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A friend of mine has mistakenly stored his ghee in a bowl which was not quite hermetic hence exposed to oxygen and the sun light. The result is that the ghee turned white and is rancid. See the picture:

Ghee turned white being exposed to light and air

Is there any method of fixing it? Or should I just throw it out? Thanks

Community
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Ilya Shinkarenko
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3 Answers3

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There is sadly no way to reverse or undo rancidity, and the potent flavors are very unpleasant. The rancid portion should be discarded.

The photo is unusual in that there is a clear color line, which may or may not correspond to the depth the rancidity reached, or how far into the main product the unpleasant breakdown products permeated. You might try scraping off all of the obviously bad portion (plus a little extra). Retain the remainder only if it smells (and tastes) normal. Fortunately, rancidity is easy to detect by odor and taste.

Michael Natkin
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SAJ14SAJ
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  • Ok, I have cut the white part but the rest was unfortunately also spoiled. Then I thought re-boiling could help, but after reheating it did not get any better. Conclusion: it is hardly possible to fix it. – Ilya Shinkarenko Nov 02 '13 at 20:51
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    No, reboiling will not help as rancidity is a chemical breakdown in the lipids. Boiling will not cause them to recombine. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 02 '13 at 21:17
  • Yes, reboiling did not help at all. The yellow mass turned to grey and stinked. Had to put everything down to sewerage. – Ilya Shinkarenko Nov 03 '13 at 20:45
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Cut out the white stuff generously, and all the stinky parts and you'll be good to go. IMHO.

PS: and no, don't boil ghee one more time, there is a possibility it'll be completely ruined.

sangesi
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  • Why would the second boiling ruin the ghee? I just thought ghee is invincible once it's a ghee – Ilya Shinkarenko Nov 02 '13 at 20:42
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    oh, no! it's very fragile in my experience. – sangesi Nov 02 '13 at 20:47
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    you could make an experiment, once you have made fresh ghee. Take small part of it, and heat it up one more time, than wait until it's cooled down. It becomes white and looses taste and flavor. – sangesi Nov 02 '13 at 20:49
  • so was it in mine... i have cut the whites and boiled the visible healthy rests but the smell is still anything else but the divine ghee – Ilya Shinkarenko Nov 02 '13 at 20:49
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You could try using vitamin E, and beta carotene which prevents oxidation, in some cases reverses oxidation. I was told by my mother when I was younger if you burn a stew put peanut butter in it, this will remove the burnt flavor. While years later, after several science classes and several degrees. I had bought some ghee, and I removed the white part, but it kept going. It stopped when I added the vitamins. And rancid oils and fats are bad for your health, they cause free radical damage, hence your mouth saying don't eat it.

Jonathan Riddle
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