1 I Just Want to Clarify Something....

Did you know that if you cook with butter on high heat, it will burn?  What causes it to burn?  Milk.  Clarifying butter is simply taking the milk and water out of butter.  Plus, if you are lactose intolerant, this butter's for you!

First, you will need a heavy bottomed sauce pan that will keep the heat nice and even.  I think I had a little over a pound of butter here.


Turn your heat to medium-low.

The butter will begin to quickly melt.

The white foam that is on top is milk solids.  I used a silicone spatula to move the milk solids, allowing me to check the color and transparency of the butter fat below.




Your butter may begin "popping" at this point.  That is the water that is in your butter.  Turn the heat down if this happens.

Use a spoon to skim off the milk foam....

and discard it.  It is super airy and very salty.  I read somewhere that this is good for popcorn...

I tried to pour the remaining butter fat to catch what I could not skim off through a fine sieve.

It did not work that well.

If you have a coffee filter or cheesecloth, that may work better.

As my butter cooled slightly, I was able to skim a little more milk solids off the top.

If you look at the bottom of the measuring cup, you will also see that some milk solids have settled on the bottom.

I just poured it into another container, being extra careful not to pour the white stuff in...

Now I have clarified butter, ready to use any time I want to saute or pan fry something with the taste of butter.


Since this butter does not have any milk in it, you can leave it at room temperature for up to a month without it going bad.  In your fridge, 6 months.  In your freezer, a year.

Special Thanks for the Reluctant Gourmet for video demonstration ~