Using And Storing Clarified Butter

I don't cook a lot of fried foods. Pork chops with gravy occasionally. And once in a while, French fries. If I would leave the kitchen for a while after cooking French fries, and then return, a malodorous scent desecrated my nostrils.

It was that danged canola oil I used to cook the fries. That same canola oil that is supposed to be so good for you. People, anything that stinks that much couldn't possibly be good for you.

A while back, I asked for suggestions for a cooking fat that had little or no scent while cooking. I got some responses, but none I really wanted to try. I did go with Jess' suggestion that I try ghee. Actually, I don't go to the extent of making ghee as I don't prepare exotic Indian and Pakistani dishes. I make the simpler,'clarified butter'.

Thank you, Jess. I am sold. I fry cornbread cakes atop the stove and use regular butter for the fat in the batter. I still would use canola oil for the actual frying because it didn't burn. Not any more. I use clarified butter for the frying.

With regular butter in the batter and clarified butter for the frying, my little fried cornbread cakes are delicious. They are a bit reminiscent of hot buttered pop corn. Yes! All that's needed is a plate of black eyed peas flavored with bacon and a tiny smidge of sage.

There are probably 50 YouTube videos on how to clarify butter. It is very easy to do. It does require a little time, but well worth the time spent.

When I first started clarifying the butter, I kept it in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It was some trouble to get a little bit out, maybe for scrambling eggs, because it was as hard as regular butter when refrigerated.

I saw a small silicone ice tray at Wal Mart and thought it ideal for freezing the butter. It did turn out to be ideal. Now, by freezing the butter instead of just refrigerating, I can keep it longer. That means I can clarify more at a time and not be bothered with it for a while. I use a Pyrex measuring cup (it has a nice lip) to pour the slightly cooled, but still liquid, butter into the tray. After the butter has frozen, I remove it from the tray and put it in a covered container and back into the freezer

It is a little hard to get the butter cubes from the tray. That can be remedied by setting the tray in a plate with a little warm water for a few seconds.

If you haven't cooked with clarified butter, I suggest you give it a try. It is excellent for frying so many foods. I think scrambled eggs are much better when using it, and next, I will try frying yellow squash in it. Gotta be good, Y'all, and it won't burn as regular butter will.

Ghee. I mean 'gee', I'm getting hungry. Maybe some fried pork chops and gravy to go with the cornbread cakes and black eyed peas? Sounds like a winner to me!