Found a recipe that requires brown butter as an ingredient? Are you a bit lost in the idea? Don’t worry, it’s not a very difficult process, and once you get the hang of it, it gets really easy. So here’s how to make brown butter, simple and quick!
A variety of butter that tastes better than butter? Sign me up! Brown butter has a sweetness about it that’s like nothing else I’ve tasted. And it’s great to use when baking cookies, scrambling eggs, or even sauteing and searing different foods. I like to have it on bread! I am crazy about butter; I have to confess. So, of course, I had to learn how to make brown butter.
How to make brown butter in 6 easy steps
1. Gather your ingredients
You will need as many sticks of butter as you like. As for equipment, pick a medium saucepan and a heatproof bowl. The saucepan should be lightly colored, so you can easily monitor the butter’s color. The bowl is for cooling after the process is done.
2. Cut the butter
You will have to cut the butter into pieces of very similar sizes. Otherwise, the pieces of butter will cook disproportionately. Some of them will get burned, while others won’t be fully cooked.
3. Set the stovetop to medium heat
The heat levels make sure you are controlling the process. Butter doesn’t have a very high smoke point and could get burnt easily over high heat. So set it to a medium!
4. Move the saucepan
Add the pieces of butter in the saucepan and melt them over the same medium heat. Move the saucepan to make sure that the butter is cooking evenly on all sides. Stir or swirl now and then, to make sure that the final product is even.
5. Don’t take your eyes off it
The butter could go from brown to burned so quickly that you have to watch it the whole time. The butter melts and begins to foam. It starts to change color from its original shade to a golden color, and finally, the brown we’re looking for. Use your olfactory sense too. When the butter starts to smell nutty, it’s done.
TIP: If your butter gets a bit burned, you can try to save it by straining it. It depends on how much burn damage there is.
6. Remove from the pan and store
Transfer the browned butter to the bowl and let it cool. Once it does, you can use it right away (I know I would!) or you can store it in one of your favorite mason jars. It keeps for about five days at room temperature. If you need it to “live” a little longer, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks. If you want more time with the brown butter, then you can freeze it in an airtight container. It lasts for about three months.
Up for some more buttery goodness? Here’s how to make garlic butter, and also how to melt butter!
