I am a firm believer in using Olive Oil for most sautéing because of the wonderful health benefits. Sometimes however butter is needed in some recipes. When a recipe calls for sautéing with butter it is better to use Clarified Butter as it does not burn easily. Ghee can be purchased in specialty markets but is easily made at home using fresh butter.

Clarified Butter is used in making pastry such as Baklava or in Indian Curries; and while butter will easily smoke and burn, Ghee has a very high smoke smoke point and is even used for deep frying in some cultures. Clarified Butter is also served with Lobster as a dipping sauce.

Because the solids and water have been removed, Clarified Butter can be kept for extended periods of time outside of refrigeration in an airtight container.
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