The Making and Uses of Ghee, One Does Not Need to Be Indian to Enjoy Ghee and Its Many Benefits

The Making and Uses of Ghee, One Does Not Need to Be Indian to Enjoy Ghee and Its Many Benefits

I discovered a love for Indian foods many years ago. I am not of Indian origin, but I have cooked many wonderful dishes, and am always on the lookout for an interesting sounding spice combination and a new recipe to try. Long ago I found I really disliked commercial curry powder, no matter how fresh, so for a long time I avoided Indian cuisine, thinking it was all about curry powder. I was so wrong. I have been making up for lost time ever since.

One of the near essentials, ghee is used all over the Indian continent. Basically a clarified butter, ghee has one of the highest smoke points of any oil and is wonderful used for frying because it does not go rancid easily. Once made, ghee can last months if stored in a tightly sealed container, away from heat and light. It can be stored in the refrigerator, but will need to come to room temperature before use.

Making ghee is a simple process, taking about 20 minutes. Using one pound of good quality unsalted butter will yield approximately 10 to 12 ounces of ghee. I mention using good quality butter for good reason. Higher quality butter generally has a lower moisture content. Too much moisture in the simmering butter will result in large pops and bursts, sending boiling temperature butter all over the stove and you. Obviously, this is dangerous.

Making and Uses of Ghee

Place one pound of unsalted butter into a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a temperature that will maintain a simmer. The milk solids will immediately begin to release and float, and first there will be a thick white foam. With a tablespoon, continuously remove the foam to a bowl. After the white foam, there will continue to be foam occurring, which needs to be removed. After about 15 minutes the overall look of the bubbles on the surface will change to much finer and lighter quality, but still continue to remove any scum or foam that forms. Watch for the point where there is almost no foam and the bubbles are clear. At this point there will also be a layer of golden brown in the bottom of the pan, clearly visible. If any of the brown bits are loose and floating, you will need to strain the ghee through cheesecloth or a coffee filter, to remove the browned milk solids.

Pour off the ghee into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid. Place a metal spoon into the jar while pouring in the hot ghee, to absorb some of the heat and prevent the jar from shattering. Allow the ghee to cool before sealing and storing.

Now you have ghee, but what to do with it? Ghee has a lovely golden color and a nutty flavor and aroma that goes well in most dishes. If you love Indian cuisine, obviously this is the first place to use it, but if not, try it in the pan to make scrambled or basted eggs. Use it to butter noodles. The flavor is divine. When my children were still at home, I would often make wide egg noodles, and put in a good dollop of ghee to melt into the noodles. Then I would add in a can of drained sliced mushrooms, a lot of good quality cracked pepper, about 2 tablespoons or more of fresh basil, some salt and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. They loved it, as did I. I made it often, and still make it occasionally. It constituted a whole meal at times we just didn't feel the need for meat, though it can be a side dish just as easily. The uses for ghee are limited only by your imagination. It is made from butter, but has transcended to a longer lasting form with a great flavor. I recommend having it on hand at all times.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey.

Small Appliances No Kitchen Should Be Without

The world of technology is ever expanding, and thankfully these technological advances have spilled over into the culinary world in the form of appliances. The availability and variety of appliances are vast, with new inventions and improvements popping up every day! In this article, we're going to talk about a few appliances that aren't new inventions by any means, but have been improved nearly beyond recognition!

Small Appliances No Kitchen Should Be Without

Slow Cooker

The slow cooker is a pretty basic appliance. It consists of an electric housing unit (usually metal) in which a large ceramic pot is inserted, complete with lid. Slow cookers are called such because they do genuinely cook slowly compared to a microwave or toaster oven. Slow cookers are ideal for recipes that allow you to simply chuck in all of the ingredients and leave it to cook. Stew, soup, chilli, nacho cheese, and pot roast are excellent examples of dishes that cook well in a slow cooker. Over the years, here hasn't been much advancement with slow cookers, save for the fact that many brands have now gone digital - which means you can program it to shut off at a certain time. Is that handy, or what? This "set it and leave it" approach to cooking is brilliant for those who lead a busy lifestyle but want to enjoy a warm, cooked meal at the end of the day.

Bread Machine

Bread machines, as the small household appliance that we know today, can be traced back to 1986, although they didn't really catch on until the mid-nineties. Bread machines take all the work out of bread making - and you bakers out there understand how laborious the task can be! With a bread machine, you load up the necessary ingredients, shut the lid, and press the button for the appropriate setting. The machine uses a dough hook to mix and knead the dough, then it heats up slightly to allow the dough to rise. After it has risen, the hook resumes kneading for a few minutes, and then the machine heats up and cooks the bread. Voila - homemade bread!

Toaster Oven

Heat, toast, bake, and broil - toaster ovens can do it all! While a toaster oven might be a miracle to some kitchens, it may not get nearly as much use in others. Toasted sandwiches, crispy French fries, pizza, cookies, Cornish hens - virtually any small dishes you bake in your oven can be cooked in a countertop oven.

Food Processor

Food processors have been used in a domestic fashion since the early 70's, and it's no wonder why they're still widely used today. Chopping, dicing, and slicing by hand takes ages of time, but a food processor does all of that in seconds! Fruit and vegetables can easily be prepared for salads, sauces, or pureed for homemade baby food. While there are digital food processors on the market, it simply hasn't caught on quite yet as food processing doesn't really utilize a digital display to the full advantage.

Electric Steamer

This is likely to be one of the most health-promoting appliances you can own! When vegetables are boiled or baked, most of the nutrients flow out with the juices, leaving the veggies low in both nutrients AND flavour. However, steaming food allows it to be thoroughly cooked and still remain healthful. And steamers aren't just for cooking vegetables, either! You can steam chicken, fish, and even rice. Most steamers come with "tiers" or trays, so you can steam all of your food at once. The digital feature really did kick off with steamers, as programmable features and an automatic shut-off function add to the convenience of this appliance.

You might own some of these appliances, and you might not own a single one. Not all kitchens have the space or the need for these terrific items, but some people truly can reap the benefits that these machines have to offer. Ask yourself this: could YOU benefit from one - or a few - of these machines?

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