That layer of fat, on top of stock

[OliverB]

generally recipes call for it to be skimmed (or scraped if cold) off and discarded. But why? Can't this be kept, used somehow? Skim/scrape off, warm until all liquid is gone, strain and freeze?

The beef fat could be great to brown some SV steak, chicken fat can be great for many things, pork fat is already heavenly by name. Why only keep duck fat after roasting?

I'm gonna keep the fat from the beef bones I'm currently turning into pressure cooker stock and play with it.

What do you do?

[SylviaLovegren]

Fat is lovely to keep to use to add flavor to other things. It's not lovely in the stock.

I mostly always keep the fat from beef, chicken and pork -- it's yummy!

[ScottyBoy]

I always keep my chicken stock fat. Made from roasting wings the fat is deeply flavored and when added to sous vide bag of chicken or finishing a sauce with half fat half butter it's the bees knees. Oil from lobster stock is kept too, intensely flavored warm vinaigrette on lobster salad? Um yes.

Not a beef fat saver though.

[Syzygies]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmaltz

My favorite way to lift off fat from stock involves an amplification trick: Ladle from the top of the hot stock into a tall tumbler, like one of those jam jar glasses. Now ladle fat from the top of the glass. Stop before you reach stock, dump the rest back into the stock pot and repeat. Eventually all of the fat makes its way into the tumbler, and one can lift it all out with very little wasted stock.

I've tried all the other methods, this one works best for me. I chill my stock pot to room temperature in a sink filled with ice water, but this way I don't have to refrigerate my stock before packaging for the freezer. Instead I package in chamber vacuum pouches with a $30 impulse sealer; one can learn to easily burp out the air bubble just before sealing. (Propping up the sealer at a slight angle helps pick a route for the air, as one squeezes the bag.)

[nickrey]

I put the hot stock into a gravy fat separator jug. By pouring carefully and refilling as it gets low you can not only keep the fat out of the stock but also accumulate it to pour it off into a separate jar.

[OliverB]

oh, roasted chicken wing stock sounds too good! Soon to be made here :-)

I'll skim or scrape off the fat of my pot now, had it outside over night, bungee cord and packing tape to keep it safe from critters. 45 degree, should have solidified nicely... I'll keep it in the freezer.

[Jason Perlow]

generally recipes call for it to be skimmed (or scraped if cold) off and discarded. But why? Can't this be kept, used somehow? Skim/scrape off, warm until all liquid is gone, strain and freeze?

The beef fat could be great to brown some SV steak, chicken fat can be great for many things, pork fat is already heavenly by name. Why only keep duck fat after roasting?

I'm gonna keep the fat from the beef bones I'm currently turning into pressure cooker stock and play with it.

What do you do?

If it is chicken fat, we skim it, put it in a container. fry it in a pan when you need to cook something but you need to cook it for a bit to get the water content out. Basically it's schmaltz, especially once you cook onions in it. Never tried using beef fat this way, but I suppose it may work with certain dishes.

We like using it as the frying fat for potato pancakes.

[OliverB]

I use the stock separator too, but I have a lot of stock. The cold worked great though, just lifted off a nice layer of wonderful fat. I'll simmer it a bit later, remove the last liquid, then I'll freeze it and cut it into smaller blocks to keep. Worth the experiment.

[Syzygies]

I use the stock separator too

I've made the comparison between the fat separator, chilling, and simply ladling into and out of a beer mug. I prefer the beer mug. One less piece of equipment, less finicky than the fat separator. I make a couple of gallons of stock at a time.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, I typically use the fat. After separating (usually by chilling the pot and peeling it off), I heat it to a high temperature to boil off any water, and filter it, and it lasts much longer that way.

[PSmith]

In the UK we traditionally have a roast dinner on a Sunday. The fat from the meat gets saved in the fridge and is then used for basting roast potatoes the next time we have a roast dinner. I tend to have three pots in the fridge, pork, lamb and beef, so the correct fat gets used with the right meat. The fat will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

It doesn't tend to work with chicken fat as it is too runny and doesn't keep as well.

[liuzhou]

In the UK we traditionally have a roast dinner on a Sunday.

You are showing your age.

[PSmith]

You are showing your age.

[boondocker]

I always keep my chicken stock fat. Made from roasting wings the fat is deeply flavored and when added to sous vide bag of chicken or finishing a sauce with half fat half butter it's the bees knees. Oil from lobster stock is kept too, intensely flavored warm vinaigrette on lobster salad? Um yes.

Not a beef fat saver though.

I'm going to try that lobster oil next time we make stock.

We render all our beef, chicken, lamb, duck and pork fat for cooking. Its great for general sauteing and really nice for searing in. we utilize our lamb organ fat in making our stock too, deposits lots of flavor as the stock cools and.the fat rises to the top

[DanM]

Isn't there a method from Chef Joel Robouchon where you add ice to the cooled stock to solidify the fat to make it easier to skim off?

Personally, I find nothing better than potatoes roasted with a good heaping of schmaltz.

Dan

[boondocker]

No go on the lobster oil this round, my grill cook let the stock go to a full boil while I ws doing some butchery. What type of acid did you use for that vinaigrette though? Any oil besides the oil from the stock?

[BRM]

After saving fat from making chicken stock for some time I tried a confit of chicken. I cured chicken thigh/leg in rosemary and salt overnight and then poached them in chicken fat I had saved. The results were fantastic. I have since done this dish for dinner parties and everyone else liked it as well.

[Lora]

Fat from stock provides most of my supply of cooking fat. If the stock is going in the fridge, I ladle it into a clean Mason jar directly from a boil and leave the fat in place. This prevents air from reaching the stock and keeps it fresh in the fridge for a good long time (like the old paraffin method of canning jams). When I'm ready to use the stock, I remove the fat and put it in the freezer.

[Ttogull]

I ladle it into a clean Mason jar directly from a boil and leave the fat in place.

I've often wondered if this was possible - I have always worried that the shock of the hot stock hitting the room-temperature glass might break it. Am I worrying for no reason? I have never canned something, but I do like Mason jars for storage.

I do suppose, though, that putting a Mason jar of hot stock in an ice bath to cool would be a concern. Right?

[Lora]

I do suppose, though, that putting a Mason jar of hot stock in an ice bath to cool would be a concern. Right?

Yes indeed a concern. But room temperature glass can handle boiling liquids just fine.

[Ttogull]

Fat from stock provides most of my supply of cooking fat. If the stock is going in the fridge, I ladle it into a clean Mason jar directly from a boil and leave the fat in place. This prevents air from reaching the stock and keeps it fresh in the fridge for a good long time

Thank you for your reply to my previous question - that is good news indeed!

I just realized your first statement is also helpful to me. How long do you think stock left in the fridge with a layer of fat will stay fresh? I made stock for soup about a week ago, put it in the fridge, and never got around to using it (forgot about it, really). It has a good 1/2-inch or more of fat on top, and has not been touched. I'd like to use it this upcoming week, but generally I draw the line at a week.

[Lora]

I am actually not sure how long it will last. I have kept it for three weeks without problem, when I forgot about a jar. It smelled fine and I boiled it well to be sure. I've had stock go off when I've breached the fat layer and then put it back, and it definitely smells bad. So I trust my nose. (And probably just horrified a whole mess of food safety professionals...)