Browning butter
Beginner Eggs and butter
Browning butter is cooking butter past melted until its milk solids toast and it smells nutty.
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How do you do it?
- Melt butter in a light-colored pan over medium heat so you can see the color.
- Swirl as it foams and crackles; the crackling fades as the water cooks off.
- When the bits on the bottom turn amber-brown and it smells like toasted nuts, about 5 to 8 minutes, pour it into a bowl.
Why does it work?
Butter is fat, water and milk solids. Once the water boils away, the solids heat past 212°F and brown, creating deep, toasty flavors. Pouring it out stops the pan's heat from burning them.
What are the common mistakes?
- Using a dark pan — you can't see it go from brown to burnt.
- Leaving it in the hot pan — it keeps cooking and turns bitter.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
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