Clarified butter is made from butter that has had its water, milk protein, and milk sugar removed. It is also known as boiled or purified butter.

To make clarified butter, butter is melted with hot steam at 40 to 50°C. The water, milk protein, and lactose are then separated by centrifugation. The butterfat is reheated in a vacuum boiler to approx. 100°C. This removes any remaining water. After the clarified butter has cooled a little and been beaten with air, it is ready to be poured into household containers. Clarified butter used at RITTER SPORT is filled, without beating, into large, airtight containers.

The low water content means clarified butter keeps longer than normal butter. In addition, it has a smoke point of 205°C and can, therefore, be heated to higher temperatures.

Clarified butter’s longer life was discovered very early on. Known as “ghee” in Indian and Pakistani cuisine, it is one of their most important cooking fats.

100g of clarified butter contains 99.8g of butterfat, including 29% mono- and 4.6% polyunsaturated fatty acids. The remainder is made up of cholesterol (278mg), water (100mg), and fat-soluble vitamins (A: 0.93mg, carotin: 0.53mg, D: 1.6µg, and E: 2.4mg).

In chocolate production, clarified butter helps harmonise the taste. It makes chocolate somewhat softer and encourages milk chocolate to melt more easily.

The smoke point is the lowest temperature at which heated oil or fat visibly begins to smoke. When cooking, fats and oils should, in principle, not be heated to their smoke point. Otherwise a health hazardous substance, acrolein, is released.