How to Clarify Butter in the Oven
Butter is made up of three components: water, milk solids and butter fat. Sometimes known as drawn butter, clarified butter is simply pure butter fat that has had its water and milk solids removed. The translucent yellow butter fat spreads smoothly and has a higher smoke point, allowing you to cook foods at increased temperatures. Although the stove top is the most common method for making clarified butter, placing it in the oven produces the same results. It will take longer to cook, but the process provides you with considerable hands-off time. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Place sticks of unsalted butter into a baking dish or oven-safe pot. If your butter is in the form of one large block, cut it into 1/4-lb. portions before adding it to the dish. Use high-quality unsalted butter, because low-quality butters contain more water and are more likely to burn. You'll need about 25 percent extra unsalted butter to achieve the same amount of clarified butter.
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Place the baking dish with the butter in the oven -- preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Allow the butter to cook undisturbed, but watch it carefully. Remove it from the oven when it begins to bubble and foam. Cooking times depend on the quantity of butter used.
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Allow the butter to cool until it is lukewarm. The butter will separate into three layers: foamy water, golden butter fat and white milk solids. Strain the first two layers through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve, leaving the third layer of milk solids in the bottom of the pan. If you don't have an appropriate strainer, skim off the foamy top, then slowly pour the middle section into a container, leaving the milk solids behind.
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Store clarified butter, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to six months. Do your best to prevent water from contaminating the butter, since moisture will cause it to spoil sooner.
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References
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