On Fri, 7 Sep 2012 15:33:58 -0700 (PDT), Tommy Joe
> wrote:

>
> The topic was given a good going over only recently, but there was
>so much conflicting information it only got more confusing. My
>question is this: Can clarified butter be made in the microwave?
>
> I sometimes put a tablespoon of butter in a tiny dish in the
>microwave to use on popcorn. I have noticed there is white stuff
>floating on top, a small amount of course, because I only use a
>tablespoon. But when people talking about skimming the milk solids
>from the top of a pound of clarified butter, is that the stuff they're
>talking about?
>
> I know a guy here in town who says he's been clarifying butter
>for years and that cooking it down is not necessary - just heating it
>till it's totally melted to liquid is good enough. I would also like
>to know if it's easier to skim off the milk solids or whatever they're
>called after the butter is allowed to sit awhile. It seems while the
>butter is hot that the stuff on top is harder to skim off, if in fact
>it's the right stuff. I only want to use the clarified butter for
>cooking. Thanks.

The foam on top bubbles forms from teh water evaporating an dsome
schmutz that floats... should be skimmed off. The milk solids sink to
the bottom... the clarified butter is carefully poured off.

Your friend is correct, to clarify butter melt at medium heat just
until the milk solids sink to the bottom... cooking longer until the
milk solids begin to brown is how ghee is made. Ghee wouldn't make
popcorn or dipping seafood taste very good, ghee doesn't have that
fresh butter flavor, ghee is used as a cooking oil, for Indian cooking
often it's flavored with spices... you may like curried popcorn.

How much popcorn do you make that one tablespoon of butter is
sufficient, do you count out like twenty five kernals? For popcorn
it's not necessary to skim or separate the milk solids, you won't
notice on popcorn.... for dipping seafood you'll see all the schmutz
and it won't look very attractive.