Ghee: properties, uses and benefits of an ancient superfood (which becomes excellence with our alpine butter)

Summary:

• What is ghee and why it will change your life
• The secret: why to use alpine butter.
• The recipe step by step
• A record yield: less water, more substance
• How to use Ghee in cooking
• Expert’s Corner: Ayurveda and Ketogenics
• The most common questions about Ghee

We tell you how to turn our alpine butter into a wellness elixir.

Have you ever heard of ghee? It is often quickly labeled as“clarified butter,” but calling it that is reductive. It’s an ancient ingredient that can withstand high temperatures without burning, is lactose-free, and tastes addictive (in a good way! 😋).

Maybe you have already tried to make it at home, but the result did not convince you: it lacked fragrance, color or that special “energy” that sets it apart. Do you know why? It all depends on the raw material.

In this article we tell you what Ghee really is, why our malga butter (produced high in the mountains in our valleys) is the secret ingredient for getting it perfect, and how you can easily prepare it in your kitchen following the traditional method.

What is Ghee (and why it will change your life in the kitchen)

Yes, perhaps we sound a tad presumptuous in saying that Ghee with alpine butter will change your life in the kitchen, but read on: these are the exact words used by some of our customers! 🥰

Imagine butter, but stripped of its watery part and milk protein (casein). What you are left with is the very pure fat part (over 99 percent). This “purification” process makes it a true superfood that gives you three incredible advantages over classic butter:

1. You digest it just fine: being lactose- and casein-free, it is perfect even if you usually avoid dairy products or feel weighed down after eating them.
   
   
2. It never burns: it has a very high “smoke point”(about 250°C). You can use it to fry or brown meat without worrying about it burning or producing harmful substances.
   
   
3. You keep it in the pantry-if you prepare it well and seal it in a jar, it lasts you months(even years!) out of the fridge. Most convenient, isn’t it?

The secret: why you MUST use our alpine butter 😍

Let’s put “branding” aside for a moment (although, let us tell you, we are madly in love with our artisan butter!). We want to explain why choosing a real alpine butter, whether it’s ours or that of another good, small producer, completely changes the end result compared to an industrial loaf.

Here comes the crux. If you use a pale, tasteless industrial butter loaf, you will get a clear, yes, but “off” fat. To get a Ghee that is rich in nutrients and flavor, alpine butter is a must. Here’s the difference you’ll feel right away:

• What the cows eat: In the pasture, our cows graze freely and eat flower-rich seasonal alpine grasses. No standardized feed. No GMOs. And in winter? They feed on the fragrant hay harvested in summer in our valley meadows. This gives the butter different nuances of flavor than fresh grass and summer butter, but keeps intact that very high artisanal quality that makes it unique and unobtainable.
  
  
• Enzyme richness: alpine herbs transfer essential oils, chlorophyll and natural antioxidants into the milk (and thus into your butter).
  
  
• Real vitamins: alpine butter, made with naturally surfaced cream from raw milk, is yellow (even more intense in summer) because it is a mine of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2) and noble fatty acids.

Using this butter means you bring all the aromatic and nutritional quality of our mountains to your jar.

The recipe: how to make ghee at home

The traditional method to never make mistakes

What you need:

• 1 or 2 sticks of Alpine Butter (Our advice? Since it’s a slow process that requires care, it’s worth optimizing the time and making a good supply using 4 to 6 loaves. If it’s your first time, though, go ahead and start with 1 or 2 to get the hang of it!)

The right tools:

• A “heavy” thick-bottomed pot (steel or earthenware).
• A kitchen thermometer (recommended).
• Linen or cotton gauze for straining.
• A sterilized glass jar.

The step-by-step process:

1. Soft melting: put the butter in the pot and heat over a very low flame (or bain-marie). Patience is your secret ingredient.
   
   
2. Watch the temperature: if you use a thermometer, be sure never to exceed 110°C. That way you preserve all the valuable vitamins and enzymes.
   
   
3. Separation: as the butter gently simmers, you will see foam forming on the surface (proteins separate and sink, clear fats remain on the surface, and water evaporates).
   
   
4. Cleaning: with a skimmer, gently remove surface foam. Continue cooking until all the water has evaporated and the liquid becomes clear and golden-you should be able to see the bottom of the pan!
   
   How long does it take? From 60 minutes to 3 hours depending on how much butter you use (for 2.5kg consider the maximum time).
   
   
5. The smell: you’ll know it’s ready when your kitchen smells intensely of toasted hazelnut or popcorn 😋.
   
   
6. Straining: turn off the heat and strain the hot liquid through the gauze into the glass (or earthenware) jar; do not use plastic. Be careful not to stir up deposits at the bottom of the pot (those should be thrown away).
   
   
7. The resting phase (a special tip from our lovely customer, Jolanda): to prevent your ghee from getting grainy as it cools down, she shared a foolproof method with us! Once you’ve filtered it into the jar, just wait for it to become lukewarm, then pop it straight into the fridge for 7 to 8 hours. After that, you can take it out and keep it in your pantry as usual.

Yield: from 2.5 kg of alpine butter you will get about 1.5 to 2 kg of very pure Ghee.

A record yield (our customers’ word!)

Not to brag, (okay come on, maybe a little bit yes! 😋) but our customers confirm that the yield of our Alpine Butter is outstanding.

Compared to many industrial butters that tend to “disappear” in the pot, here you end up with much more substance in the jar getting to more than double the “standard” yield.

