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The Unrivaled Practical Guide for Asian Cooking

Can homemade herb butter keep as long as ordinary butter?

No, homemade herb butter will not keep as long as the ordinary butter. Unsalted butter may be kept in a refrigerator for up to two weeks and salted butter for three weeks. Herb butter will keep for two days only as the oil in the herbs will turn the butter rancid. However, it can be frozen for up to a month.

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14:22:07 on 09/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

Besides using herb and garlic butters for topping steaks, what else can they be used for?

Herb and other savory flavored butters are excellent tossed with pasta, spread on hot breads, added to soups and sauces or used as a topping for jacket potatoes. Grilled chicken or fish and steamed vegetables are also good matches.

Anchovies, curry powder, lemon zest, mustard, onion, paprika and tomato paste can all add an interesting savory flavor to butter. Sweet butters for pancakes can be made with sugar plus ground almonds or hazelnuts, lemon or orange zest, mixed spices, brandy, rum or liqueur.

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12:56:53 on 09/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

If I don't have unsalted butter required in the recipe, can I substitute it with salted butter instead?

If the recipe indicates unsalted butter, it is always best to use it. Unsalted butter is often specified for delicate pastries for fruit tarts and tartlets, and for Danish pastries and croissants. It is also used for icings, cakes, tea breads, sweet biscuits, baked desserts such as crumbles, confectionery like butterscotch, and other sweet foods, where even a pinch of salt would be obvious and would change the flavor of the dish. It is also better to use unsalted butter for delicate sauces such as hollandaise, and then to add salt to taste to the sauce.

Sometimes, however, salted butter is a crucial part of the dish because the salt highlights the flavors of the other ingredients.

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10:22:43 on 09/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

Are ghee and clarified butter the same thing?

No, they are not the same. Ghee is an Indian version of clarified butter which is made by simmering butter until all the moisture has evaporated and the butter caramelizes. This results in a stronger, sweeter and rather nutty flavor. Ghee is often made from buffalo's milk or cow's milk, although ghee made from vegetable oils is also widely available.

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07:15:57 on 09/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -

When and why do we need to use clarified butter?

Clarified butter is melted butter from which the salt, water, milk solids and other impurities have been removed, leaving only the pure butterfat. It will not burn when heated and so is good for sauteing and shallow-frying.

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03:45:55 on 09/26/06 by Webmaster - Questions and Answers -