vegetable oils such as sunflower oil, olive oil, and safflower oil in frying and sauteing. Clarifying butter is a better option for this cooking application because of its high smoke point.

Uses for Clarified Butter:

1) This melted butter can be used in recipes that call for butter or olive oil in recipes. It will not alter the taste.

2) Use it when you want to boost the flavor of a recipe. Clarified butter is a more flavorful and a great replacement than whole butter.

3) It adds richness and improves baking when added to bread dough or pastry crusts before putting it inside the oven; it also makes an excellent addition to popcorn. You can drizzle it too into your pancakes.

4) It boosts the flavor of soups, dips, condiments, gravies, and casseroles; it is also an excellent substitution for olive oil when sauteing mushrooms or onions. It also makes an excellent base for stir-fry sauces because it can withstand very high temperatures.

5) Clarified butter enhances the flavor of meat recipes. Great for basting meats during cooking, which helps make meat more tender.

7) It is essential to frying pork and chicken. Ideal for preparing dip and sauces for the chicken. Clarified butter is easier to clean up, too; it does not stick as much as whole butter because it doesn’t have milk solids.

9) It is great for sauteing onion, garlic, and vegetables. It imparts a delicious flavor.

10) It is easier to spread than regular butter. It also makes an excellent substitute for margarine and in many recipes. Clarified butter also spreads more easily on cooked food.

11) Clarified butter is an excellent substitute for clarified ghee in many Indian recipes. It also enhances the flavor of many traditional Indian foods.

12) It is an excellent marinade for fish, shrimp, and other seafood since clarified butter does not break down as much when heated; it also provides a delicious flavor while grilling or roasting fish.

All Things Considered

If you’re interested and looking for a new way to add flavor and richness to your favorite food, or if you want a substitute for your cooking oil that is healthier than other oils, clarified butter may be the perfect solution. It’s quick and easy to make at home — just melt it down and strain out any milk solids using cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer. Perfect when you cook and grill different food recipes.

Uses for clarified butter include the substitution of traditional vegetable oils when frying foods like French fries, onion rings, chicken fingers, seafood, popcorn, etc., but also as part of recipes that traditionally call for whole milk products such as mashed potatoes with gravy sauce. It can also replace melted ghee… And who knows, we might launch a liquid butter alternative soon. Let us know what you think!

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About HICAPS

Over the years, HICAPS has helped bakers and businesses make delicious products by offering ingredients like Chiffon Oil, Magic Whizk Whipping Cream, Ube Flavor Emulco, and Royal Victoria Cream Cheese. 

HICAPS also provides tools and resources to valued partners such as the free “Digital Marketing Strategy for Bakery Business This Pandemic” E-book and free online dealer locator that helps look for Baking Supplies Near Me. 

You can also read our other articles like: “Perfect Deep-Frying Old-Fashioned Donuts Using CrispFry Frying Lard” and “What’s the Difference Between Flavocol and Emulco?“ Or this “Should We Use Butter or Margarine in Cooking and Baking?“

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