I noticed in Indian recipes they often call for ghee. I have never used it and wouldn't know where to get it but am wondering if there might be some advantages to using ghee instead of butter. Any ideas when and where to use it?
Odd, most everyone I know leaves their butter out on the counter. I don't have a butter bell, just a regular butter dish but my butter hasn't spoiled yet (and I've been leaving it out most of my life). Granted we go through about 1/4 lb per week so if we rarely used butter I might refrigerate it.oh dear . . .
butter does not rapidly spoil. millions of people in Europe use 'butter bells' kept at room temperature. now . . . . keep in mind, European "room temperature" is 5-8 degrees lower than American "room temperature'
I have a butter bell, for lack of readily available alternatives, I stock it with KerryGold.
from the bell, it is not hard, it spreads readily / easily - pancakes, waffles, toast, rolls, biscuits . . . .
work for me in mid-Penna except in summer - when 'room temperature' gets so warm that the butter 'sorta' melts and falls out' of the bell.
some people go absolutely bonkers over butter not kept refrigerated . . . their loss.
I'm sure it can, just has never happened to me. But our house stays cold year round and we go through it fast.Butter absolutely can spoil at room temperature. It takes a while to do it. We leave ours at room temperature and it has been quite a while since it has gone off, but it has happened. It has smelled funny; it has changed colour; and it has grown mould.
I mentioned that, because making your butter last longer was one of the reasons that it became popular in hot countries, like India. Making butter into ghee is an ancient technique.... Another advantage of ghee over butter, is that it will keep a lot longer than butter, especially when there is no way to keep butter cool. ...
Yes, it sure does. Ghee will have more fat but doesn't contain lactose for those that are intolerant. Both butter and ghee are loaded with vit A and also has vit E, D, B12 and K2. Both have some special fats called vaccenic and conjugated linoleic acid which are good for gut health and have shown to reduce inflammation. There's been a lot of studies over the last decade that shows dairy fat to benefit heart health.DOES Ghee have the same health benefits as butter?
Then butter is less unhealthy. I'll stick with butter.I wouldn't say it has the same benefits, but it does have the same things in it, like cholesterol, and has 100% fat, instead of the 80%, that normal butter has.
It is only less unhealthy if you use less.Then butter is less unhealthy. I'll stick with butter.
Which particular health benefits are you thinking about in the butter?Then butter is less unhealthy. I'll stick with butter.
I noticed in Indian recipes they often call for ghee. I have never used it and wouldn't know where to get it but am wondering if there might be some advantages to using ghee instead of butter. Any ideas when and where to use it?
George, you got 20 answers, but not a real answer to your original question.
Since ghee is clarified butter (with the milk solids removed, you can cook at high temperatures without burning the butter.
If you want to do something like a sear on scallops, butter will burn at temperatures high enough to sear, thus leaving the scallop black and charred, instead of deep golden brown. Using ghee lets you sear the scallop over very high heat, to caramelize the surface to a deep golden brown, without any burning. You could use oil, but then you wouldn't get the wonderrful flavor of the butter. So ghee gives you the high-heat capabilities of oils, but with the flavor of butter.
Other than high heat searing, regular butter is simpler, cheaper, more flavorful (due to the milk solids), and easier. So choose depending on the dish. For most purposes, use butter. For high heat searing, used clarified butter or ghee.