Looking for ideas to make your meals have a different and peculiar flavor? It is very likely that you will achieve this by using clarified butter, since you will get crunchier and better-tasting foods.
Let's learn by reading this article what clarified butter is and what makes it so special in your kitchen.
What is clarified butter?
Clarified butter is the ordinary butter we know that has gone through a purification process where the water and proteins it contains are eliminated (around 20% of its composition). In other words, it is pure fat butter.
This butter remains liquid in warm temperatures and solidifies at low temperatures. To clarify butter, cow or buffalo butter is usually used, although the latter usually has religious impediments in some cultures.
Differences between clarified butter and normal butter
We have already explained that its main difference lies in the distinction of its components, because while normal butter contains fats, proteins and water, clarified butter consists of pure fat. This difference makes others appear when using it in the kitchen. For example:
- Clarified butter is usually more digestive, since a large part of the lactose that can cause digestion problems in some people is eliminated.
- The shelf life of clarified butter is longer, so you can keep it for months in the refrigerator. You can also keep it at room temperature, as long as it is kept free of other foods and does not suffer extreme temperature changes.
- The price is usually higher for clarified butter than for normal butter, since it requires a greater process to obtain.
- The smoke point in clarified butter is higher than in normal butter, around 205°C, this makes it more suitable for being subjected to high temperatures without changing its burnt taste.
How to use clarified butter?
Clarified butter is ideal for frying and sautéing, as it provides better flavor to foods, avoiding that smoky taste that normal butter or cooking oil usually leaves.
Clarified butter is also often used for preserving processes, for example, the potting in England is well known where hare and shrimp are preserved in jars of clarified butter.
It can be used as a condiment to improve the flavor of foods by making a preparation based on spices such as cumin, turmeric or nutmeg. This is a preparation widely used in Ethiopian cuisine.
It can be used as a substitute for vegetable oil or cooking oil, and is often used in desserts considered a delicacy.
You can use clarified butter to highlight many of your foods such as smoked meat or sautéed vegetables.
And one use outside the kitchen that is worth mentioning is that it is used in countries like India or Pakistan, where it is used to light lamps that are used in ceremonies.
related products
