Ghee is the thing that bakers all over the world should try, reports Washington Post.
Ghee is butter that is simmered to remove the water and milk fats, then filtered, resulting in a cooking fat that is shelf-stable and usable at much higher heats than butter and most oils.
For those of you who want to run the other way from any relative of butter, either because you cannot tolerate dairy or it brings to life unpleasant images of high cholesterol, just wait. Ghee is almost entirely free of lactose and casein, the two reasons many people avoid dairy. Studies show that ghee does not increase cholesterol, as it is high in short- and medium-chain fatty acids, instead of the long-chain fatty acids most associated with heart disease.
The smoke point of a cooking fat should matter to anyone cooking at home because when oil is heated beyond its smoke point, the oil changes structure and becomes much less healthy to consume. The smoke point occurs when the oil stops simmering and starts smoking, and every oil and fat has its own smoke point. Essential minerals and enzymes are destroyed at this point, and free radicals that can damage our bodies are released.
Ghee has one of the highest smoke points of any fat or oil, so it can be used to cook almost anything at almost any temperature. This makes it an incredibly versatile cooking tool. The ubiquitous extra-virgin olive oil has a very low smoke point and should never be used over medium or high heat, only over low heat or unheated to season salads, pasta, vegetables and other room-temperature dishes.
Just as ghee looks like butter and is made from butter, it is also a saturated fat like butter. The calories from saturated fats should make up less than 10 percent of an overall healthful daily diet. Luckily, very little ghee is needed to achieve a rich, creamy flavour. (Although it can be substituted for butter at a 1-to-1 ratio, I often use a little less.) So whether you jump on a ghee kick or just stash a jar in your pantry for a muffin emergency, ghee is great in small quantities.
Ghee is sold at most grocery stores with the Indian foods or with the cooking oils, and opened jars can be stored in the refrigerator as a solid for a year or in the pantry as a liquid for three months.
