Clarified butter is
butter that has been rendered to separate the
milk solids and water from the
milk fat. It consists of entirely
saturated fat and has a
higher smoking point that regular
butter. It is therefore preferred in many cooking applications such as frying and sauteing.
Ghee is a type of clarified
butter, widely used in the
Indian cuisine.
The process of producing clarified
butter involves melting
butter over heat and allowing its components to separate by density. Solids that float to the surface are skimmed off, water and other
milk solids sink to the bottom and the
butter fat is spooned off. Any other components but
butter fat are discarded.
Clarified
butter is widely available in jars or metal containers.