• Slice 1 cup unsalted butter into thick pats and place in a light-colored skillet (not cast iron). Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spatula, until the butter bubbles and foams, about 3 minutes.
  
• Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, as the foam subsides and the milk solids starts to form on the bottom of the pan. Once they begin to turn lightly golden, stir more frequently to to prevent from burning—this entire stage takes about 5 minutes.
  
• Cook until the butter turns a warm amber color and milk solids are dark golden brown, about 2 minutes. You'll smell a toasty, nutty aroma when it's ready. Remove from the heat immediately.

  Nami's Tip: Keep in mind that only the milk solids turn a dark golden brown, not the butter itself. 
  
• Transfer into a heatproof bowl, scraping up all the browned bits in the pan. Stir it to let cool for 3 minutes.

  Alternatively, stop cooking slightly earlier, remove from the heat, and stir—scraping up the browned bits—as it cools in the pan for 3 minutes.

  Nami's Tip: The brown bits hold the most flavor!

To Store

• Cool and store in a airtight jar up to 2 weeks in the fridge. To freeze, cool and pour into ice cube tray for easy portions and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, melt gently over low heat or in short microwave bursts. Stir to reincorporate the browned bits.