WHAT IS CLARIFIED BUTTER?

You have a recipe that asks for clarified (drawn) butter. You have been all over the store and you don’t see any.

Clarified butter is actually a process to separate the butter fat from the proteins. Once the fats have been removed, the butter will have a higher smoke point, and will not turn brown as fast if you are using it for cooking. If you are using it for a dip, it creates a lovely clear liquid that is quite flavorful. For best results use unsalted butter.

To clarify butter, place the desired amount of butter into a small heavy saucepan.

Warm the butter over low heat with out stirring.

Once all the butter is melted and has simmered for a few minutes, you will see that it has separated into 2 layers. The clear layer is the clarified butter and the milky layer at the bottom is the milk fat.

Gently pour out the top layer into your serving dish and discard the milky looking fats.