How do I get the fat off a stock or a stew?
The chilling method that lifts it off in one piece, and the three quick methods for when you cannot wait.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 10 min
- Read
- 3 min
Short answer
Chill it. Fat solidifies on the surface and lifts off as a single sheet, which is far cleaner than any hot method. If there is no time, tilt the pan and spoon from the edge, or drag kitchen paper across the surface.
Fat rises. That is the whole basis of every method here, and the only question is whether you have time to let it set or need to take it off hot.
Step by step
- Chill it if you have the time.Overnight in the fridge, or an hour in a shallow tray. The fat sets into a firm layer you can lift off in one piece with a spoon or your fingers.
- Tilt the pan for a quick hot skim.Take it off the heat, tilt the pan and let it settle for a minute. The fat pools at the high edge and can be spooned off from there.
- Use kitchen paper for the last film.Lay a sheet flat on the surface, let it soak, and lift it away. Two or three sheets take off a surprising amount and give a very clean surface.
- Try an ice cube in a ladle.Skim the surface with a metal ladle holding an ice cube. Fat congeals on the cold metal. Useful for a small quantity at the last minute.
- Use a fat separator jug for stock.The spout draws from the bottom, so the fat stays behind. Genuinely useful if you make stock or gravy often.
- Skim scum separately, and early.The grey foam that rises in the first ten minutes of a stock is coagulated protein rather than fat. Skim it as it appears — it is what makes a stock cloudy if left.
- Do not skim everything.Some fat carries flavour and gives a stew body. Take off the thick layer, not the last trace.
- Keep the fat if it is good.Chicken, duck and beef fat lifted off a chilled stock are excellent cooking fats. Strain and keep them in the fridge.
Tips
- Chilling is by far the cleanest method. Cook stews the day before wherever you can.
- Kitchen paper laid on the surface takes off the last film that a spoon cannot reach.
- Skim protein scum in the first ten minutes; skim fat at the end.
Common mistakes
- Trying to skim a boiling pan — Movement emulsifies the fat back into the liquid, so you chase it around and take off mostly stock. Take the pan off the heat and let it settle first.
- Removing every trace of fat — Fat carries a large part of the flavour and gives a stew its body. A completely defatted stew tastes thin and watery — remove the layer, not the last film.
If it doesn't work
Greasy stew
Cause: Fatty cut, not skimmed — Fix: Chill it and lift the set layer off, or tilt and spoon off the top.
Fat mixed all through and will not separate
Cause: Emulsified by hard boiling — Fix: Chill it — cooling separates it even when hot skimming cannot.
Cloudy stock
Cause: Protein scum boiled back in — Fix: Skim the foam in the first ten minutes and keep the stock at a bare simmer.
Stock tastes thin after skimming
Cause: Too much fat removed — Fix: Reduce it to concentrate, or whisk in a little butter at the end.
Questions people ask
Is the fat on top of a stew bad?
No, and some of it is desirable — it carries flavour and gives body. A thick greasy layer is unpleasant, so take that off, but do not chase the last film.
What is the grey foam on a stock?
Coagulated protein and impurities from the bones and meat, not fat. Skim it off in the first ten minutes and the stock stays clear; leave it and it breaks up and clouds the liquid.