How to tell if your ghee is perfect? It should be clear, golden and fragrant, with notes reminiscent of hazelnut and hay. Once cooled and kept dry, it will keep out of the refrigerator for years.

Doubts about the result? Send us a photo on Whatsapp– we’ll be happy to give you a look and some valuable advice!

The insight: the word from one of our loyal expert customers

Edited by Gilberto Barcella, an expert in Ayurvedic practices and a loyal bbuono client.

For those who want to go beyond the culinary aspect, Ghee has a deep meaning in Indian tradition. We asked Gilberto Barcella to explain why, according to Ayurveda, Ghee made with quality butter is considered a “vehicle of light”(Ojas).

The Ayurvedic Vision

According to Ayurvedics, Ghee is a Sattvic (pure) food that:

• Nourishes deep tissue: supports cell regeneration and your immune system.
• Harmonizes digestive fire (Agni): yi helps assimilate nutrients without igniting.
• It acts as a vehicle (Anupana): if you take it with herbs or spices, it transports the active ingredients deep into your cells.

“Using industrial butter means starting from a raw material deprived of its life force. The resulting Ghee will technically be a fat, but it will never be the gold of Ayurveda.” – Gilberto Barcella

Purāṇa Ghṛta: the aged ghee

A fascinating fact: Ghee improves as it ages, just like good wine (or like our cheeses aged for more than 2 years). In tradition, Purāṇa Ghṛta(Ghee that is 1 or even 10 years old) is used as a powerful tonic for the mind. Aging reduces residual moisture and refines the “vibration” of the product. In India there are families who store Ghee in sealed jars for decades, passing it down as a family treasure, often kept for years and offered as dowry to their daughters when they marry.

The use of ghee in Ayurveda

In Ayurveda, Ghee is classified as a “sattvic” food, that is, capable of promoting mental balance, clarity and vitality.

According to this millenarian view, it acts as a deep tissue nutrient(Dhatu), supporting cell regeneration and the immune system. It is essential for lubricating and harmonizing Agni (the digestive fire), improving assimilation but not aggravating Pitta.

It is known to calm Vata (wind) and Pitta (fire), being neutral for Kapha when used in moderation. It also functions as an excellent anupana, that is, a vehicle that transports herbs and medicinal substances, enhancing their absorption into the body.

It is also traditionally used for specific treatments such as Nasya (nasal instillations),Abhyanga (massage with medicated oils), Netra tarpana (eye baths) and in Panchakarma (internal purifications) practices.

Many thanks to Gilberto for giving us these pearls of knowledge. We are happy to have shared them with you, dear bbuono reader, because we believe that good food is also born from curiosity and culture!

Start your own homemade ghee production

You don’t need to go to India to find the elixir of long life. Our Brescian valleys offer you the perfect raw material to create it. Get real alpine butter, take an afternoon of calm and make your own jar of “liquid light.” Your body (and your palate) will thank you.

How to use your Ghee in cooking (watch out, you won’t be able to do without it anymore)

Now that you have your jar of “liquid gold,” if you want to age it that’s fine, otherwise don’t leave it in the pantry! Ghee is an amazing ally that can replace classic oil or butter in almost any preparation, giving you chef-like results.

Here are our favorite ways to use it:

• Textbook frying and browning: thanks to its extremely high smoke point (about 250°C), Ghee does not burn like regular butter. It is perfect for frying (try cutlets!) or browning meat at high temperatures: it seals in the juices and creates a delicious crust with no burnt aftertaste.
  
  
• To enhance vegetables and pasta dishes: a teaspoon of melted Ghee on steamed vegetables, grains, or a simple rice dish changes everything. It adds a sweet, toasty note that binds the flavors together in an enveloping way. It’s also great for sautéing vegetables: they stay crisp and flavorful.
  
  
• In desserts (Grandma’s secret 2.0, desserts with delactose butter): try substituting it for traditional butter in your cakes or cookies. The result? A crumblier texture, a more intense aroma and better preservation. Plus, let’s face it, that nutty aftertaste looks good on everything.

Ghee and the Ketogenic (Keto) Diet: why is it talked about so much?

Many of our clients contact us because their nutritionists or doctors have recommended that they include Ghee in their Ketogenic (or Keto) diet. We at bbuono would like to say this up front: we are not nutritionists or doctors, we are selectors of excellence from our valleys. Our advice is always to follow the directions of your trusted specialist.

However, we inquired and asked some doctors who work with us why ghee is so beloved in this dietary regimen. Here’s what we found out:

1. Pure fat, zero sugar: on the Keto diet, the goal is to reduce carbohydrates to push the body to burn fat. Ghee is 99.9 percent pure fat, free of lactose and sugar, so it is the ideal fuel to maintain the state of ketosis without glycemic spikes.
   
   
2. The extra edge of Alpine (Grass-Fed) Butter: here quality makes the difference. Ghee made from butter from our pastures (where cows eat grass and hay, so-called grass-fed) is naturally richer in MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid). Translated? Immediate and available energy, not fat that “weighs down.”
   
   
3. Gut-friendly: contains butyric acid, a short-chain fatty acid that nourishes colon cells and helps keep the gut healthy, reducing inflammation often caused by disordered eating.

In short, if your diet plan includes healthy fats, make sure they are really healthy and natural, not derived from factory farms. Your body will feel the difference!

Thanks to Luca Minardi and Francesco Cola for the photographs they provided of their home production of Ghee made with our alpine butter

The most frequently asked questions you ask us about homemade Ghee 😀