Ghee is an ancient practice of clarifying butter to give it a longer shelf life and to increase the digestibility of the fats. It basically amounts to heating the butter and “rendering” it to separate the water, fat, and proteins. It stores well on the counter in sanitized glass jars, or keeps even longer in the fridge.
Why take the time to make ghee? Here are a few reasons:
- Ghee is lactose and casein free. These are the two components of milk products that are more difficult to digest and give folks problems. They are left behind in the solids, as you’ll see in the video. You get the benefits of butter in a more digestible form.
- Ghee retains the fat soluble vitamins A, E, & K. You get more of the nutrient benefits since these vitamins are readily absorbed by your gut in the fat and aren’t inhibited by the (missing) lactose and casein.
- Ghee contains many other fat soluble (meaning they are only in fat and your body can’t absorb them any other way) things like Conjugated Linoleic Acid (know to keep arteries healthy and so prevent heart disease) and butyric acid, which is know to support insulin production and prevent inflammation.
Still not convinced? How about that ghee is a good fat to cook with? Butter is tasty, so ghee has that. PLUS, it has a high smoking point, meaning that you can fry, saute, bake, and roast with it without having it break down and oxidize into harmful free radicals. It keeps all it’s great health giving benefits, even when things heat up.
Here’s the “how to” video with the recipe below it.
GHEE RECIPE
Ghee is an easy to make, health building fat.
- 1/2 lb. organic butter, preferably grass fed, 2 sticks
- stainless steel pot
- cheesecloth
- sterilized glass jar with lid (any kind will do)
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Place butter into the pot. Melt over medium heat, then reduce heat to low.
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After about 5 minutes the butter will begin to have a froth on the surface. Begin to stir ocassionally and keep an eye on it. You may hear popping sounds as the water breaks the surface and evaporates. It may even appear to be boiling. Keep stirring the surface gently to allow the water to evaporate more efficiently.
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Notice when the popping sounds become intermittent and the water is not releasing so quickly. You'll be able to see through the fat clearly to the bottom of the pan, where the solids are settling. When the solids are all settled on the bottom and the fat smells a bit nutty, remove from heat. This should take about 10-15 minutes, though sometimes it takes close to 20. The fat should be golden brown.
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Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
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Pour through the cheesecloth to strain any stray pieces of solids straight into the jar. Skim off any remaining bits of foam. Allow to cool completely without the lid on.
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Store on the counter (lid on) for up to a month. It will keep for several months in the fridge. Enjoy just as you would butter!
While you're in the kitchen making a meal anyway is a great time to make your ghee. You can double, triple, or quadruple the recipe to make it once and last a while.
I left the heat higher when I made the ghee in the video, which results in a browned butter effect. Very tasty, just different.