Published 2002
In French cooking, you’ll often end up with liquids, such as braising liquids, roasting juices, and broths, that have fat floating on top. In professional kitchens, the fat is skimmed off liquids with a small ladle as the liquid simmers. This method requires a bit of technique so you don’t end up scooping up too much of the flavorful liquid while trying to skim off the fat. To skim fat with a ladle, simmer the liquid on the stove with the saucepan moved to one side of the heat source so that the liquid simmers only on one side. This pushes the fat to the opposite side and makes it easier to lift off with the ladle. I use a 1-ounce or 2-ounce [30- or 60-ml] ladle for small pots, a 6-ounce or 8-ounce ladle for stockpots. Hold the ladle so that the top of its bowl is almost level with the liquid and, while tilting it just slightly toward the edge of the saucepan, make a circular motion with the ladle, skimming off the fat where it accumulates against the edge. As braising liquids and broths simmer, they typically throw off more fat and sometimes froth, so it’s best to wait 5 or 10 minutes—or even longer in making slowly reduced liquids such as glace de viande—between skimmings.
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