How to Make Ghee

1. Stage

Cut the butter and put it in a pan: Cut the sticks of butter into smaller pieces (any shape or size is fine) and put them in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium-low heat. Let the butter and heat play with each other. Just stay around to keep an eye out, but do not touch it and definitely do not stir it.

2. Stage

Skim the foam: Once the butter melts and the milk solids begin to cook, it will start to sputter and a white foam will slowly rise to the surface over the course of the next 5-8 minutes. Use a large spoon to carefully scoop the foam off the surface without touching the base of the pan, and discard the foam. This should continue for a few minutes, some 5-8 minutes after the butter melts.

3. Stage

Look for more foam and turn off the heat: Once you have scooped pretty much all the foam off the melted butter, you should see an almost clear liquid with golden browned milk solids at the bottom of the pan. About 30 seconds after this stage you will again see very faint foam forming on the surface of the ghee. It will be less dense than the previous foam—more like a thin cloud of small, clear bubbles covering the surface of the ghee. When you see this second foam form, it is time to turn the heat off. Take ghee off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.

4. Stage

Strain the ghee: Place a fine mesh sieve layered with cheesecloth over a clean, dry mason jar. Pour the ghee through the sieve and into the jar. Let the ghee cool down completely before putting the lid on the jar. Store in a dry place at room temperature. It is shelf stable. If you have a hot kitchen, you can keep ghee in your fridge just to keep it solidified.