Butter?

[Guest Robbin]

All you great cooks out there--Does clarified butter (ghee) have casein in it? I am struggling with this casein free thing. The gluten-free was a piece of (gluten-free) cake compared to this one! Can't find much info. ANY information on casein free recipes would be very much appreciated.

[mmaccartney]

I'm not a chef, though the longer I'm celiac the more of a chef I am becoming !

I found this on the internet:

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Clarified butter is also called drawn butter. Simply defined, clarified butter is unsalted butter that has the milk solids and water removed so all that remains is pure liquid golden-yellow butterfat. The advantages of this type of butter is its long keeping quality (several months refrigerated) and its high smoke point (can be used in frying without burning). The disadvantage is that it doesn't have that same wonderful rich flavor of regular unsalted butter (since the milk solids have been removed) but it does have a more buttery taste than other oils.

To make clarified butter gently melt unsalted butter over low heat until the butter breaks down and three layers form. The top layer is a white foam or froth (the whey proteins) and should be skimmed off with a spoon. The milk solids will drop to the bottom of the saucepan and form a milky layer of sediment. What is left in the middle is a pure golden-yellow liquid called clarified butter. When you have skimmed all the white foam from the surface of the clarified butter, and it has stopped bubbling, remove the saucepan from the heat. Let the butter sit a few minutes to allow the milk solids to further settle to the bottom, and then strain the mixture through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth-lined strainer. The liquid collected is the golden-yellow clarified butter (butterfat) that can be covered and stored several months in the refrigerator. Chilled clarified butter does become grainy.

Reference: Open Original Shared Link

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Based on that I would have to give a firm YES, Clarified butter does contain casien.

[teankerbell]

Anything derived from a cow (i.e. butter) has casein in it. You can get a good gluten-free/CF butter substitute - I use Earth Balance.

[Nancym]

I know it has a lot of the milk proteins removed I just don't know if it is 100%. I have been eating it myself and either it slips by unnoticed or they're simply not there. I did cook it for quite awhile, until the milk solids fell to the bottom of the pan and carmelized.

If you search for ghee casein it sounds like it is probably casein free. Sure is tasty stuff!

[dlp252]

The brand I buy at Whole Foods says casein free on the label...course I don't use a lot of it just in case.

ETA: course I don't know if they do something differently than we at home could do.

[corinne]

I cook the butter for a long time until it just starts to brown to ensure that all of the milk proteins coagulate and then put it through a fine strainer. The ghee is completely clear so I doubt there is any casein left. I react strongly to casein, but have no reaction to ghee.

[tarnalberry]

In theory, it is casein free. Because of the way it's separated, there is no 100% guarantee that there is not one single molecule of casein in the ghee, but it's awfully darn close.

[Guest Robbin]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll be careful and only use it occasionally and make sure it is very clear.

[Rachel--24]

It *should* be casein free. The kind I buy states that it is free of casein but like Tiffany said...maybe there is one tiny molecule of casein leftover. I kind of doubt it though. I think its safe.