Melt Butter – How to Do It Right?

The best way to melt butter is directly in a saucepan, indirectly in a water bath, or – particularly quickly – in the microwave. However, you should be careful not to burn anything. This is because the smoke point of butter is low because it consists mainly of fat and water. This means you run the risk of the butter burning quickly as you melt it. Before we go to the exact instructions, first to the question: what exactly is melted butter? Melting, browning, melting butter – you will often find this information in recipes. But what does “melt butter” mean? And why is this necessary or useful?

Melt butter – that’s what happens in the process

When the butter melts, its components separate from one another: the protein – the third substance in butter alongside fat and water – collects on the surface. You can take it off with a ladle: this creates a purer end product, known as “clarified butter”. It has a more subtle aroma than melted butter and gets a higher smoke point through clarification. It can therefore also be used to sear food.

Melted butter with its unmistakable aroma is suitable – pure or refined with spices – as a tasty sauce, for example with lobster or shrimp, but also with asparagus or boiled potatoes. Some recipes also specify melted butter when baking: These are mostly cookie recipes in which the cookies should not be crispy, but rather sticky and chewy. Instead, softened (not melted) butter is ideal for the batter, as it allows it to combine more easily with the eggs and sugar, making the batter smoother. Fridge-cold butter is, therefore, more suitable for shortcrust pastry, as it is chemically more stable, the dough is less sticky and the crumbles stay in shape better.

Melting butter – step by step

• To melt in the saucepan, add the butter and heat the saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter is liquid.
• To melt in a water bath, place the butter in a bowl placed in a pot of boiling water on the stove. The butter will now melt in the container without you having to do anything. Since it cannot get hotter than 100 degrees, nothing burns with this process.
• If you want to melt butter in the microwave, use the lowest power level on your appliance: unlike in a saucepan, you can’t keep an eye on the process all the time. So the risk of burning is even higher if you melt the butter in the microwave. Break the butter into small pieces beforehand and stop the microwave every 30 seconds to stir. In total, you need about two minutes to melt butter in the microwave.

Alternatives to butter: There are a number of alternatives available for cooking and baking without butter. To avoid the low smoke point of butter, you can also use clarified butter or Indian ghee, for example. Margarine is also a suitable substitute for butter in many recipes (read here which is healthier, butter or margarine).