I just recently discovered how incredibly easy it is to make something that is quite expensive. Earlier today I compared prices on whether or not it was even worth doing. I shop at Trader Joe's (which is budget-friendly) and snapped some pictures of the price of their butter versus the price of their ghee. Between 16 ounces of real butter and 8 ounces of ghee (that's right folks, half the amount of the butter sticks), there was nearly a $2 difference -- $2 more for the ghee. Yes, it would be worth my time to make the ghee.
So why ghee and not butter? Well, if you happen to have a lactose issue, but love butter, then this is for you. Ghee also has a higher smoke point, because it doesn't have the sugar in it -- the sugar being what contributes to burning. Ghee will burn, but at a higher and longer amount of heat. Many people are lactose-intolerant. Many of those that actually are lactose-intolerant don't even realize it. What is so wrong with lactose? Simple research shows us that enzymes are needed to digest them easily and safely. This is why the pills a lactose-intolerant person can take in order to consume lactose contains enzymes. This is not a fault with the milk. The milk does have enzymes, but pastuerizing removes them. Hence, many people that are lactose-intolerant can actually consume raw milk. So if you remove the enzymes it is probably better to remove the lactose. This is where ghee comes in.
What you will need:
Unsalted butter
Mason jar
Tea strainer or equivalent, or cheese cloth
Step 1. Melt the butter fully on medium heat to a boil. I was careful not to put it on a high heat because I intend on using the solids that will float to the bottom. Many depend on the solids turning brown to tell them the ghee is done. I will share with you later how to tell otherwise, without burning the solids so that you may later use them. I purchased unsalted butter because you will need to add salt to help out the separation after it cooks. If you already start with salted butter you may end up with too much salt in your ghee. Also, I utilize the unused part of the butter, which is predominately sugar. I will explain later why I mentioned this.
Step 2. Turn the heat to simmer. Once the butter is fully melted, it will start to look frothy. You will hear snap, crackle, and pops as the water boils out of the fat. This boil is untexturized. It is very different from fat boiling (which you will soon see). At this water boiling stage, when the butter is fully metled, turn the medium heat down to a simmer to finish ridding the water. The solids will start to separate. You don't need to skim, so resist the urge!
Step 3. Allow ghee to simmer 10-15 minutes. This was the time frame for my stove. The time to simmer will depend on how much butter you started with and your stove. I used 16 ounces of butter and have a hotter stove. You will allow the ghee to simmer until 1) the boiling has turned into smaller, textured/thick bubbles, 2) you can see the bottom of the pot when you try to separate the curds on the surface, and 3) when you see that most of the curds have actually dropped to the bottom of the pot. Basically, when the ghee is transparent, it is done. You don't have to watch the solids (until they turn brown), instead watch the ghee.
Step 4. Take off the heat and add a pinch of salt. This helps the curds to fall to the bottom. If you started with a medium heat and went to a simmer, then your curd solids will have preserved themselves enough to be used again. The solids are mostly sugar. They burn easily. So in order to use the solids you will have to remove from the heat as soon as the ghee is transparent.
Step 5. Strain ghee into a mason jar. I didn't have a cheese cloth nor did I have a tea strainer, so I used a frying lid. Hey, it works. I did a triple strain, from one glass jar into another. I had read somewhere that if you do more than one strain, be careful not to rinse out your strainer. Allowing water into the ghee will diminsh its shelf stability.
The milk solids won't amount to much, but since it has a high sugar concentration, why not make it a coffee creamer? Or you can add it to pancakes as a mock buttermilk. Allow the ghee to cool. It doesn't need to be refrigerated. I have taken a picture of the ghee I bought from Trader Joe's for $4.79 versus the one I made for a total of $2.99. Excuse my jar, it used to be a peanut butter one. You know I'm all about repurposing if it saves me a dollar.
Ghee is shelf-stable. Foods with lactose require refrigeration, but your new and better "butter" doesn't have that issue anymore!
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