“As long as you live, live happily, and even if you have to take a loan, ensure that you can drink ghee” ー these are the golden words of Maharishi Charvaka, a famous Ayurveda guru, for ghee or as some would call it, "golden nectar." Ghee is so versatile that if you know the miraculous benefits it provides, you will be like, OMGhee!
Whether it be rituals, cooking, applying to the skin, or hair, ghee participates everywhere. There are many things to check, like the type of cow, method of extraction, ingredients, and more before buying. The only thing that you need to do is to buy the right kind. We have prepared a detailed buying guide and selected the brands providing good quality ghee and have collaborated with an expert, nutritionist Ruchi Wadhwa, so to hear some authentic advice, keep scrolling!
Since time immemorial, ghee has been lauded and regarded divine in our culture because of its countless uses that are not only exclusive to cooking and personal use, but is also used in many of our rituals and temples.
Ghee contains a saturated fat called short-chain fatty acids, that are known to provide energy to the body and regulates digestion, and help get rid of stubborn fat. It also lubricates joints, nourishes the skin, boosts fertility, and more. Furthermore, ghee is regarded ideal for people that have diabetes because it can regulate blood sugar level.
It has a very high smoke point of 250-degree Celsius which means it can be used for high cooking and will not break down up to that temperature. For your reference, an average oil has a smoke point of 150-degree Celsius.
Since India is a tropical country, it was hard to preserve the butter at room temperature, so, clarification was done to butter to make the ghee. Ghee and butter can be used interchangeably but there are many areas where ghee wins over butter.
The smoke point of ghee is higher than the butter, which means it is more suited for high-heat cooking. You can easily deep fry and cook a more delicious puri or pakoras with ghee.
Ghee can be heated up to 250-degree Celsius, while, butter can be up to 176-degree Celsius. Compared to butter that contains traces of lactose, ghee does not have lactose or casein which makes it easily consumable by people who are lactose intolerant. Moreover, when it comes to freshness, ghee can remain fresh up to 3 months whereas butter can lose its freshness just after a few days.
There are many things that you need to consider before hunting on that one bottle. From the milk source to the ingredients, we have played our part in researching, reviewing, and gathering all the necessary information you need to know. Our expert, nutritionist, Ruchi Wadhwa, will also give you some insights based on her professional background.
Cow milk is more famous than buffalo milk because it is suitable for everyone - from children to the older generation. Cow ghee is rich in minerals, vitamins, protein, and calcium. It is easy to digest because it is lower in fats and has fewer calories. Some findings say cow ghee also helps in weight loss.
Buffalo ghee, on the other hand is rich in magnesium, calcium, and phosphorous. Buffalo milk has more fat and calories than cow's milk, hence, it is difficult to digest. Buffalo ghee is usually used by those who are engaged in heavy physical activities like kushti, wrestling, and other kinds of sports.
Whey and casein are the two major types of milk proteins. Further, casein is divided into two categories that are A and B casein. Today, A1 and A2 milk types are famous terms used to describe the quality, nonetheless, they are the sub-types of B casein. Originally, cows produce the A2 type but these days A1 are now also available.
Some researches claim that American cows like Jersey and Holstein Friesian contain A1 type of milk. This type produces a compound called B casomorphin 7 (BCM7) which can increase the risk of arteriosclerosis, it is a process which restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues, and can suppress the immune system.
On the other hand, most Indian cows produce only A2 type of milk that is safe for consumption. To give you a reference, human milk also has an A2 type of B casein. You may select desi cows like Tharparkar, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Rathi as they are highly recommended because they are known to have a high level of Omega 3 that cleans the cholesterol deposits of the blood vessel.
There are many methods to prepare ghee. However, according to Ayurveda, the Bilona method is the only traditional method to extract pure ghee because the churning done during the process is bidirectional. Milk is heated in earthen pots and wooden vessels are used to extract the butter.
This traditional ghee is used as a medicine in Ayurveda and it helps improve eyesight, cures dryness, boasts anti-aging effects, regulates digestive system, and many more. In addition, ghee from the Bilona method has a longer shelf life. It can last for years if stored properly in a tight glass jar.
