How To Skim Off the Scum and Fat from Soups and Stocks
Course: How to
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: stock
Prep Time: 5 minutesminutes
Author: Namiko Chen
In Japanese cooking, skimming off the scum and fat that accumulates on the surface of the stoup/stock is very important to create a clean soup/stock. I know it is extra work, but it’s also the key to a “refined” taste and a required step to keep the liquid clear.
You will need a fine-mesh skimmer and a liquid measuring cup (or bowl) filled with water.
When the soup/stock is about to boil, stay around the kitchen. You‘ll start to see the scum and fat floating and creating forms. With the mesh sieve in one hand and the bowl of water in the other, start scooping it off.
After you pick up the scum, rinse the sieve in the measuring cup (or bowl) and continue to scoop the scum.
Keep the liquid at a simmer rather than a hard boil because it will mix up the scum and cloud the soup. Make sure to thoroughly skim.