If you're making chicken broth, stock, or any type of clear, meat-based soup this Winter, keep in mind that chilling the soup will make skimming excess fat much easier.
It may be hard to discern fat from broth when it's warm, but when the liquid has been chilled, any fat turns white, congeals, and rises to the top. Skimming it off — which is a cinch when done with a large spoon — means you'll be left with a soup that's less greasy and has more concentrated flavors.
Do you do the same with your soups? If you have another tip for making soup, share it with me below!
Michael Stars
Pierre Hardy
Bloch
Great tip!
1Yup, this is how I had to do the gravies for both Thanksgiving and Christmas because my mom doesn't have a gravy separator.
2always do -- sometimes you can even seen stuff rise to the top in microwavable soups, and I'll skim a little bit off before I heat it up at work
3You can skim even hot/warm ones (soups, gravies) using a piece of coffee filter paper: spread it and let it drop in the pot/saucer/bowl, then lift it from the middle - it'll take with it most of the fat.
4As to making chicken stock and skimming the fat, there's great flavor in there if used sparingly. Use a narrow pan and the layer of fat will be thicker, thus allowing you to lift out an entire disc of the stuff. Pat dry with paper towels, wrap in butcher paper and refrigerate or freeze. I use it in some stir-frys and even fried rice.
5If you use a slotted spoon it's even easier!
What most people do when making stock/broth, whether chicken or beef, is to boil it. Don't BOIL IT! Bring it up to a simmer on low and keep it there! That's what makes a nice clear stock.Skim off the crud for the first 1/2 hour or so. I have some beef stock on the stove right now, and I'll just put the pot out on the porch when it's done (it's cold here), and remove the congealed fat in the morning. But don't remove every piece of the fat! Leave a little bit for the wonderful taste and look.
6I always chill my chicken stock to get rid of all the fat. Also, when you make chicken stock, don't use chicken that you want to eat later...after it's made into stock, it doesn't have as much flavor. I like to use all the weird parts...necks, wingtips, feet if you can find them, backbones, etc. for stock because they give it a much better flavor.
7My Mom does this all the time.
8great tip!
9Peggasus I agree with using a slotted spoon and not boiling the stock. A long gentle simmer gets a better result than boiling the guts out of it.
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