A lot of food headlines these days make big promises about condiments and sauces that go with everything. I’d argue that most of them are hyperbolic—which is fine. Who doesn’t appreciate the tremendous range of stuff like chili crisp, fried capers, and ají verde?
Cooking Tips
Browned Butter Is a Cook’s Secret Weapon
The nutty, toasty depth of browned butter adds complexity and exceptional richness to everything it touches. It’s also a cinch to make—if you know when to take it off the heat.
By Published Jan. 23, 2024.
But if there is a truly all-purpose preparation out there, it’s browned butter. Its nutty yet neutral richness really does go with everything.
Scan through the test kitchen archives, and you’ll see how many dishes (sweet and savory) rely on it. There are iconic browned-butter applications like financiers, fish meuniere, and the sage-infused sauce that typically lavishes pastas like gnocchi and ravioli.
And then there are recipes where we trade conventional butter or oil for browned butter because it amps up the aroma and depth of everything it touches. Think: blondies, chocolate-chip cookies, muffins, vinaigrette, cake frosting, and pie filling.
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What makes it all the more appealing is its simplicity. Browning butter is like flipping a culinary lightswitch: Put a knob in a pan, give it a little heat and time, and suddenly you have an entirely different, more complex-tasting product.
There’s some classic culinary alchemy behind that color and flavor transformation; read on to learn more about it. Plus, we’ve got some tips for knowing precisely when butter is properly browned, since it can quickly go from rich and toasty to burnt and bitter.
The Science of Browned Butter
Browned butter’s deep color and flavor are results of the Maillard reaction, the heat-triggered chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that creates loads of new, complex-tasting flavor compounds as well as others that give browned foods their color.
The process starts with melting butter. Heat breaks the emulsion, causing the water to separate from the fat and milk solids. As the butter continues to heat, the water evaporates and the milk solids (which contain sugars and amino acids) toast and undergo the Maillard reaction. The butter takes on a dark speckled appearance from the toasted milk solids and smells savory, sweet, toasty, and toffee-like.
How to Brown Butter
- Heat anywhere from 12 to 16 tablespoons butter in 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes.
- Continue to cook, swirling skillet and stirring constantly with heatproof rubber spatula, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes longer.
- Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl.
The Stages of Browning Butter
Here's what to look for visually when browning butter.
Melted butter will begin to froth and bubble as it cooks.
When the milk solids are golden brown, the butter's flavor is deepening—but not yet fully developed.
Dark golden brown color is the goal. The butter should also smell rich and nutty.
If your milk solids are very dark brown or black, the milk solids have burnt and will taste bitter.
Tips for Browning Butter
1. Choose Unsalted Butter
Salted butter foams more when melted than unsalted does, which can make it difficult to monitor the color.
2. Use a Light-Colored Pan
A dark-colored cooking surface makes it difficult to see the color of the milk solids as they darken—crucial to ensuring they reach their browning potential without burning. A stainless-steel skillet works well.
3. Cook Over Medium-High Heat
Moderate heat helps the butter melt gently and evenly. That way, the milk solids toast at the same rate and there’s less risk of over-browning or burning them.
4. Be Vigilant
Pay close attention to the visual and auditory cues coming from the pan. Initially, you might see and hear the butter pop, sizzle, froth, and bubble—signs that the water is evaporating. Don’t walk away! Once the pan quiets down, the solids will start browning and darken quickly.
5. Look for Deep Browning and Nutty Aroma
You’ll know the butter is properly browned when the milk solids turn hazelnut-brown (hence the term beurre noisette, the French name for browned butter) and it smells deeply nutty and fragrant.
6. Don’t Leave Browned Butter in the Hot Pan
Residual heat will continue to brown the butter even after the pan is removed from the burner, so it’s important to transfer it to a heatproof bowl or container as soon as it’s done.
7. Scrape Out the Pan
Much of the flavor of browned butter is in the browned milk solids. Make sure you get every last bit out of the pan.
8. Consider Browning Butter Ahead
Browned butter will keep for months if refrigerated in an airtight container, meaning you can keep it on hand and use what you need on a whim.
