i made pho tonite. had to skim the "scum"

[tommy]

i don't make stock very often, but i know i have to skim the "scum". just about every recipe i've read suggests this.

isn't there a fancier word for "scum"? something french maybe? suzannef?

i'm pretty sure that i don't get *all* of the scum, so i'd like to think that something better-sounding is ending up in my pho.

[AzRaeL]

erm.. le Scum?

Scum by another other name, does it taste as good?

Edited January 8, 2004 by AzRaeL (log)

[Pan]

I think the polite word for the "scum" of a soup is "skin." I've heard it used, anyway.

[fifi]

I have used the term "muck". Um... that is not a lot better, is it?

[Priscilla]

Just say to yourself, "Skim assiduously," and gloss right over any more detail. Some things in life are Best Just Leave It.

[cjsadler]

isn't there a fancier word for "scum"? something french maybe? suzannef?

I don't think she'll appreciate you callin' it that.

Booooo. I've seen Airplane too many times.

[torakris]

If it is the foam like skum you can just call it foam.

Or you could call it by the Japanese word aku, but be careful how you use it because aku can also mean evil or vice.....

[Pan]

I don't think of scum as foam, but as a layer of protein combined with fat that forms a thin film on top of soup.

[Line Cook]

Call it the "impurities" That's what I call it anyways

[AzRaeL]

isn't there a fancier word for "scum"?  something french maybe?  suzannef?

I don't think she'll appreciate you callin' it that.

Booooo. I've seen Airplane too many times.

wahahahahhaha! i love that movie.

well she might enjoy culinary immortality.

next entry in the 2005 edition of Larousee Gastronomique -

suzannef

the froth found on top of soup, usually skimmed off before serving

[phaelon56]

I think "le crud" sounds better. Very Euro. Do you have a "le crud" skimmer or are you using an ordinary spoon?

[Suzanne F]

Well, hey, you wanna take my name in vain, go ahead. Just wait 'til you see what I refer to as "tommy."

AzRael and Phaelon beat me to it, actually. Although being the notorious stickler that I am (gotta add that to my sig line!), I must correct Phaelon: while it is indeed "le scum," it is "la crud." Equal gender opportunity, and there are very slight differences, anyway.

[col klink]

So how was your pho? And where did you get the recipe?

[KateW]

The French term for "to skim the scum" is depouillier. Yeah, impurities is also a good word.

[dano1]

katew's got it.

danny

[MsRamsey]

I think "le crud" sounds better. Very Euro. Do you have a "le crud" skimmer or are you using an ordinary spoon?

I'm wondering the same thing. Is there a special skimming spoon? If so, what does it look like?

[tommy]

So how was your pho? And where did you get the recipe?

turned out pretty good for a first time. thanks for asking.

i knew how to make it, but looked up a bunch of recipes anyway (they're all very similar), and applied them to what i was going to do. i think the only thing i did that i didn't expect was adding fennel seeds.

speaking of scum, i let the broth sit in the fridge for a while, and skimmed the fat off of the top. the broth turned very gelatenous, and gave me an idea for a small bite before a meal: jellied pho (it already had the shreds of ox tail beef in the broth, without the bone obviously). it was quite interesting, and very tasty. i'm going to serve a smallish slab of this jellied pho with a bit of basil and some other yet-to-be-determined pho-type garnishes. that should be enough to confuse people. working on a wine pairing, and i'm open to suggestions.

Edited January 8, 2004 by tommy (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Serve it in a shot glass with some basil air.

Maybe a cab?

Soba

[hillvalley]

I think "le crud" sounds better. Very Euro.  Do you have a "le crud" skimmer or are you using an ordinary spoon?

I'm wondering the same thing. Is there a special skimming spoon? If so, what does it look like?

This

[Suzanne F]

My skimming spoon is much smaller (even though I assume that picture is less than life-size. It is like a flat sieve with very, very fine mesh, about 2 inches in diameter. Works really well for the itsy bitsy particles.

[tommy]

i'm with suzanne. although the scum seems to stick to itself, i have to imagine that a finer mesh is more desirable. is there an advantage to using a spoon like the one hillyvalley pictures?

although, i usually use a regular spoon.

edit: "finer mess". hehe.

Edited January 9, 2004 by tommy (log)

[fifi]

I use a round thing shaped something like the picture but with a fine SS mesh. It works great and is one of my favorite toys. It looks kind of like this.

[hillvalley]

is there an advantage to using a spoon like the one hillyvalley pictures?

I don't know if there is an advantage since I have never used a mesh skimmer. (the one I pictured was a gift from a noncook). I have used it a few times and it works very well.