Science Behind Browned Butter
Nothing is worse than burned butter, the smell, the waste of time, a dirty dish and not to mention a waste of butter. Fear not, its very simple and once you know the science behind how to perfectly brown butter you’ll never burn it again.
Brown butter is similar to caramel. There's a few seconds between it being browned vs burned.
Starting with your pan use stainless steel or a light colored skillet. It will be easy to see the color change. A darker pan is harder to see the milk solids change color.
Start by adding room temperature butter cut into even slices to a cold pan. Cover the bottom of your pan in an even layer. This will ensure the butter melts evenly. Butter's fat starts to liquify at 67F and slow heat will ensure butter melts evenly. Adding cold butter to a hot pan will cause the butter to sizzle as the water in butter is trying to quickly escape and the milk solids are more at risk for burning. Lastly, make sure you have a heat safe bowl nearby. Once the butter is browned you want to immediately pour it out of the pan to prevent further cooking.
Place the skillet on the stove and cook over medium heat.It's important to be medium heat as the maillard reaction, which is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars giving browned butter its distinct flavor, roughly begins to occur above 285°F (140°C). Medium heat is usually 350F.
Cook the butter for 5-10 min, depending on the butter. European butter has less water and more fat so it takes longer to brown. It is close to browning when it bubbles and the white foam dissipates. swirl and stir constantly and do not walk away from the pan. Once it browns immediately pour into a bowl and stir to cool. If using it as a substitute for regular butter make sure to add 1 tbsp of water back to the butter after it cools.
