Ghee among other dairy products is a crucial part of Indian cuisine. From sweets to holy offerings, many households use clarified butter to cook their everyday food. Made with cream obtained by boiling milk, ghee
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Despite being an integral part of Indian heritage, many vendors have been reported to sell fake ghee. It is either contaminated with palm oil or synthetic scents to cut the cost, making it hazardous for the health of consumers. If you are cautious about your health, you can make ghee at home. It will be in its purest form and keep you worry-free about the ingredients in it. Here are some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind while making ghee at home.
Use High-Quality Makkhan
The first step is to ensure you buy quality buffalo or cow’s milk. When boiled, only high-quality milk develops a thick layer of cream which can be churned and turned into a delicious batch of white makkhan. It can be used to serve with stuffed paratha or cooked to extract ghee from it. If you use pure milk, without any kind of contamination, the consistency and quality of the ghee will be better.
Don’t Overheat
When extracting ghee, you need to cook white butter on low flame for a few hours. If you are in a hurry, postpone making clarified butter for the next day. Unlike gravies and snacks, you cannot cook ghee on a high flame because the white butter will start burning. Moreover, if the ghee is subjected to high flame for long hours, it will develop a bitter taste.
Use Heavy-Bottom Pan
To make ghee
Don’t Forget To Stir
If you keep the white butter, it will not burn. Keep monitoring the process in short intervals and give the ingredients a good swirl. It will also promote even distribution of heat and melting of milk solids. Stirring makes the process of cooking, extraction, and storage slightly easy. You must keep cooking makkhan until it releases a nutty aroma and the milk solids stuck to the surface are brown (not burnt and black).
Use A Sieve
Once ghee is extracted from makkhan, turn off the flame and allow the ghee to cool off. Use a sieve made from stainless steel. If you use one made with plastic, it will dissolve as soon as it comes in contact with hot ghee or leach chemicals into it. Straining will also prevent milk solids from getting stored with ghee. You can also use cheesecloth for the process.
Don’t Let Water In
You must prevent water from getting inside the container of ghee. It will lead to a build-up of moisture which can hamper the shelf life of ghee and ruin it. You should also avoid storing ghee in a metal container to prevent reaction with chemicals. Ceramic or glass containers are perfect for storage and ensure a long shelf life.
Use Milk Solids
When you have strained the ghee