What's the purpose of clarifying butter?

What's the purpose of clarifying butter? - Man in Black Suit Achieved an Accomplishment

Seriously, if it's just an ingredient in something larger, is it going to make a difference if the butter's been clarified or not?



Best Answer

You can heat clarified butter to a higher temperature for two reasons -- you remove the milk solids, which can burn, and you remove the water, which will boil at 100°C and cause spattering.

In baking, clarified butter's lack of water means that it can't develop gluten as you would with simple melted butter. It's actually more similar to other oils than it is to melted butter when baking.

In the case of ghee, my understanding is that because it's from a warm country, part of the reason for making it was as a preservative, as the ghee would have a longer shelf-life (months) than standard butter in the local climate.




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What is an advantage to using clarified butter instead of regular butter?

The smoke point of clarified butter is at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit higher than that of regular butter, so it can be used for saut\xe9ing, frying, and other substantial stove top cooking methods. It also has a much longer shelf life than regular butter, and can be stored unrefrigerated for up to three months.

What does clarifying butter add to a recipe?

Clarified butter tastes great, lasts longer in the refrigerator, and has a higher smoke point for cooking. When you make clarified butter, you skim milk solids off the top of melted butter and leave released water in the bottom of the pan. The stuff in the middle, the liquid gold, is 100% pure butterfat.

What does clarifying butter remove?

The goal is to remove the water and strain out the solids (usually using a cheesecloth), thereby creating a richer and purer fat that's more shelf-stable, too. Clarified butter is intensely luscious, with a nutty, toasty aroma that breaks free from the heavy murkiness of the original product.

Is clarified butter worth it?

In my opinion, clarified butter has another advantage over regular butter: intensified flavor. Because the clarifying process removes water, milk solids (and possibly other impurities), clarified butter tastes silkier, richer, and has a more intensely creamy, buttery taste.



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More answers regarding what's the purpose of clarifying butter?

Answer 2

Raising the smoke point is the first reason. The second is that you remove most of the milk solids when clarifying, so people who are lactose intolerant can usually eat clarified butter. And third, clarified butter can be kept at room temperature without spoiling. I keep mine in a french butter keeper on the counter for up to a week.

Answer 3

The main purpose that I am aware of is to raise the smoke point while retaining the buttery flavor.

Answer 4

A sauce made with clarified butter may have a more subtle and, some say, refined taste

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