Video
How to Brown Butter
Learn how to make brown butter - it is easy! Once you learn how to brown butter, you will be able to elevate your recipes. It has a very complex, nutty and almost savory flavor that results from the cooking process.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted or salted butter, cut into 1 Tablespoon sized pieces
Instructions
- NOTE: The browning process proceeds rapidly once the water begins to evaporate, so don’t leave the stove unattended. Have a heatproof bowl next to the stove ready to decant the butter. Do not taste it as it will be very hot.
- First melt the butter. Place the butter in a light-colored 1-quart stainless steel saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until completely melted. Increase heat to medium and allow butter to come to a boil, stirring constantly. It will bubble and crackle as its water content evaporates. Cooking over medium heat ensures the butter cooks gently and evenly.
- Cook the butter. Continue to cook, stirring quite frequently, until the crackling noises begin to fade and the bubbles subside. A dense foam will form at the surface as the last bit of water squeezes out, and the color will progress from golden yellow to tan and finally, brown. Continue stirring through the whole process. The milk solids at the bottom of the pan will be amber brown. It will smell intensely buttery and nutty. This takes around 7 to 10 minutes depending on the quantity of butter. Keep a close eye on it and continue stirring as butter can turn from brown to burnt within a matter of seconds.
- NOTE: if you rush the process, the result with be yellow liquid fat with brown milk solids instead of golden amber liquid butter oil with brown milk solids. A slow cooking process allows the butter oil to color and take on flavor. Rushing the process will cook the solids before the butter has time to develop flavor.
- Once you smell that nutty aroma and begin to see little brown bits as you stir, take the pan off the heat and immediately pour the brown butter into a medium heatproof bowl. (If you happen to cook it too far and the brown bits are now (burnt) black bits, you can strain the butter through a fine mesh sieve or a cheese cloth to remove them, as they can impart a bitter flavor to your dessert). Let it cool to room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator if not using immediately.
