For centuries, clarified butter (or ghee) has been worshiped in India. In this country, its presence is considered a sign of wealth and prosperity. Nevertheless, this product rightfully deserves great popularity due to its taste and healthy qualities.
Home-made ghee - general principles
Ghee is not only useful and tasty, but also very convenient. Firstly, it can be used as a normal vegetable. Secondly, this product does not burn, so it is very convenient to fry something on it. It is also stored for a very long time - it can be safely stored in a refrigerator for about one and a half years - the oil will be the same as on the first day of cooking.
The product is obtained by heating ordinary cream. During the procedure, excess moisture, various impurities and milk elements are removed from the cream.
Ghee is extremely useful for maintaining liver health, maintaining youth and beauty, as well as in restoring the body's immunity after illness.
The procedure for cooking melted butter at home is not only the process of heating and melting it in a frying pan, but also removing foam from the resulting dairy impurities and bringing the mixture to an amber color and a characteristic nut smell.
It is very simple to make home-made butter at home - it’s enough to buy ordinary butter at the supermarket or at the grocery market. The percentage of fat in it should be at least 70%.
Home-made butter - cooked on a gas stove
Regardless of the volume, home-made butter is always prepared using the same method. The difference is only in the size of the heating pans, the strength of the fire and the volume of the container for storing the product just received.
One of the most popular methods of heating butter is cooking using a gas stove. We will need the following ingredients:
• butter (for example, 2 kg.);
• a saucepan of about 5 liters, made from a mixture of heavy metals and having a thickened bottom; • skimmer;
• 0.5 l glass jar;
• ladle;
• sieve, pre-laid layers of gauze;
• container with tight-fitting lid.
The following step by step instructions should be followed to make home baked butter on a gas stove:
• we cut butter into small shares, each of which should weigh approximately 100 g;
• put the sliced pieces in a metal pan;
• drown oil on medium heat, ensure that the melting process is slow;
• after the oil has finally melted, add the heat to the maximum and bring the mixture to a boil;
• as soon as foam bubbles start to form on the surface of the melted oil, you need to take a skimmer or a regular spoon and stir a little, reducing the fire on the gas stove to the very minimum;
• leave the mass to boil (no need to stir the oil or close the pan with the lid) until the milk protein starts to settle to the bottom of the pan - the beginning of the process will be noticeable by the color change of the protein mass from white to golden and the formation of almost stationary oil on the surface thin crust - almost transparent;
• Next, remove the dry thin crust from the surface.
At the last stage of homemade butter making, pay special attention to the color and smell of clear oil. In case of formation of a sediment that is not golden in color at the bottom of the pan, but darker in shade, as well as the presence of a very strong smell, this means that the oil was heated for a long time or on a very high fire. In the case presented, it is recommended to discard precipitates, the oil itself may be used. However, when preparing the product next time you need to carefully monitor the power of fire.
Home-made butter - oven-cooked
This method is the best, if you want to manufacture a considerable amount of butter melted at home. In this case, the heating procedure will be carried out almost without human intervention - since the heat in the oven surrounds the container with oil from almost all sides, and not just at the very bottom.
The size of the tank depends on the initial amount of oil that needs to be reheated. In any case, it is extremely undesirable to fill the pan to the brim - from the surface of the oil to the edges of the dishes there should be at least 8 cm free space. So, how does homemade butter cook in the oven? There is the following algorithm of actions:
• we warm the oven to a temperature of 150 degrees;
• take butter and cut it into small pieces, each weighing about 100 grams each;
• place the pieces in a pre-cooked metal pot with thick walls and a thick bottom;
• leave the mass in the oven and closely monitor the implementation of the process - at the time of heating the product will be slowly cleared of impurities, and eventually formed into an amber-golden mixture with a thin crust on the surface and a light golden shade of sediment at the bottom;
• as soon as the homemade butter is ready, remove the pan from the oven (cooking time depends on the weight of the original product - it takes about one and a half hours to melt half a kilogram of butter, about 15 kg. Oil will be heated for about half a day);
• then remove the hardened film from the surface with a spoon or a special skimmer and transfer the mass into a small jar;
• the next step is to strain the clear oil through a sieve with gauze - pour through it the amount of oil that can be poured without affecting the sediments;
• scoop out the rest of the oil (about 2.5 cm from the bottom of the pan) with a spoon;
• wait until the oil has cooled slightly;
• Pour melted butter at home into a storage tank, and after it cools down to room temperature, close it with a tight lid;
• The remaining ghee, along with the sediments, should be poured into a small jar, into which the hardened foam has been previously drained, and used to prepare various dishes.
How to make homemade butter, flavored with cumin
The butter made in this way will add to any dishes - no matter if they are steamed, baked or consumed raw, they have a pleasant smell and taste. A similar means of flavoring is sesame oil, which is widely used in Eastern cuisine.
But since ghee is not as heavy as sesame oil, steamed with cumin can be used to impart a refined flavor and taste, which cannot be achieved using other spices and oils. Home-made melted butter using seasonings such as cumin can be made both in the oven and on a gas stove using the following ingredients for every half kilogram of butter:
• 3 tablespoons cumin;
• 6 to 8 curry leaves (if available).
Cooking method:
• take the gauze and wrap the appropriate seasoning in it;
• tie the gauze into a knot;
• after the oil in the pan has completely melted, put the gauze with cumin in there;
• prepare the product according to the instructions above for the chosen method - in a gas stove or oven.
Home-made ghee made with black pepper
The use of pepper will allow the dish, which is cooked in melted butter, to acquire a slightly spicy taste without a feeling of bitterness.
Cooking oil using pepper should be carried out with the following ingredients for every half kilogram of butter:
• 2 tablespoons of black peppercorns.
For cooking requires:
• take the gauze and wrap the pepper in it;
• melt the butter in a saucepan and put a gauze knot in it;
• prepare melted butter in accordance with the algorithms presented above.
Since ancient times, ghee has been considered as an exceptionally healing product. Over time, the tradition of its use in food began to be forgotten. Now, due to the widespread propaganda of the cult of a healthy lifestyle, the time has come to revive this tradition. And it’s good that anyone can cook ghee right at home without much effort.
