Making brown butter is a simple process. You don’t need any special equipment or skills. You can make a small amount for immediate use or brown up a pound of butter to chill back to a solid state and use as needed. I keep a small glass container full of it in the refrigerator so that I have it at the ready.I have used both salted and unsalted butter to make brown butter. I recommend using whatever sort of butter you keep in your refrigerator for cooking and baking. While it is easy to make brown butter, it can burn if the heat is too high or if it is kept over the heat too long. This is a quick process that works most reliably when you give it your full attention while it is on the stove.A wider pot that allows the melted butter to settle in a shallow manner will help the butter to brown a bit faster. A deep pot slows down the evaporation process a bit. I like to use a skillet. A cooking pot with a lighter interior makes it easier to visually see when the butter solids have separated and begin to brown. You can use a darker colored pot, but it will require more vigilance to ensure that it doesn’t burn.
Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm
Ingredients
Butter
Instructions
Add the butter to your cooking pot set over medium-low heat. Warm the butter until it is fully melted. Once it has melted, you should watch it closely and stir occasionally to prevent it from burning.
As the water begins to boil and evaporate, the butter will bubble. Lower the heat, keeping the bubble steady. Continue to stir. The bubbling will bring the milk solids to the surface and the butter may take on a foamy appearance. As the foam dissipates, the milk solids will settle to the bottom of the pan and begin to brown.
As the milk solids brown, the butter will begin to turn golden brown and take on a toasted, nutty scent. This signals that the brown butter is ready. Remove the pot from the heat unless you are using the brown butter immediately.
Pour the brown butter into a heat proof storage container to stop the browning process. Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. Once it is chilled, you can use the brown butter in baking recipes in equal measure to the butter called for. I find that mixing brown butter and regular butter in a 50/50 ratio creates the most delicious results.
Notes
Brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks under the same storage conditions you would normally keep your butter in.