489521 Wed Feb 13 20:45:47 -0800 2008 13 31 Home Cooking 0 3395858 Well, I'm just too brutish to carefully skim the fat out of a sauce or stock. The method I use most often is just throw it in the freezer or 'fridge until the fat separates out on top and I can just go in there and remove the solid fat. But that also takes too long! Plus, I'm totally Obssessive Compulsive about it. I don't want to waste a single drop of my precious stock/sauce while defatting it. One thing I was thinking about doing is poking the bottom of a water bottle to drain the stock from the fat that way. Any other ideas? Wed Feb 13 20:45:47 -0800 2008 146339 phan1 1 3395995 There's a gadget you can get to help with this - I've never used it myself, but my grandmother had one in her kitchen, which bodes well for its helpfulness. http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-International-4-Cup-Gravy-Separator/dp/B00004RDCT Basically, imagine a liquid measuring cup, but with a spout that is joined at the bottom of the cup rather than near the top. Fill the cup with your stock, let it settle for a couple of minutes, and then pour. Because the spout opening is at the bottom of the cup, when you pour, the stock - which has settled at the bottom - will come out first, and the fat - which has risen to the top - will come out last. Simply stop pouring when the liquid changes from mostly stock to mostly fat. As I said, I've never used this device (much less this particular brand), so I can't vouch for it. But I thought I'd pass it along - at a minimum, it's a relatively low-cost experiment. Wed Feb 13 22:08:23 -0800 2008 3395858 84143 chloe103 2 3396005 Used one for years. Works OK, except for the small amount of fat in the spout and the inability to separate fat from stock COMPLETELY. Wed Feb 13 22:16:55 -0800 2008 3395995 10483 Joebob 1 3396023 Sure. Use a gravy separator. Makes degreasing a snap, and I can't understand why they're not better known.. I've been using the same one for many years now. Just Google on gravy separator. They're not expensive, though I wouldn't buy the very cheapest you can find. Here's an explanation: http://www.epicurious.com/bonappetit/tools_of_the_trade/gravy_separator Wed Feb 13 22:28:46 -0800 2008 3395858 55316 mpalmer6c 1 3396060 To save you some clicking in case you didn't know already, both "chloe103" and "mpalmer6c" are referring to the same item, which I might also say is a very useful kitchen tool for impatient cooks like us! Wed Feb 13 22:52:13 -0800 2008 3395858 140949 homebaker 2 3396480 Me too, use the gravy separator! Works great for defatting stock. Make sure you get a glass one. Thu Feb 14 06:46:47 -0800 2008 3396060 29811 Buckethead 1 3396519 The 'homemade' or primitive version of this kitchen gadget is what I do: fill a ziploc bag with the liquid and let rest for a minute, cut a corner of the bag and carefully pour until the stock has been poured out and the fat remains. Might not be great for compulsive types, but works just fine in a pinch. Thu Feb 14 06:59:44 -0800 2008 3395858 83353 aussiewonder 2 3400634 I also use the plastic bag technique. You do have to let the liquid cool a little bit, but I find it most effective for removing all fat. The other technique I use, is to put the sauce/broth/whatever into a tall glass, and use a turkey baster (you know, the thing with a squeeze bulb at the top) to suck up the liquid from the bottom, while leaving the fat floating at the top. This works great, as long as you dont have a huge amount to do. Fri Feb 15 09:00:20 -0800 2008 3396519 150115 Mellicita 1 3402326 I use the same technique of refrigerating and then peeling the fat off the top. But there's no need to waste that tasty solid fat! Use it instead of butter when you're making savory pies or tarts or use it as your fat instead of olive oil for sauteeing vegetables. I also render the fat from chicken skins when I cook chiken sans skin and save the fat from bacon for similar purposes. Adds a flavor boost to lots of recipes and helps you keep from wasting the animal. Fri Feb 15 15:22:01 -0800 2008 3395858 55065 Abby B 1 3402344 I LOVE my fat separator!!!!!! It is, without a doubt, my most favorite kitchen gadget ever! It makes the most heinous task, skimming fat, effortless. All it is is a pitcher that looks like a measuring cup only it has a spout w/ a plunger in it. On top is a strainer. All u do is pour the liquid into the pitcher. The solids are caught in the strainer. The fat magically rests on the top of the liquid in the pitcher. You pour off your broth until it's gone and all that remains in the pitcher is the fat! Sorry, I love it! Fri Feb 15 15:27:26 -0800 2008 3395858 71241 lynnlato 2 3957801 http://www.cooksillustrated.com/images/document/howto/JA96_ISkitchengadgets.pdf Thu Aug 14 14:37:38 -0700 2008 3402344 218537 jrisken 1 3957767 There's another, similar, gadget that I prefer cazlled the "Heartwatch Fat Skimmer". It looks like a large ladle and is made of transparent plastic. The upper edge of the ladle's bowl is serrated, and there is a trigger on the ladle's handle that opens a tiny drain at the bottom of the ladle. You push it down into, say, a pot of soup until the liquid just starts to flow in over the serrations. This liquid will be all fat if you push it down carefully. Once the ladle is full, you pull it out of the pot and squeeze the trigger to let out any non-fat that got in (and settled to the bottom). Then you dispose of the fat. In my experience, this does a better job of separating. And you can use it in a large container of liquid rather than moving that container bit by bit in to other style of separator. Thu Aug 14 14:28:30 -0700 2008 3395858 218537 jrisken 2 3962143 Any info on where to buy the Heartwatch Fat Skimmer? I googled it, but couldnt find a place to buy. Sat Aug 16 09:16:03 -0700 2008 3957767 150115 Mellicita 1 3958899 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/482034 Thu Aug 14 22:50:35 -0700 2008 3395858 11583 ipsedixit