How to defat?

[elion_84]

I've been doing a lot of braising recently. A lot of the cuts of meat that work well braised render a lot of fat. I've been struggling with defating the braising liquid, especially when doing duck or short ribs. The only method that works consistently is leaving the pan in the fridge overnight and then scraping the congealed fat.

I've tried using a fat separator, but it seems like there's still a bunch of fat left, and I'm throwing away a lot of the braising liquid.

What methods do you use?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Short of using a defatting cup, which is the usual, or even chilling and removing the fat from the gravy after braising, I think some people use a paper towel which "blots up" excess fats ...

[eunny jang]

The only method that works consistently is leaving the pan in the fridge overnight and then scraping the congealed fat.

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You've hit the nail on the head, unfortunately. Just remember to take the solids out, get any grease you can off of them, and store them seperately.

A couple other tips for when you don't have the time to chill overnight:

- if it's a very small quantity of liquid, ladle it in a metal bowl and either put it in the freezer or in a larger bowl of ice water.

- skim scrupulously with a large metal spoon (boring, but works if you're patient enough).

- When the liquid is almost completely defatted, running a paper towl or a lettuce leaf over the surface works suprisingly well to get the lingering droplets.

[Suzanne F]

Lettuce leaf?!?!?!? Dry, I presume.

[eunny jang]

Lettuce leaf?!?!?!? Dry, I presume. 

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Yup. A big ruffly red-leaf lettuce leaf, or butter or bibb if you're feeling rich. Think about how quickly they wilt in vinaigrette - they really hoover up fat.

[ladyyoung98]

ive used the leaving in the fridge overnight method and the paper towel method..had not know about th elettuce leaf though...thnaks..im going to have to try that one.....lol

[FistFullaRoux]

I've also found that if you put the pot off center of the burner (carefully) while simmering, the fat will tend to migrate to the cooler end. Give it a couple of minutes, then remove with a ladle or spoon. This is good for getting the majority out pretty quickly.

I've also put the heaviest spoon or ladle I could get (metal is required) into ice water first. The cold spoon will congeal the fat quickly, and can allow you to pour the stuff you want to keep back in. You cannot submerge the spoon or keep the spoon in the hot liquid too long - more than a second or two. This will help get the last of it. It takes some practice but it works. This works much better once the dish has had a chance to cool off a bit. Lukewarm is best.

[FoodMan]

I've also found that if you put the pot off center of the burner (carefully) while simmering, the fat will tend to migrate to the cooler end. Give it a couple of minutes, then remove with a ladle or spoon. This is good for getting the majority out pretty quickly.

This is my favorite method as well. I learned it from Paula Wolfert. It does not get rid of every last droplet of fat (I wouldn't want to anyways) but it produces excellent results.

The other method is the refrigerate-remove solidified fat method. But the downside is it takes time.

Elie

[Really Nice!]

Put the sauce in the fridge for about 10 minutes to give the fat time to rise to the top, and then use a baster to suck up the sauce from the bottom. Works every time!

[andiesenji]

Here is my method, which I have "perfected" over the many years.

Prepare ahead of time, water in ziploc FREEZER bag, freeze.

Put the ice bag into cheese cloth and tie the ends so you can hang onto it.

Next, take a colander, wire, metal, anything but plastic that might melt, whatever size that will be nearly the same diameter as your pan or pot.

Push it down so the solids are forced down into the liquid and you have just liquid and fat to deal with.

Now dip the cheesecloth with the icebag into the liquid and drag it around in a concentric cricle starting at the outside and working in toward the center. The fat will be attracted to the cold and will harden onto the cloth, because it reacts more rapidly to cold than the rest of the liquid and you can lift it along with the colander out of the pot and have about 90% of the fat.

I have used this in small saucepans and huge stockpots. I just use a bigger ice bag in the large pots.

(you can also use ice cubes if you are in a hurry but the greater the mass of ice, the slower it will melt)

Edited November 4, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[elion_84]

Thanks for the creative suggestions. I will give this a try,

[Jinmyo]

Lettuce leaf?!?!?!? Dry, I presume. 

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Yup. A big ruffly red-leaf lettuce leaf, or butter or bibb if you're feeling rich. Think about how quickly they wilt in vinaigrette - they really hoover up fat.

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Interesting. Thanks, eunny.

[JAZ]

There's also a specific tool for the purpose -- a grease mop, which is made of a material that absorbs oil but not water. And now you can buy sheets of the same stuff. The mop is reusable; the sheets, I believe, are for one use only.

[toniomi]

In chemistry lab I recall a device which essentially is a glass container with a stopcock on the bottom on an elevated stand. After the fat separates, you open up the stopcock to let the non fatty liquid out, closing it before the fat starts coming out. I know i've seen them in cooking stores before, but can't remember where. Anyone know where one could find one?