Test Kitchen video tip: Clarified butter 101

For many, clarified butter is the cooking fat of choice in the kitchen. It is butter from which the milk solids, water and whey proteins have been removed. The resulting butter is a beautifully clear golden liquid when melted, preferred in many recipes because it can be cooked at higher temperatures than standard butter. (The milk solids in standard butter can easily burn.)

Because it’s clarified, this butter can also last longer -- the milk solids that can cause standard butter to go rancid so quickly have been removed. Of course, the milk solids also impart rich flavor, so clarified butter will not have the same depth of flavor as standard butter.

You can find clarified butter (or ghee, a type of Indian clarified butter) in many cooking stores and specialty markets, but it can be costly, and it’s just as easily made at home.

To make your own clarified butter, gently melt the butter over low heat in a heavy-bottom saucepan (or slowly melt it in the microwave). As the butter melts, the milk solids will sink to the bottom and water and whey proteins will gently bubble to the top. After the water has evaporated, gently skim the whey (the dry foam) from the top of the clarified butter. Very gently pour the clarified butter into a separate container, making sure not to disturb the milk solids at the bottom. 1 cup (2 sticks) of standard butter should give you 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup clarified butter.

Cool the butter, then cover and refrigerate until needed. Voila!

Cooking is fun — at least it should be! No matter how long you’ve been in the kitchen, there is always something new to learn, whether it’s a simple twist on an old technique, or a handy tip to save time and energy. In this series of short videos, I demonstrate a variety of kitchen tips, ranging from how to hold a chef’s knife for maximum control to using a spoon to peel fresh ginger. If you have any gadgets, kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment or shoot me an email at noelle.carter@latimes.

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter