Clarifying stock: techniques

[scubadoo97]

I'm still a fan of syneresis filtering but it does require planning ahead for it. Not as much when using agar as with gelatin but still not a last minute technique.

Can you please describe syneresis filtering. I know syneresis is the separation of liquid from a gel but not sure how that applies in the filtering of stock since not all stock gels

[Shalmanese]

Can you please describe syneresis filtering. I know syneresis is the separation of liquid from a gel but not sure how that applies in the filtering of stock since not all stock gels

Syneresis involves forming and then breaking a gel which allows the liquid to seep through while the gel holds the solids. Gelatin freeze-thaw syneresis involves adding enough gelatin to form a weak gel in the fridge, then using freezing to break the gel and letting the frozen gel slowly thaw in the fridge over a strainer.

Agag syneresis can be done by forming an agar gel and then manually breaking it with a whisk before pushing it gently through a cheesecloth to extract the clarified liquid.

[Tri2Cook]

Syneresis involves forming and then breaking a gel which allows the liquid to seep through while the gel holds the solids. Gelatin freeze-thaw syneresis involves adding enough gelatin to form a weak gel in the fridge, then using freezing to break the gel and letting the frozen gel slowly thaw in the fridge over a strainer.

Agag syneresis can be done by forming an agar gel and then manually breaking it with a whisk before pushing it gently through a cheesecloth to extract the clarified liquid.

What he said. I generally use the gelatin method for stocks because I'm not usually doing them as a last-minute thing but the agar is definitely faster and tends towards a better yield. Most of the time, I don't need to add gelatin to the stocks. The naturally occurring gelatin from the stock making process usually provides more than what is really ideal for the technique which does reduce final yield a bit. The benefit of agar, besides speed and yield potential, is that it doesn't take up space in the cooler/fridge for a few days like a large batch of the gelatin version does.

[btbyrd]

On 4/8/2008 at 12:50 PM, begpie said:

this is the future http://www.cookingconcepts.com/ENG/clarimax.html

 

Actually, this was the future.

 

 

The Methocel F50 consommé technique is one of my favorite techniques that I gleaned from Modernist Cuisine and ChefSteps. It's so easy, and the raft that forms can clarify a larger volume than they use in this video. It strips less flavor than egg whites do and the technique just works like magic. You use very little F50, so a bag of it will last you forever unless you're busting out consommé every weeknight. It's a good enough reason to keep F50 on hand. (You can also use it as a pre-batter for fry batter and use it to create eggwhite-like "meringues" from purees, sort of like aquafaba. But I digress).

 

ChefSteps uses a French press to infuse the herbs at the end of this video. I've always fantasized about having a super fine dining establishment and doing a tableside consommé service using a vacuum coffee siphon to do the aromatic infusion. Again, I digress.

 

Here's an example from my own home cooking. I wanted to do a high end version of chicken and rice soup, served with its traditional garnishes. The rice was Carolina Gold from Anson mills that I cooked in a donabe. There was poached chicken breast, blanched carrot and celery, and hen of the woods mushrooms sauteed in chicken fat. And a 64C egg yolk. It was spectacular but understated, evoking some nostalgic flavor memories of grandma's chicken soup.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2023 by btbyrd
Thread merge destroyed the dialectic. Quote added to make the first line of my response make sense. (log)

[&roid]

Looks great @btbyrd

 

Ive done a quick search for methocel and found this it doesn’t mention the f50 part, is it the right thing?

[btbyrd]

There are a bunch of Methocel formulations and they're not interchangeable. Modernist Pantry sells F50 and they ship anywhere in the world. I see you're in Manchester, so maybe you can pick up a few other magic ingredients while you're there to make the shipping make sense. Or find it locally. DuPont is the manufacturer. If you look in the sidebar on the Modernist Pantry F50 link, you'll see some product videos from the Modernist Pantry YouTube channel, including this Methocellulose "primer" that explains different types and applications. There's a hot ice cream demo at the end. The property of Methocel that makes it useful for clarifying consomme is that it gels when it's heated, so it really brings the raft together. It's amazing the amount of clarifying power you get with just a couple grams of the stuff.

 

For dinner last night I made a really strong roasted chicken wing consomme with F50 and infused it heavily with garlic, ginger, and scallions. I used a mix of Japanese seaweed salt and this soy-sauce-like product called Yondu to season it. Yondu is nice because it doesn't darken the soup like typical soy sauce does. I used to use white shoyu for this purpose, but it's very expensive. Anyway, it made a killer chicken noodle soup.