The Perfect Ghee

 

freeze unsalted good-quality butter solid. you’ll notice different brands have different (slight) changes in cooking time of recipe. Remember, when you make ghee, it’s practicing “household yoga” and requires attention. it’s rather easy to burn ghee, and sometimes only a half-minutes makes a difference between “perfect” and “burnt” ghee.

 

in small saucepan unwrap and place all 4 sticks of 1pound of frozen butter on LOW heat, and bring to a boil. Once butter starts boiling, turn down to low simmer. the SOUND is most important in making ghee. Here, at the beginning is a loud crackling sound. This loud crackle will continue as the ghee cooks, and only stops when you are close to finished. This make take 10 minutes more or less, depending on weather, altitude, butter quality. Just stay close to the stove and keep your ear out. i set my timer for 3 minute increments so i can check on my current batch. and if your stove is new, be very attentive. Once the sound stops the butter will have changed from cloudy to clear. But now the foam begins, so you’ll only see the “clearing” if you take a spoon and “separate” the foam gently (don’t spash, fires easily as all grease does). you can also take a “peek” by shaking the saucepan to and fro as it cooks. you want to now SEE the clarity. if you take out too soon, you’ll not have cooked out a lot of the solid fat, which falls to the botton ONLY after you’ve taken in a few minutes into this FOAMING stage. Usually the foam will build, and get more like “whipped foam” and may even have a “toasty light brown” on its topmost surface. THEN…take off the ghee immediately, put through a tea strainer (IF you don’t see the dark yuk at the bottom of the pan, put back on stove and cook more, you didn’t take it far enough). Use a CLEAN GLASS jar. It shouldn’t bust, i’ve never had one do that. I use 16oz, 1# peanut butter jars, regular size. holds 1 # cooked ghee PERFECTLY.

Ghee doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It will be golden yellow if perfectly cooked, but even if its goes over to the “toasty brown” side, it’s deliciously nuttier tasting than the “yellow” ghess. Only when it’s gone into the too-dark brown and of course, blackened stage you best throw it away and chock that batch up to experience (happened to me, too!).

 

Enjoy this healthy and ancient way of using butter. in Aryuvedic medicine it’s considered a little (no more than 1 tablespoon) ghee each day (minimum!) is mandatory to perfect health. Not to use in excess though, because the “solid fat” removed does not make ghee “fat-free” or even “half-fat.” It is absolutely full-fat … but the solids have been removed, and what’s left is dosha-balancing (different types of our physicality) and should be regarded as sacred food. As ALL food is, of course, but using ghee (and olive oil too) instead of other fat products is healthy and smart, and spirituall correct (SC!)