Make your own Ghee

[3DStudent]

I use unsalted organic butter, I don't know if this makes a difference.

The only organic butter I can find is salted. They say it's better for taste reasons. Mine never comes out salty though, I think the salt sticks to the protein solids. But maybe it makes them easier to get through the straining process.

 

[Ollie]

What I've found is that different butters - salted, unsalted, brands, creamery, etc - each have their own 'cooking' time for making ghee.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

I use the same process as you for making ghee, bringing it to the boil ans simmering until it stops crackling and the surface is still, let it cool and I strain it through a double layer of muslin cloth laid in a fine sieve strainer, into a pyrex jug, and check for any residue. I use unsalted organic butter, I don't know if this makes a difference. I tested myself for sensitivity to ghee and it is ok.

Oho! I never thought about straining it. My husband has just been boiling unsalted organic butter till it forms a foamy surface, then skimming the surface off with a ladle, letting it cool, and pouring it into a cup without getting the stuff on the bottom (which there really isn't very much) in it. Need to get some sort of cloth then to strain it through. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed about that.

 

[dugdeep]

I use the same process as you for making ghee, bringing it to the boil ans simmering until it stops crackling and the surface is still, let it cool and I strain it through a double layer of muslin cloth laid in a fine sieve strainer, into a pyrex jug, and check for any residue. I use unsalted organic butter, I don't know if this makes a difference. I tested myself for sensitivity to ghee and it is ok.

Oho! I never thought about straining it. My husband has just been boiling unsalted organic butter till it forms a foamy surface, then skimming the surface off with a ladle, letting it cool, and pouring it into a cup without getting the stuff on the bottom (which there really isn't very much) in it. Need to get some sort of cloth then to strain it through. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed about that.

I find you need to let it "foam up" more than once, too. I put mine on the stove, it melts, foams up and comes to a boil. I skim it, let it boil for a bit, and then it foams up again. I skim it again and maybe strain it or it might foam one more time (I can't remember). It usually takes about half an hour. I know it's done when it's clear, golden in colour and the bits on the bottom just start to turn brown. The smell changes slightly when it's finished, too. Almost like popcorn.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

I find you need to let it "foam up" more than once, too. I put mine on the stove, it melts, foams up and comes to a boil. I skim it, let it boil for a bit, and then it foams up again. I skim it again and maybe strain it or it might foam one more time (I can't remember). It usually takes about half an hour. I know it's done when it's clear, golden in colour and the bits on the bottom just start to turn brown. The smell changes slightly when it's finished, too. Almost like popcorn.

Hope that helps.

Yes, last time he made it, we did that. Let it foam once, scrape off, let it foam again. The problem with scraping it off is you don't get it all and you do get some of the "good" part along with it! So straining would probably be a good option. As for the smell, my schnoz doesn't work very well, probably from a lifetime of eating the wrong foods and being chronically inflammed, I can't smell it (or a lot of other things) at all.

 

[theos]

This lady gives a good tutorial on making your own ghee.

_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkZgIN4cZYc&feature=related

 

[Ares]

I usually don't strain it, but use it directly and it seems to agree with me.

if you put some ghee on the qinoa after its cooked the aroma is heavenly :) has anyone tried frying meat in pure ghee? wonder how it tastes

 

[dugdeep]

has anyone tried frying meat in pure ghee? wonder how it tastes

Do you mean like deep frying in ghee? I wonder if that would work. It would probably taste amazing, but I wonder if you could get the temperature high enough to actually deep fry something and get it crispy. Since my roommate begged me to stop cooking in animal fat I haven't done any deep frying, so this could be a possible solution. It would be quite expensive, though :(

 

[Ares]

has anyone tried frying meat in pure ghee? wonder how it tastes

Do you mean like deep frying in ghee? I wonder if that would work. It would probably taste amazing, but I wonder if you could get the temperature high enough to actually deep fry something and get it crispy. Since my roommate begged me to stop cooking in animal fat I haven't done any deep frying, so this could be a possible solution. It would be quite expensive, though :(

yeah not only deep frying but light stir fry as well. the thing with ghee is that if you use too much of it, the flavor can be quite overpowering, hence I was wondering if its a good idea.

the temperature question is interesting, something I had not.considered

 

[dugdeep]

has anyone tried frying meat in pure ghee? wonder how it tastes

Do you mean like deep frying in ghee? I wonder if that would work. It would probably taste amazing, but I wonder if you could get the temperature high enough to actually deep fry something and get it crispy. Since my roommate begged me to stop cooking in animal fat I haven't done any deep frying, so this could be a possible solution. It would be quite expensive, though :(

yeah not only deep frying but light stir fry as well. the thing with ghee is that if you use too much of it, the flavor can be quite overpowering, hence I was wondering if its a good idea.

the temperature question is interesting, something I had not.considered

It seems like it might be worth experimenting. When I was deep frying in duck fat or beef tallow I had some fat set aside that I would reuse only for deep frying since it seemed to get a bit grungy for regular cooking. I imagine it would be a good idea to do this with ghee, too. I may buy a couple of pounds of organic butter tomorrow for this very purpose. It would be nice to deep fry again.

Thanks for the idea moksha!

 

[Ares]

I'm going to try it too :)

 

[Mrs. Peel]

I'm going to try it too :)

If by "frying" you mean, using ghee instead of oil/coconut oil/lard to cook with, like frying up burgers, onions, etc., yeah, I do it all the time. I'm not handling all this extra fat well, liver is sluggish cause I FEEL sluggish. So I use ghee to cook with instead of fat and take a lot of milk thistle.

As for the flavor, well, since I don't have a great sense of smell, my sense of taste is off too. I can only really tase sweet and salty, all the subtle flavors are lost on me, so can't say if the ghee flavor is overpowering or not.

 

[Ares]

thanks Mrs.peel, guess reduced senses are useful sometimes ;) I find the taste bordering on smothering if I use more than a table spoon anywhere. but then I have the same problem with butter 8)

I find grapeseed oil is great to fry stuff, its very light and has a very neutral taste for me.

 

[ursula]

My selfmade Ghee has a crumbly consistancy and it is not liquid at room temperature. I wonder if it is ok because the Ghee I bought in organic grocery store was more creamy and liquid. Which consistence does your Ghee have?

 

[Beau]

My selfmade Ghee has a crumbly consistancy and it is not liquid at room temperature. I wonder if it is ok because the Ghee I bought in organic grocery store was more creamy and liquid. Which consistence does your Ghee have?

If it sits at room temperature or cooler, it should take on a more solid consistency. The hotter it gets, the closer it comes to being more of a liquid.