Is beurre noisette (brown butter) shelf stable or does it need to be refrigerated.

Bill F
  • Posted by: Bill F
  • October 7, 2012
  • 15685 views
  • 9 Comments

9 Comments

Author Comment
Ono/Greenstuff: it's fine - until the first time you dip a spoon in it. As I said, if your kitchen hygiene is less than impeccable, you do run the risk of introducing bacteria, which can then feed on the proteins (more easily than they can on the pure fat).
 
Greenstuff October 8, 2012
As long as those brown bits are covered by the fat, there should be no problem with spoilage. Traditionally, people didn't refrigerate confit--whole big chunks of duck and goose preserved in fat.
 
Author Comment
In that case, what you have is ghee, which is room-temperature stable for up to about six months, or refrigerator-stable for a year or more.
 
ChefJune October 8, 2012
never heard of browned butter called Ghee. Ghee is definitely clarified butter, but browned???
 
ChefOno October 8, 2012

Yes, ghee is, by definition, browned and clarified. The browning step is partly to help preserve it by creating antioxidants, partly for flavor (although most of the browned flavor stays with the browned bits).

 
Author Comment
The browned milk solids are proteins, and as such, will spoil faster than the relatively saturated butterfat. They are also a breeding ground for bacteria, if your kitchen hygiene is less than impeccable.
 
ChefOno October 8, 2012

I'm having trouble accepting the browned bits being a safety issue. Seems to me they're sterile to begin with (having been heated to over 250F) and immersed in a perfectly dry, oxygen-free environment. Compare to, say, a cookie.

 
ChefOno October 7, 2012

Depends upon how you define "shelf stable". It is certainly no less so than the stick of butter from which it was made which, due to its relatively high saturation, can withstand some amount of time without refrigeration. The browning process drives off water and creates antioxidants which help to further stabilize it. Ghee, essentially brown butter without the brown bits, can sit around at elevated temperatures for months but eventually reaches a degree of oxidization we refer to as rancid. How much trouble the brown bits would cause, I'm not really sure.

 
Bill F. October 7, 2012
I ran it through a chinois so most of the brown bits are gone. Thanks
 
Recommended by Food52