Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Making Slow Cooker Ghee

On Monday, while I was inventorying my ridiculous number of stitcheries in progress, I was also making Ghee - a clarified butter popular in India, in which the milk solids have been taken out. The remaining oil is shelf-stable and has a high smoke point, and  it tastes incredible on vegetables or for dipping bread into.

I'd love to feel all impressive about this bit of multi-tasking, but this was seriously one of the easiest things I've ever done - and I'll be doing it regularly now.

Here's all there is to it:

Get some good butter from a grass-fed source (Kerrygold Irish Butter is good - I used butter from our local dairy).  Put it into your slow cooker and turn it on LOW without a lid (we want to melt this slowly, not sizzle it).

Now leave it alone - no stirring, no fiddling with it - for about 8 hours.  You'll see a white foam on t he top, and this will either eventually fall to the bottom and brown, or it won't - it'll stay on the top and start to brown.  Since it could go either way, don't use that as your sole marker for whether or not it's done - instead, as you get down to the last hour, be on the alert to the ghee itself starting to darken - you want to try to stop it before then.


This is how mine looked after about 2 hours - and  then I got busy with other things (ehem *cross stitch* ehem) and forgot to take a picture of it in the pot at the end.  A lot more of the white milk solids came to the top, and some of it fell to the bottom and browned. Most stayed on top and got crispy, with browning around the edge of the pot.

So what you do at this point is use a slotted spoon or small strainer and scoop up those milk solids.  Set them into a bowl or something because, if you're able to eat dairy, you are going to make an  insanely delicious snack of them in a minute (they taste like hot, fresh, butter cookies!).  Cook's privilege, baby - no sharing!

Lastly, I strained the ghee through a filter into jars - my pound of butter game me a cup and a half of ghee.  It is supposed to last a good long time on the counter without becoming rancid (as long as all the milk solids are gone), but there's no way this will be around long enough to find out how long a good long time is.

As for the stitching - I finished off my very nearly complete Spring Sampler and moved it to the 'needs to be prepped for display' pile.


Spring Sampler
Gentle Arts
DMC threads
54x58

Shared with: Totally Tasty Tuesday, Eat-Pray-Love, Allergy Free Wednesday, Fresh Foods Link Up, Gluten Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Wheat Free Wednesday,  Wonderful Food Wednesday, The Creative Spark, Down Home Blog Hop, Fluster's Creative Muster Party, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Party Wave, Two Girls and a Party, Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Wellness Wednesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Wow Me Wednesday, Thursday's Treasures, Thursday Favorite Things, Transformation Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday, The HomeAcre Hop, Hookin' Up with HoH, Creative Juice, Full Plate Thursday,  Pennywise Platter Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Show & Tell Friday, Frugal Friday, Friday Favorites, Freedom Fridays, Farm Girl Blog Fest, LHITS DIY Link-Up, What I Am Eating, Gluten-Free Fridays, Fresh Bites Friday, Foodie Friends Friday, Foodie Friday, Simple Living Foodie Friday, Foodtastic Friday, Fight Back Friday,  Weekend Show Off Party, No-Rules Weekend Blog Party, Your Great Idea Link Party, A Favorite Thing, Sweet Saturday, Show & Tell Saturday, Simply Natural Saturday, One Creative Weekend, Craft-Create-Inspire Linky Party, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Creative Bloggers Party, Just Something I Whipped Up, Sunday School Blog Carnival, Sunday Show Off Party, Think Pink Sunday, Creative HomeAcre Hop, Gluten-Free Recipe Linky, Make Your Own Monday, Mealtime Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, SusieQTPie's Menu Plan Monday, On the Menu Monday, Busy Monday, Craft-O-Maniac Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, Made By You Monday, Make It Yourself Monday, Making Your Home Sing Monday, Marvelous Mondays, Mix It Up Monday, Monday Funday,  Mop It Up Monday, Mostly Homemade Monday,  Motivate Me Monday, Motivated Monday, Natural Living Monday, Nomday Monday, Thank Goodness It's Monday.          


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25 comments:

  1. joMarch 6, 2013 at 8:03 PM

    I have never made ghee in the slow cooker before but now I have to try. It seems a lot easier than how I normally do it..

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  2. TrishaMarch 7, 2013 at 2:09 PM

    Wow! I had no idea you could make ghee in the slow cooker. This is great! Pinning this to refer back to it later :)

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  3. OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirtsMarch 7, 2013 at 10:47 PM

    Hey, welcome to Celebrate Oz. Your name is up, we're heading down to Emerald City and glad you're coming with us. If you'd have your blog posted between midnight March 14 and 8 am March 15....that's all ya need do.
    Thanks so much for joining in, I am looking forward to seeing what wonderful Ozian treasure you add to the mix. xoxo Oma Linda

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  4. UnknownMarch 8, 2013 at 10:06 AM

    I am going to give this a try...yum!

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  5. The Provision RoomMarch 9, 2013 at 10:43 AM

    That's fantastic!!!

