Clarified butter

Clarified butter is pure butterfat. Butter is about 80 percent fat, with the rest water and milk solids. When you melt it gently and remove the water and solids, you are left with a clear golden fat that tastes of butter but behaves more like an oil.

How to do it

1. Melt 250 g (2 sticks) of unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Do not stir.
2. Let it bubble gently for a few minutes. White foam rises to the top and milky solids sink to the bottom.
3. Skim off the foam with a spoon.
4. Slowly pour the clear yellow fat into a jar, leaving the milky layer behind. For a cleaner result, pour it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.

You will get about three quarters of the weight you started with.

Why it works

The milk solids are what burn first when you fry in butter. Without them, the smoke point rises from about 175°C (350°F) to roughly 230°C (450°F). That makes clarified butter good for searing, frying potatoes and making crisp pancakes. With no water, it also keeps far longer and makes smoother emulsified sauces.

How to use it

• Fry steak, fish or potatoes at higher heat than whole butter allows.
• Brush it over pastry such as filo.
• Make hollandaise and béarnaise. The sauce is less likely to split.
• Serve it warm as a dip for lobster and crab, where it is often called drawn butter.

How to store it

Keep it in a closed jar in the fridge for up to 3 months. It sets firm but melts quickly in a pan.

Common mistakes

• Using high heat. The solids brown and you get brown butter instead.
• Stirring while it melts, which mixes the layers back together.
• Mixing it up with ghee. Ghee is cooked longer, until the solids brown and are strained out, so it tastes nutty. Clarified butter tastes clean and mild. They can swap for each other in most recipes.