How-to-do – make brown butter

You know when someone says a food tastes like it was made with love? Brown butter is one of those ingredients that always adds that extra love to a recipe. What’s even better is going from regular old butter into sweet, nutty, delicious brown butter is super simple, can be done ahead of time, and only takes about eight minutes! All you need is a light colored pan, a wooden spoon, and of course, butter. Oh, and your attention! Brown butter is incredibly simple, but can quickly go from golden brown and delicious to a burnt and undesirable in a flash!

What is brown butter?

Brown butter is butter, but better! The brown color is achieved after the water evaporates out of the butter and the milk solids caramelize resulting in a beautiful color and deep, sweet, nutty flavor. Brown butter is a not-so-secret ingredient in quite a few Honey, I’m Hungry recipes and can take recipes ranging from sweet to savory to the next level in just a few simple steps!

Brown butter in 5 steps – approximately 6-8 minutes

1. Evenly cut chunks of butter and add to a light colored pan to melt over medium-low to medium heat. Stir or swirl often to keep the heat even across the butter.
2. Keep stirring or swirling as the water evaporates out. You’ll see the milk solids start to separate.
3. The butter will begin to bubble and foam across the surface. This is when you need to start watching the color! The milk solids will begin to caramelize at this point. Keep your eye on the prize!
4. Turn off the heat! The butter will begin to smell nutty and toasty and the color will deepen to golden amber brown
5. Transfer the brown butter from the cooking pan to a heatproof bowl or container. You’ll want to scrape out all of the brown bits in the pan, those brown bits are full of flavor! Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to a month.

Keys to success

• Watch the heat! Medium-low heat is the perfect heat level to brown butter. If your heat is too high the risk of burning (and ruining) your brown butter is also too high. If you’re new to the brown butter game, start on the low end of the heat range until you feel comfortable with the process.
• Light colored pans are your friend. A light colored pan makes keeping an eye on the color as the water cooks out and the milk solids caramelize a lot easier.
• Even pieces of butter = even browning. You’ll want to take the time to cut your butter into small, even pieces before adding to the pan. Doing this will ensure all of the butter melts evenly and reaches golden brown perfection at the same time.
• Keep the butter moving. Stir or swirl the butter frequently to make sure the butter doesn’t burn over hot spots on your pan. This is especially important if you’re using an electric range.
• Have your heat proof bowl or container ready. Brown butter can turn from golden brown to burnt in a flash. To avoid accidentally burning your brown butter, transfer the butter to a heat proof container as soon as you achieve the golden brown color.

Brown butter is the not-so-secret ingredient in Wednesday’s recipe blog post! Stay tuned!