Straining the Dashi

The reason that the dashi is strained immediately and cooled is to prevent the evaporation of those elements which give it its good smell. However, if obtaining a dashi high in umami is more important than getting a fragrant one on a particular occasion, it is better to wait until all the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom of the pan before straining, as a high level of umami is released from the flakes into the dashi at this stage of the process.