Look, we all love butter. Butter does so much heavy lifting in both cooking and baking — giving biscuits their flaky layers, smothering our steaks in flavor, and being tossed with our pasta.
Ingredients
At least 1/2 pound (2 sticks) of butter or as much as you'll use within a few months
Small saucepan
Spoon or ladle for skimming foam
Heat-proof bowl
Strainer
Cheesecloth or coffee filter
Jar for storage
Instructions
Melt the butter. Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium-low heat. Once all the butter has melted, you want the butter at a very low and gentle simmer. Adjust the heat as needed.
Skim the foam. Continue simmering the butter over low heat. Skim the foam as it rises to the surface. Solid particles will also start dropping to the bottom of the pan; these can be strained out later. Don't worry about skimming every last bit of foam; the remaining foam can be strained out later.
Strain and store. Place the strainer over the heat-proof bowl and line it with the cheesecloth or filter. When no more foam forms on the surface, remove the butter from heat and pour it through the strainer, leaving the solids in the bottom of the pan. Once the butter has cooled a bit, pour it into a jar and store in the fridge for up to three months or freeze for up to six months.
To make ghee. Instead of straining the clarified butter right away, continue simmering it over very low heat until the butter changes color from light yellow to deep gold, turns clear, and the remaining foam clumps together and falls to the bottom. Keep a close eye on things so that the butter doesn't start to burn. Some lighter foamy bubbles may form after the solid white foam falls - that's ok! Strain and store as with clarified butter. If desired, add a few fenugreek seeds to the ghee.
