What Is Brown Butter?
Whether you’re pan-searing fish or baking a pan of cornbread, you might have come across the vague-sounding term “brown butter.” What it lacks in descriptive panache it makes up in depth of savor: butter cooked over heat until its 20 percent water weight evaporates, allowing the fat’s temperature to rise high enough to…
In its purest form, brown butter tastes like toffee, a little sweet and savory with a heady caramel aroma. Chemically, brown butter tastes so good for the same reason a seared steak does: a process called the Maillard reaction that describes the breakdown of animal proteins into hundreds of savor compounds.
Culinarily, brown butter is a common base for sauces—just toss in a few sage leaves, and once they sizzle, drape over roasted sweet potatoes. Just be sure to keep the heat moderate so you don’t scorch the butter while preparation it.
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- Percentages: 20 percent
- Figures: 20 percent