To meet the rapid demand, companies these days use machines that churn hundreds of kilograms of ghee in a few minutes. Whereas the Bilona method is a tedious process since 30 kilograms of curd is used to obtain 1-kilogram pure ghee. Unlike the Bilona method, machine-produced ghee has a shorter shelf-life and is hard to digest.
There are a few ingredients that you should strictly avoid. Vanaspati, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and palm oil are some of them. Still, in India, palm oil is commonly used because it is cheap and has the same smell, taste, color, and texture as desi ghee. Trans-fats found in the palm oil badly affects cholesterol as it increases the bad cholesterol and decreases the good cholesterol.
Since cooking in India is usually done at a higher temperature of about 180 degrees, vanaspati ghee is not really suitable for it because it has a lower smoke point and it breaks down after 110-120 degrees.
Anything cooked beyond the smoke point can produce free radicals that can cause many health problems such as cardiovascular and inflammatory disease, cataract, and more. So, it is better to look back at the ingredients list before buying the ghee.
If you're a lazy ghee eater then you can choose a glass container with a tight screw-on lid as it can prevent the moisture and will increase the shelf life and quality of the ghee.
However, the plastic ones are common in the market today because it reduces the production cost. Be wary that those that come in a plastic container have a shorter shelf life! So, if you're a frequent ghee-eater then you have the option to buy the plastic one but be ready to lose its authenticity.
Brands like Vanalaya, Farm Naturelle, Shree Radhey, and more are not very famous in the Indian market but they provide good quality ghee. So, scroll down and check.
From ₹500.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 200 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
From ₹699.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 500 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
From ₹1,800.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 500 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
From ₹549.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 250 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
From ₹1,800.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 1000 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
From ₹5,000.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 1000 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
From ₹1,200.00
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow |
---|---|
Quantity | 500 ml |
Bottle type | Glass |
Cow used | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes |
Image | 1 ![]() VANALAYA | 2 ![]() Farm Naturelle | 3 ![]() ISHAVASYAM | 4 ![]() VEDIC GHEE | 5 ![]() Shree Radhey | 6 ![]() Bansi Gir | 7 ![]() KAPIVA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Gir Cow Ghee | Sahiwal Cow Ghee | Vedic A2 Ghee | Gir Cow's A2 Ghee | A2 Gir Cow Ghee | Ahinsak Gau Ghee | A2 Desi Cow Ghee |
Features | Organic Gir Cow Ghee Made From Traditional Bilona Method | Pure Desi Sahiwal Cow Ghee That Is Rich in Anti-Oxidants | Ghee That Contains Ayurvedic Medicinal Properties Like Ashwagandha, Shankpushpi, And more | Gir Cow Ghee Loaded With Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) | Desi Cow Ghee With 12 Months of Shelf Life | From a Company That Uses Ethical Method Called Dohan to Raise Cows | A2 Tharparkar Cow Ghee Is Known for Its External Healing Properties |
Price Starts at | ₹500.00 | ₹699.00 | ₹1,800.00 | ₹549.00 | ₹1,800.00 | ₹5,000.00 | ₹1,200.00 |
Cow/Buffalo Milk | Cow | Cow | Cow | Cow | Cow | Cow | Cow |
Quantity | 200 ml | 500 ml | 500 ml | 250 ml | 1000 ml | 1000 ml | 500 ml |
Bottle type | Glass | Glass | Glass | Glass | Glass | Glass | Glass |
Cow used | Indian | Indian | Indian | Indian | Indian | Indian | Indian |
Bilona method | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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If you're looking for other healthy oils, look no further! Check out the links below to help yourself.
If you can afford to buy the ghee, it is better to have a quality one. Although quality products can be expensive, the apt approach would be to eat less rather than eating unhealthy. The supply-demand circle will adjust if many people started to buy quality organic ghee made by the traditional Bhartiya method.
Author: Nikhil Deora
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