How to Make Clarified Butter

Step 1: Melt the butter over medium-low heat.

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Clarified butter contains no water or milk solids, and it can withstand temperatures as high as 400° without burning (regular butter burns at around 250°). To make clarified butter, simply melt butter, and remove the solids. What remains is pure milk fat that can be used to brown meats and seafood or enrich sauces. Just don’t use it as a spread: It’s grainy when it cools. Ghee is similar to clarified butter, but the butter is browned to develop a nutty taste before the solids are skimmed off. It’s popular in Indian cuisine for enriching sauces, finishing soups, or as a general cooking oil.

How to Make Clarified Butter

1. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
2. Skim the milk solids from the top of the melted butter.
3. Slowly pour the butter out of the pan, leaving the remaining solids in the bottom of the pan.