Cooking with butter
February 19th, 2007
Certain phrases become part of the recipe vernacular whether or not they give good guidance, and we see them over and over again. Most of us have seen something like this in recipes that call for cooking with butter:
“Melt the butter over (low, medium, high) heat. When the foam subsides, add the (eggs, chicken breasts, vegetables) and stir.”
Why does the foam need to subside? It’s an indicator of temperature. Adding meat or vegetables to cold fat is a fast way to mess up a good dish. Hot fat, on the other hand, prevents sticking, encourages caramelization and adds flavor.
So in the interest of detail (cooking seems to be a constant dance between the general and the detailed), I documented butter melting, foaming, and the foam subsiding. Here’s what it looks like:
I melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. I swirl the butter around in the pan, and the milk solids separate out and begin to sizzle and foam.
After another minute or so the foam subsides. The butter looks more like oil now, and it’s hot.
At this point I would add eggs for an omelette. If I wanted the butter to take on a nutty flavor, say, for a sage butter sauce, I’d let it go another 30 seconds or so and begin to turn brown. Butter has a lower smoke (burn) point than oil though, so watch it closely.
February 19th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
I should have also mentioned that the foam comes from water evaporating, which happens at boiling point. Once the water evaporates, the butter can get hotter.
February 19th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
In India the oil is called ghee and used in majority of food products for fat.
February 19th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Thanks df — Ghee is ssentially clarified butter, right? Ghee has a higher smoke point than butter since clarification eliminates the milk solids (which burn at lower temps). I’m taking a personal crash course in Indian cooking now and plan to have some recipes up soon.
February 20th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Yes, ghee is clarified butter. This process gives it a higher smoke point along with the characteristic “nutty” flavor (you can strain out the solids, but some of the carmelized proteins will stick around.) Butter has a lower smoke point than _all_ oils because the milk solids carmelize and then burn (and smoke) around 250F.
February 20th, 2007 at 2:23 am
The reflection makes it tough to see, but it looks like you’re still using a non-stick pan. I’d highly recommend throwing it out: cast iron is a much better tool. Besides not scratching up it will also supplement your iron intake - instead of your Polytetrafluoroethylene (teflon).
February 20th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Jason, cast iron is nice, but not the solution to all problems. The most commonly available cast iron pans (mostly by Lodge) are not available with flared sides, only with sides that are basically vertical, which makes a lot of things much more difficult than they need be. Sometimes you need to flip the food in the pan, and unless you are spiking your omlette with steroids that is not an option. Cast iron also holds a lot of heat. For the applications that call for cast iron this is a good thing because it means that the pan will keep a stable temperature, but for delicate cooking that requires the pan to respond quickly to changes in burner temp it is a very unsuitable tool.
Besides, with current craze of coating every tool with heat-resistent silicone how are you ever going to scratch your non-stick pans?
February 21st, 2007 at 10:52 am
[…] More cookbook vernacular: “Heat the (oil, butter) in the skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onions and stir. When the onions are translucent, add the (other vegetables, ground beef, etc.)” […]
March 15th, 2007 at 9:33 am
[…] Instructions: 1. To prep the collards, fold each leaf in half and slice off and discard the stem. Stack all the leaves together, and thinly slice them crosswise. 2. Prep the shallot, white beans and lemon zest. Before zesting the lemon, scrub with a brush and a little soap and water. Rinse it well and dry it. 3. Melt the butter in a large sautée pan over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, stir in the shallots and reduce the heat to medium. Season the shallots with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots are translucent, 2-4 minutes. […]
March 26th, 2007 at 11:10 am
[…] 2. Melt the butter in large sauté pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, add the parsnips. Stir in the sugar and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the parsnips. […]
May 20th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
helloy
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:29 pm
[…] Instructions: 1. Heat the butter in large sauté pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and the foam subsided, stir in the carrots. Sprinkle them with the sugar and light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup water or so and cover the pan. […]
May 25th, 2007 at 8:09 am
[…] When the foam subsides, add the carrots and shake the pan to coat the carrots. I like to let the carrots sit and cook half a minute or so before moving on. Up to you. Season the carrots lightly with kosher salt and ground black pepper, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over them. Shake the pan to coat the carrots, then add enough water to come halfway up the carrots. (Don’t use much more than 1/2 cup though or you’ll have too much water left in the pan.) […]