ghee

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I've never bought ghee before.   Has anyone here used it?

 

I understand that it can be used for cooking.   But can it be used for simply replacing butter ON foods (such as on baked potatoes or mixed into cooked yams)?

 

[Mother]

OOTO I use Ghee and it can be used most places you can use butter but don't expect it to taste like butter.  To me it taste a bit like browned butter.  Sort of nutty.  You can make your own easily from butter if you want to try it.  Instructions can be found online. 

[Ambergris]

Yes.  I use a lot of ghee.

You can just lightly clarify it, and it tastes a lot like butter.  If you cook it longer, on purpose or because you got distracted  it takes on a rich, darker flavor particularly suited to baked potatoes and green beans.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Ambergris

[Ambergris]

When a hurricane becomes likely, one of our preps is to clarify all the butter in the house.  The milk solids go into food that will be cooked today, while the ghee goes into a jar that can stand on the counter by the bacon grease can and the other shelf-stable oil jars.   As an oil, of course, it measures differently, and has different properties for fluff baking and layer baking.  I keep two jars, one for light and one for dark.  Usually, though, I am for light because you can always cook it darker.  During a prep day, there are a lot of middling batches because there's so much going on, so each potful mostly goes into the jar that is emptier.  Hurricane-prep ghee can last months, depending on how much butter was in the freezer.

 

If you have one of those old gravy separator cups that pours from the bottom, it's really helpful.

[Mt_Rider]

So....if I really had to avoid ALL dairy, clarifying the butter and avoid the milk solids would be a good idea?  How do you strain it out? 

 

At this point I'm not being that particular.  Just trying to reduce the congestion I get from dairy.  Bronchial, y'know.   

 

MtRider   

Edited June 20, 2020 by Mt_Rider

[Littlesister]

I have been using Ghee for a long time.  It is really great for frying.  Also I use Coconut oil.  It is also great product for cooking and frying. Gives food a really good taste. I have never tried to make ghee. But am thinking of trying it out when I have more time to get back into kitchen to try out things and get some canning done as well. I don't use Ghee for butter as to me it just doesn't taste the same. but in cooking it does seem to give food a buttery taste depending on what you are cooking and how. 

[Ambergris]

You melt the butter, a one-pound block at a time. Skim off the foam as it rises and give it another 20 minutes for clarified butter and more if you want the nutty tasting browned ghee.  After the further time, your nose will call you and you'll see things have separated.  Pour however much you can into a gravy separator if you have one, and let it sit until you can separate the golden oil from the milky layer on the bottom.  Carefully pour the milky stuff out from under your ghee and set aside for whatever--dog will appreciate it, I'm sure.  I cook with it.  Lose a little ghee rather than contaminate it with a little milk.  Pour the ghee through a coffee filter (catches the fried milk solids) into a jar and pour more from the pot into the cup.  

[Ambergris]

If you have a two and a half cup gravy separator, you could do the whole pound at a time.  There's a cup and a half of ghee in the pound, more or less, so a two-cup separator could do it, but I am graceless enough I'd need an extra half cup of room to want to do it in one go.

Edited June 21, 2020 by Ambergris

[TheCG]

On 6/20/2020 at 6:36 PM, Mt_Rider said:

So....if I really had to avoid ALL dairy, clarifying the butter and avoid the milk solids would be a good idea?  How do you strain it out? 

 

At this point I'm not being that particular.  Just trying to reduce the congestion I get from dairy.  Bronchial, y'know.   

 

MtRider   

This would depend on whether it's the lactose, the casein, or something else in it that's causing the problems.

 

If it's the lactose, it would work.  I pour off as much as I can without disturbing the solids on the bottom, then pour through several layers of cheese cloth.

 

If it's the casein, that part is still in the ghee.

 

ETA:  They make butter-flavored coconut oil that works great for cooking.

Edited June 22, 2020 by TheCG

[Mt_Rider]

Hmmm.....thanks for that data!   Any idea which part would greatly increase sinus congestion issue?  I'm still working with merely theory.  I have no dire consequences from it like stop breathing.   Obviously more to this than I realized. 

 

MtRider     ....so far, I'm just eating butter but mostly nothing else with dairy.

Edited June 23, 2020 by Mt_Rider

[TheCG]

6 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

Hmmm.....thanks for that data!   Any idea which part would greatly increase sinus congestion issue?  I'm still working with merely theory.  I have no dire consequences from it like stop breathing.   Obviously more to this than I realized. 

 

MtRider     ....so far, I'm just eating butter but mostly nothing else with dairy.

Honestly, the best way to find out would be to cut out completely for a week or 2, then add ghee in and see if any symptoms come back.  I *think* it's the lactose in most people, but there are definitely people who react to casein (and other things in milk) as well.

[Mt_Rider]

Thanks!   I've been ill in one way or another this whole year.  AND seem to be reacting to pollen I've never reacted to before.  It may take quite a while to figure it out.  For now, I'm eating butter......   .....but gave up ICE CREAM and CHEESECAKE!     I'd been off dairy and then:  the cheesecake arrived.  Oye, didn't go well.    Wish I still had goat's milk cuz that seemed to be better.   

 

MtRider    .....if I can level-out, I have to keep experimenting.