How Clarification Works

Coagulation of proteins was an important subject in our discussion of stock making because one of our major concerns was how to keep coagulated proteins from making the stock cloudy. Strangely enough, this same process of coagulation enables us to clarify stocks to perfect transparency.

Remember that some proteins, especially those called albumins, dissolve in cold water. When the water is heated, they gradually solidify or coagulate and rise to the surface. If we control this process carefully, these proteins collect all the tiny particles that cloud a stock and carry them to the surface. The stock is then left perfectly clear.