Hello!
Do you like to cook? Do you prefer to use butter or oil? I like to use Ghee or Coconut Oil. I talked about it in a bunch of recipes and that I love to use it instead of regular olive oil to cook. Read the article I wrote on my favorite oil – Linseed oil – here which should not be used for cooking. I have seen Ghee only at Trader Joe’s and at Whole Foods so far; however, really expensive.
What is Ghee?
Ghee is clarified unsalted butter that has the milk proteins removed. Ghee (“liquid gold”) originally comes from India. The most important part about Ghee is that the smoke point is very high which makes it perfect for cooking and gives the food a nice buttery flavor. If you cannot eat dairy products, this is a great substitute for you.
Do you know that you actually should not heat olive oil? Whatever oil you use for cooking is supposed to be stable enough to through all type of chemical changes when you cook on high temperatures. Eating constantly overheated vegetable/olive oil could cause problems in your digestive system and might also convert good cholesterol into bad one. Usually, when the oil is heated and then mixed with oxygen it goes rancid. When I read this a while ago I said to myself that I have used regular olive oil for a long time now and nothing ever happened to me. But I have to say that I do indeed feel better when eating food cooked with Ghee. On the other hand, why not try something new once in a while, right? Cooking is just so awesome. I love it.
What benefits does Ghee have?
So, Ghee has been around for centuries. I love traditional food because I do believe that certain cultures just know special things about food that we here try to imitate or replace with chemical nonsense. I don’t even want to get started with all the Fast Food, frozen food etc. The original Ghee from India is made with good, fresh butter and works well for hair, skin, nails and teeth. It also has a ton of Vitamin K which is great for liver, heart and digestion. You just need a tablespoon of Ghee to cook and you have more nutrients than if you would use olive oil. I love to cook in a Wok sometimes to make some simple stir fry and it works great with just ONE tablespoon of Ghee. I also put Ghee on a baking sheet when I make fries for my son.
How do I make Ghee?
It is very simple. You do not have to refrigerate it. However, if I do make a larger amount I keep it in the fridge anyway.
Daniela Henry
Serves 3 large glass jars
1 minPrep Time
1 hrCook Time
1 hr, 1 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 6 bars 8oz (227g) of butter (use a creamy/sweet butter instead of salted butter. The butter does not have to be a certain brand!)
Instructions
- I use a large pot, put all the bars of butter in
- Then put on simmer for about 1 hour
- You can check how your Ghee looks after 45 minutes and see if there are reddish brown pieces of milk solids in your pot
- Ghee itself should have a bright golden color
- Do not cook Ghee! Once the butter is completely melted, use a skimmer to take out the foam and reddish brown pieces!
- Pour into glass jars (do not use plastic! It changes the flavor! Actually, try not to use anything plastic 🙂
- Close the lids and cover your jars with a blanket to let the Ghee "settle and rest" as my mom would say, for a while
Notes
Ghee will last in the fridge for up to six months and approximately one months at room temperature
Update: My mom just informed me that throughout the melting process of the butter, Ghee should under no circumstances cook/boil. Just turn the hot plate on very low/simmer for one hour. It is also important not to stir the butter throughout the melting process!
Thank you for reading my blog.
