WEBVTT - How Does Ghee Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vocal bomb here. If you're unfamiliar

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<v Speaker 1>with G, buckle up because it's not quite like any

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<v Speaker 1>other type of cooking fat and you may fall in love.

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<v Speaker 1>It's delicious, It has a high smoke point, so it's

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<v Speaker 1>ideal for most types of cooking, and its shelf stable,

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<v Speaker 1>which means you can make it or buy it to

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<v Speaker 1>keep it in your pantry and pull it out anytime

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<v Speaker 1>you want. But let's back up a bit. Uh. Simply put,

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<v Speaker 1>G is simmered strained butter, similar to clarified butter, but

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<v Speaker 1>cooked longer to deepen the flavor. The process removes the water, sugars,

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<v Speaker 1>and proteins that butter contains, leading to a final product

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<v Speaker 1>with a higher concentration of fat. How much higher? We

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<v Speaker 1>spoke via email with Alyssa Lavy, a registered dietitian based

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<v Speaker 1>in Connecticut. She said when comparing the amount of calories

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<v Speaker 1>and fat, there is not a significant difference between butter

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<v Speaker 1>and G contains on average, slightly more calories and fat,

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<v Speaker 1>including slightly more saturated fat, compared to the same serving

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<v Speaker 1>of butter. GE's history extends thousands of years in South

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<v Speaker 1>Asian cultures, with uses both in the kitchen and an

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<v Speaker 1>iravetic medicine. Though it's only recently become trendy in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States. It's a pantry staple in Indian, Pakistani, and

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<v Speaker 1>Bangladeshi cuisines because gee doesn't spoil in warm weather and

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<v Speaker 1>has that long shelf life we already mentioned. Thanks to

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<v Speaker 1>its lack of water and milk solids, it can also

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<v Speaker 1>provide a suitable butter replacement for those who are lactose

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<v Speaker 1>intolerant or following low sugar or no dairy diets. It's

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<v Speaker 1>easy to make your own ge or clarified butter for

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<v Speaker 1>that matter at home. Here's the basic recipe. You want

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<v Speaker 1>to start with at least a couple of sticks of

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<v Speaker 1>unsalted butter. A full pound or around half a kilo

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<v Speaker 1>is recommended. Butter is composed of up to twenty water

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<v Speaker 1>and milk solids, those sugars and proteins, so when you

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<v Speaker 1>prepare ghee or clarified butter, your yield will be about

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<v Speaker 1>of what you start with. Place the butter in a saucepan,

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<v Speaker 1>one with a light colored bottom will help you see

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<v Speaker 1>what's happening in there. Melt the butter over medium low

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<v Speaker 1>heat until it begins to simmer. Skim the foam from

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<v Speaker 1>the top as needed. As the water begins to evaporate,

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<v Speaker 1>the milk solids will sink to the bottom of the

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<v Speaker 1>saucepan and the butter will begin to turn more clear. Eventually,

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<v Speaker 1>the butter will turn translucent and the foam on top

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<v Speaker 1>will completely disappear. At this point, if you've stopped and

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<v Speaker 1>strained it, you'd have clarified butter, but for gee. Continue

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<v Speaker 1>to cook the butter gently until the milk solids at

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<v Speaker 1>the bottom of the saucepan have browned about forty five minutes.

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<v Speaker 1>They'll give off a warm, nutty fragrance. This will add

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<v Speaker 1>flavor and a bit of color to the finished product.

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<v Speaker 1>When you're done, remove the saucepan from the heat and

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<v Speaker 1>let it cool for a few minutes, and then strain

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<v Speaker 1>the golden liquid through a cheese cloth lined sieve to

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<v Speaker 1>remove the milk solids. You'll be left with the pure

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<v Speaker 1>fat goodness, otherwise known as g G. Can be stored

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<v Speaker 1>on the counter or in the refrigerator that it will

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<v Speaker 1>typically last longer. When stored in the fridge. Use a

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<v Speaker 1>jar or container with a tight lid and avoid getting

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<v Speaker 1>water in it. Without water, germs can't grow. Also, removing

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<v Speaker 1>the water and the milk solids from butter is precisely

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<v Speaker 1>what makes ge so ideal for high heat cooking. It

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<v Speaker 1>won't start smoking, which is bad, until it hits around

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<v Speaker 1>four hundred and eighty degrees fahrenheit or to fifty celsius.

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<v Speaker 1>It has a much higher smoke point than butter, which

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<v Speaker 1>will begin smoking it around three hundred fahrenheit or one

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<v Speaker 1>and fifty celsius, and has an even higher smoke point

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<v Speaker 1>than common cooking oils. The only ones that beat it

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<v Speaker 1>are saff flour and soybean. So how do you cook

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<v Speaker 1>with ge? Lave said, you can use gee in place

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<v Speaker 1>of butter from a culinary perspective, so I recommend starting

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<v Speaker 1>by incorporating it into dishes that you would typically prepare

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<v Speaker 1>with butter. She suggests using it to cook eggs, pasta,

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<v Speaker 1>and pan fried foods, and drizzling it over popcorn and fish.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also use gee to sautee veget bowls with

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<v Speaker 1>garlic and ginger for a quick side dish, or in

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<v Speaker 1>a golden milk latte with turmeric and cardamom. It can

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<v Speaker 1>be used for baking, but you might want to check

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of recipes. Sometimes the water, sugars, and proteins

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<v Speaker 1>in butter play a role in the flavor or texture

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<v Speaker 1>of the final product. Lava does warrant to not go

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<v Speaker 1>overboard with key because, like butter, it's high and fat. Quote.

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<v Speaker 1>While all foods can generally fit into a balanced, varied

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<v Speaker 1>nutritious diet, ge is still similar to butter in terms

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<v Speaker 1>of calories and fat content and should be used as

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<v Speaker 1>butter would be used in moderation, though, of course no

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<v Speaker 1>less than Julia Child once said everything in moderation, including moderation.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Muriel Vega and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clay. For more in this and lots of other topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit how stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff is production of

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<v Speaker 1>iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit

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