A Baker’s Liquid Gold
If you’ve never browned butter before, you are in for a treat! This French technique is not only quick and easy to do, but it also makes your kitchen smell amazing and adds tremendous flavor to any dish. I love incorporating it into my toffee cookies to complement their toffee flavor, but don’t count it out for savory recipes, too — it’s also a key component in my garlic butter shrimp! Brown butter (or “browned butter”) is simply butter that has been cooked until the milk solids are toasted to a nutty, golden brown color. At the same time, we’re cooking out most of the water (and American butter typically contains about 20% water, so there’s quite a bit to cook out!). This is often done on the stovetop and takes just a few minutes to do. This technique is simple, but it does require a watchful eye and near-constant stirring–so stay diligent! I’m also including several tips and a how-to video to make sure you’re successful. Let’s get into it!
What You Need
You only need one ingredient (and it doesn’t have to be fancy!):
Butter: The type of butter you need depends on your recipe. If your recipe doesn’t specify, I generally recommend using unsalted butter and adding salt separately. If you’re simply making browned butter for a dipping sauce for veggies or meats, salted butter is best.
SAM’S TIP: I recommend using a light-colored saucepan so you can see when your butter actually starts to turn brown. Using a dark-colored pan isn’t impossible, but it will make the process more difficult and could lead to burned butter. Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Brown Butter
SAM’S TIP: Don’t let your butter turn from brown to burnt! Watch it carefully (don’t walk away from it!) and stir or swirl the pan frequently so the milk solids cook evenly. Frequent motion is the best way to prevent burning! SAM’S TIP: Once you see brown bits (toasted milk solids) forming, remove your skillet from the heat. The pan will still be hot, so immediately pour your butter into a separate heatproof container to stop the cooking process. I know many of you already know how to do this, but I’m hoping is helpful for some of our newer cooks and bakers 😊 Enjoy! Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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