Don’t be tempted to use a nonstick skillet. You need a stainless-steel or enameled cast-iron skillet to easily monitor the color of the butter.

Use only unsalted butter. Salted butter foams more when melted than unsalted does, which can make it difficult to monitor the color.

Much of the flavor of browned butter is in the browned milk solids. Make sure you get every last bit out of the pan.

If your butter burns, filter out the burnt bits using a coffee filter–lined fine-mesh strainer, let the butter cool, and then taste it. If it doesn’t taste burnt, use it to top steamed vegetables.