Not Stopping Believing

Ghee (Hindi: घी ghī) is a super-clarified butter-based product typically used in Indian cooking. We all know butter makes everything taste better. Ghee is like butter on steroids, mixed with crack. It has a smoking point that sits up around 375°, making it perfect for frying anything you want: meat, vegetables, bread, whatever. I guarantee you’ll never want to fry eggs with anything else again.

The problem is that Ghee is expensive, and organic ghee is even more so, if you can even find it. Fortunately, it’s really easy to make organic ghee on your own for a fraction of the storebought price. I usually have a little batch running while I’m doing other kitchen chores.

Prep and cooking time: 1.25 to 1.75 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 pounds (8 or 16 sticks) of unsalted organic butter

Equipment:

• a spatula
• a large spoon or ladle
• a stockpot with at least 3 inches of clearance over the top of the butter.
• a mesh strainer or metal colander
• a clean dishtowel, linen towel or 3 feet of cheesecloth
• a heatproof bowl big enough to hold the butter
• a sealable storage container for your finished product. I prefer glass, but plastic works.

1. Put the butter into the stockpot and melt it over medium heat. Push the sticks around with the spatula occasionally to make sure they don’t scorch or brown while melting.

Be sure to sift the sticks around while they melt.

2. After the butter has melted, increase the heat and bring it to a boil. When it boils, it will be bubbling and very foamy.

3. Immediately reduce the heat to low and stir gently for a few seconds. Leave the pot to simmer undisturbed.

Make sure to take a good whiff of the pot while it's cooking, it smells amazing.

4. While the butter simmers, place the strainer in the glass bowl, and the dishtowel in the strainer. If you are using cheesecloth, fold it over three or four times.

Here's the equipment. A towel is fine, and a bit more environmentally friendly.

Here's the setup, really to roll.

5. Let the butter simmer undisturbed for about an hour for 1 pound of butter, or about an hour and a half if you’re doing 2 pounds. During this step, the butter will separate: solids will start to form on the bottom of the pot, and a crusty foam will cover the surface. Near the end of the simmer period, start to occasionally inspect the bottom of the pot, using the spoon to gently push the foam aside. When the solids at the bottom of the pot are browned (but not blackened), remove the pot from the heat, being careful to disturb the ghee as little as possible.

I'm sliding the foam aside, looking for that beautiful toasted brownness on the bottom of the pot.

6. Use the spoon to carefully skim off the crusty foam. You can save these skimmed solids if you like and use them on veggies, sandwiches, or in soups for flavor.

7. Carefully pour the contents of the pot into your strainer, being careful not to pour out any of the solids from the bottom of the pot.

It can take some time for it to soak all through. Say a couple OM's or something. Meditate.

8. Let the ghee cool off a bit and then pour it into the storage container.

Here’s a comparison of the ghee before and after it has cooled. Still looks like butter, but now it’s magical.

That’s it! You’re done! Now all you need is a nice exotic label for your container to impress fridge rummagers. Check out my Downloads section for a label I designed, just for you. Because you’re a cool person that cooks with ghee.