Melted or “drawn” butter, at top, compared to clarified butter (photo by Emily Chang | THE NIBBLE).

Clarified butter has had the milk solids removed, so that it is clear in its liquid state. You may have had it without knowing it:

In a proper service, the melted butter served with lobster is clarified butter—clear, with no cloudy milk proteins. In the case of lobster, clarified butter is served for aesthetic reasons.

Some restaurants don’t spend the time and money on clarified butter and serve “drawn butter”—melted butter—instead. See the comparison in photo #1.

It is never used in baking, since the milk solids in regular butter provide a richer flavor to baked goods, and the oven heating dynamic is different so there’s no scorching.

Clarified butter is shelf stable. You can make it or buy a purchase and keep it in the pantry until its needed.
 
GHEE, AN ALTERNATIVE

Or, you can buy a jar of ghee (photo #2), a similar product from India that has become much more available in the U.S. There are even “gourmet” brands that sell original ghee plus ghee flavored with green chili, pink Himalayan sea salt and vanilla bean.

The difference between ghee and clarified butter is that, after the solids are removed, the liquid portion is simmered, which makes it aromatic and nutty-tasting.