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By Nellie's Kindness Crew
Making the nutty, amber-colored, practically magical substance known as brown butter is easier than you think. So easy, in fact, that this simple upgrade to your chocolate chip cookies, ravioli, and roasted veggies requires nothing more than a stick of Nellie's Free Range Butter and a hot pan.
Browning butter is the act of cooking or toasting the milk solids found in butter, which make up 1-2% of it. Milk solids burn faster than butterfat, so as they cook, they give the butter a characteristic nutty flavor and dark amber color. This process is also known as the Maillard reaction. Don't let the scientific term scare you, though—no matter how much experience you have in the kitchen, browning butter is an easy technique to learn.
Some people prefer to leave the milk solids in the pan and only use the clear liquid so that there aren't any noticeable speckles in the final product. If this matters to you, simply pour the brown butter into your heatproof container, leaving behind the milk solids that have settled to the bottom of the pan.
Like regular butter, brown butter should always be covered so that it doesn't take on any flavor from other ingredients in your fridge. A lidded glass jar will do the trick. Although brown butter can be stored on your counter, it will last much longer in the refrigerator—up to 3 months.
Brown butter can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. It's a great choice for baking, low heat sautéing, and braising, and adds a deliciously nutty and complex flavor that complements just about anything. Here are a few recipes to try with brown butter in place of regular butter:
3 Easy Ways to Soften Butter
Salted vs. Unsalted Butter