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  6. Katherines CornerMarch 9, 2013 at 10:25 PM

    Oh my goodness I'd like to try this. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop xo

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  7. LaurieMarch 9, 2013 at 11:27 PM

    I didn't know you could use a slow cooker to make this, thanks for sharing :)

    I wanted to invite you to our weekly Meet & Greet Blog Hop! It runs Friday nights till the end of Monday, come link up if you have some time :)

    http://createdbylaurie.blogspot.com/2013/03/weekend-meet-greet-blog-hop-17.html

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  8. ClaudiaMarch 10, 2013 at 11:09 AM

    Thanks so much for this recipe for Ghee. I've never tasted it before - can you describe the taste? Your sampler is lovely.

    Thanks so much for joining in this week.

    xo
    Claudia

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  9. Danielle @ Poor and Gluten FreeMarch 10, 2013 at 5:03 PM

    I'm so spoiled, I used to live in an area with a huge Indian population and could get huge tubs of Ghee for cheap. I'll have to try this and make my own, since I'm no longer in that area!

    Thanks so much for sharing this on Waste Not Want Not Wednesday :) I’ve pinned it.

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  10. Winelady CooksMarch 10, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    Thanks for sharing this on Foodie Friends Friday. I'll have to try making Ghee and using it on veggies, oh so good!

    Joanne/Winelady Cooks

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  11. momsthewordMarch 11, 2013 at 2:32 PM

    I have never heard of Ghee and have never tried it but it really did look easy to make, just as you said. It would be fun to try something new.

    Your Spring Sampler is so pretty! How fun to know that you did that yourself. I did cross stitch once and never finished as I got stuck and didn't know what to do, lol!

    Thank you for linking up to "Making Your Home Sing Monday!"

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  12. Nancy Hilliard PeirceMarch 11, 2013 at 6:05 PM

    "Set them into a bowl or something because, if you're able to eat dairy, you are going to make an insanely delicious snack of them in a minute (they taste like hot, fresh, butter cookies!). Cook's privilege, baby - no sharing!"

    Oh, gosh, that sounds delish - but, did I miss something? =)

    Thanks for sharing. I've seen ways to "can" butter, but not Ghee. This seems so simple that I'm going to try it - but only after I know about the "butter cookies"!

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  13. HaworthMarch 12, 2013 at 1:41 PM

    Thank you so much for this recipe, Lynda! I see ghee mentioned in many of the Indian recipes I enjoy cooking, but have never tried making it myself. I'm going to try this!

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  14. Black Fox HomesteadMarch 12, 2013 at 4:57 PM

    I just made ghee for the first time a few weeks ago, but it never occurred to me to use the crock pot. I can totally see how that would work. I've enjoyed using it. Thank you again for linking up to the HomeAcre Hop!

    ~Jenny

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  15. Danielle @ Poor and Gluten FreeMarch 12, 2013 at 7:13 PM

    Psst, this post is being featured tonight on WNWNW :)

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  16. UnknownMarch 12, 2013 at 10:34 PM

    I've never heard of this - I'm going to have to try it! I'm stopping by from Marvelous Monday linky party. I'm hosting a party and hope you will post a few great recipes! http://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2013/03/tried-and-true-recipe-party-3.html

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  17. Eileen BMarch 12, 2013 at 11:11 PM

    Great technique. I've been meaning to make ghee, so your post is timely for me, thanks!

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  18. Mind Body and SoleMarch 13, 2013 at 12:55 AM

    You, are amazing! AND you're the Featured Blogger this week on Wildcrafting Wednesday! Congratulations! :)

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  19. cindyMarch 13, 2013 at 9:48 PM

    Got to love the slowcooker! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)

    Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!

    Party starts tomorrow night (thursday) at 7:05 pm eastern time! Hope to see you there!

    Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com

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  20. Jennifer at Purposeful NutritionMarch 14, 2013 at 8:20 AM

    I have been wanting to make this so thanks for the simple recipe.
    It looks very manageable.
    I came here from WildCrafting Wednesdays.
    Jennifer at The Entwife's Journal

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  21. AnonymousMarch 15, 2013 at 12:43 PM

    I am SO trying this. I made ghee once, found it tedious and I felt tied to the stove. This sounds VERY doable, something that would easily fit into our routine. Thanks!

    Sandra

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  22. Lisa LynnMarch 15, 2013 at 3:41 PM

    Great idea! Thanks for sharing this on The Creative HomeAcre Hop! Hope to see you this Sunday at:
    http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/03/the-creative-homeacre-hop-7.html

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  23. Annie @ MontanaSolarCreationsMarch 15, 2013 at 9:34 PM

    I just pinned this so I can try it! I have a bunch of butter from the local dairy that will be perfect and this sounds so easy. Thanks for sharing at Simply Natural Saturdays!

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  24. BeColorfulMarch 17, 2013 at 12:58 PM

    Such and interesting post. I am sure most of us have never even heard of Ghee. Thanks for expanding our world. :D
    p

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  25. Jo-Lynne ShaneMarch 18, 2013 at 7:17 AM

    I'm so curious to try this! thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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