The Glories of Ghee

While “ghee” may sound like something exotic and strange, if you’ve eaten lobster, you’ve probably sampled it–it’s also known as clarified butter or drawn butter.  (Very occasionally, people call it butter oil.)  “Drawn” butter describes its true nature:  butter that has had the milkfat solids drawn or skimmed off of it.  Since it’s the milk solids that spit and sputter when butter is used for sauteéing, ghee is the ideal cooking fat.   (The word “ghee” has crossed over from Indian and Tibetan cookery–in the former, ghee from cows is used; in the latter, the ghee is clarified from yak butter.)  The stability of the butter combined with the absence of splatter-inclined milk solids is your best bet for medium- to heavy-heat cooking.  Check out The Properties of Oils for more information about why it’s critical to only cook with saturated fats.

You can make your own ghee by heating your butter (preferably from grass-fed cows) over low heat until it has completely melted.  Turn the heat to the lowest setting and allow about 20-30 minutes for the milk solids to float up to the top.  (You’ll see white foam forming.)  Skim off the foam and discard, then store the ghee in a glass screw-top container.  You might also be able to find grass-fed organic ghee at your local health-food store or farmer’s market.

Happy spatter-free cooking!

Tags: casein-free, fats, frying, ghee, indian, lactose-free, oils