How to brown butter - Brown butter is simply melting butter gently on the stovetop until the milk solids become toasty golden brown, producing a nutty caramel-like aroma and flavor. It elevates both savory sweet sweet dishes and requires just one ingredient.
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What is brown butter?
Learning how to brown butter or as the French call it Beurre noisette is a kitchen essential.
Butter is composed of three parts: 80% fat, 16-18% water, and around 2% milk solids.
When browning butter, the butterfat separates from the milk solids, allowing excess water to evaporate, and the milk solids to slowly caramelize at the bottom of the pan producing an incredibly rich nutty aroma and caramel flavor.
It provides so much flavor to a recipe and is versatile for both sweet and savory dishes.
The key to mastering brown butter is knowing when to remove it from the heat. Here I'll walk you through each of the simple steps it takes to master this easy technique so that you too can brown butter in your own kitchen.
What will I need to brown butter?
- Butter: Just a one-ingredient recipe, butter! You can use salted or unsalted regular butter, whichever the recipe calls for.
- Pan: A light-colored medium skillet or stainless steel saucepan is recommended. I prefer using a light-colored skillet to easily tell when the butter has browned and to have more even coverage.
- Utensil: A whisk, rubber spatula, or wooden spoon can be used to help stir the butter without damaging the pan.
- Glass bowl: Once the butter is browned, you'll want to transfer it to a bowl to stop cooking.
How to avoid burning brown butter
- Cook the butter on medium heat. Monitor the pan closely, do not walk away. The entire process should take between 8-10 minutes, with cook times varying, depending on the amount of butter and pan used.
- Whisk continuously. As the butter begins to foam and change from bright yellow to golden in color.
- Transfer quickly. Once you smell the nutty aroma, see the brown specks at the bottom of the pan, and a rich golden color, immediately transfer the browned butter to a bowl.
How to make brown butter
For best results, follow these step-by-step instructions and you’ll be a brown butter expert in no time.
Step 1: Cut the butter into pieces. The butter melts more evenly when sliced into small pieces. Add the butter to a light-colored pan.
Step 2: Melt the butter. Bring the skillet to medium heat. As the butter melts it will begin to foam and sizzle, continue to whisk and swirl the pan for even caramelization.
Step 3: Cook the butter. At around the 5-8 minute mark, depending on the amount of butter used, you will notice the color will progress from a bright yellow to a deep golden brown with toasted milk solids at the bottom emitting a nutty aroma. Watch carefully as the butter can easily burn at this stage.
Once the desired color is reached, turn off the heat.
Step 4: Transfer the brown butter. Remove the skillet from the stovetop, and use a rubber spatula to transfer the brown butter to a glass bowl. Scrape all of the little brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl to avoid losing any flavor.
How to use brown butter
Here are some of my favorite recipes and ideas for ways to use brown butter:
- Brown Butter White Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats
- Gluten-Free Oatmeal Scotchies
- Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Gluten-Free Pecan Pie
- Add it to pasta, waffles, banana bread, cornbread, roasted vegetables, crisps, cobblers, salmon, and so much more!
FAQ
Butter is made up of a percentage of water, which evaporates during the cooking process, which results in a loss of volume when browning butter.
To make up for the loss of moisture in a recipe, I recommend weighing your butter before, and after on a food scale. A half cup of butter weighs around 113 grams and after being browned weighs around 90 grams. You can expect to lose around 1 tablespoon of water per half cup. To make up the for loss I recommended adding 1-2 tablespoons of water or milk to the browned butter. See my brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipe as an example.
Some recipes call for straining the browned bits but most recipes do not. I recommend leaving them in for added flavor.
Let the brown butter cool and then store in a glass jar for up to two weeks. If a recipe calls for softened brown butter you will want to refrigerate after browning and then bring the butter to room temperature.
Remember brown butter does lose a bit of water burning the cooking process. Therefore if a recipe calls for half a cup of butter, you may want to brown 10 tablespoons to make up for the lost moisture. Alternatively, you can add a tablespoon of milk or water depending on the recipe.
There is a very small window during the browning process to overcook the butter, so you will want to pay close attention. Black specks indicate burnt milk proteins which will give a bitter taste to your recipe. If this happens, no worries it has happened to all of us. Dump the butter and start the process over.
Recipe
How to Brown Butter (easy step-by-step tutorial)
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (more or less, as called for in your recipe) cut into Tablespoon-size pieces
- light-colored saucepan or skillet
- whisk or rubber spatula
- glass bowl
Instructions
- Cut the butter into pieces. The butter melts more evenly when sliced into small pieces. Add the butter to a light-colored pan.
- Melt the butter. Bring the skillet to medium heat. As the butter melts it will begin to foam and sizzle, continue to whisk and swirl the pan for even caramelization.
- Cook the butter. At around the 5-8 minute mark, depending on the amount of butter used, you will notice the color will progress from a bright yellow to a deep golden brown with toasted milk solids at the bottom emitting a nutty aroma. Watch carefully as the butter can easily burn at this stage. Once the desired color is reached, turn off the heat.
- Transfer the brown butter. Remove the skillet from the stovetop, and use a rubber spatula to transfer the brown butter to a glass bowl. Scrape all of the little brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the bowl to avoid losing any flavor.
Notes
- Cook the butter on medium heat. Monitor the pan closely, do not walk away. The entire process should take between 8-10 minutes, with cook times varying, depending on the amount of butter and pan used.
- Whisk continuously. As the butter begins to foam and change from bright yellow to golden in color.
- Transfer when ready. Once you smell the nutty aroma, see the brown specks at the bottom of the pan, and a rich golden color, immediately transfer the browned butter to a bowl.
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