When you melt regular butter using high heat, it often burns, becoming a bitter, brown-colored liquid with flecks of black bits. Ina Garten suggests using clarified butter instead.

Clarified butter (or ghee) has a higher smoke point. Butter begins to burn at approximately 300°F, while clarified butter has a higher smoke point of 465 degrees.

Clarified butter can be expensive, but luckily, you can make it at home in a snap. In her "Cook Like a Pro" segment, Garten uses a microwave to clarify her butter.

Per her method, place some butter in a heat-safe pitcher, microwave it for 30 seconds until it melts, and wait for the milk solids to separate and settle at the bottom.

Next, pour the golden liquid floating at the top directly into your pan. The Barefoot Contessa's hack gives you clarified butter in under a minute without straining it.