What do you do with the fat that you skim off your stocks?

[JMJ]

I'd love to be even more efficient in using everything. Any ideas on what to do with the fat? I saw a reference in NT to feeding beef bone broth fat to birds or making pemmican. What do you do with yours?

[cristeen]

I don't skim.

[anudi01]

also a non skimmer here

:-)

[dogmom327]

I don't skim either

[avendesora]

I do skim, but not to throw away.

When I make a soup, I like to sautee the onions/garlic/celery/whatever in some fat before adding the broth. And what fat would be better than one with a flavor that matches the broth?! I like the resulting soup - the vegetables bind some of the fat, so you don't just have a layer of fat on top of the soup - it's all mixed together nicely.

Aven

[mbravebird]

Non-skimmer here, too!

[ParisApril]

If I notice a lot of fat on top I will skim off some and save it to fry stuff in.

[Metasequoia]

I don't skim it off either.

[JMJ]

Maybe I'll have to try it non-skimmed.

[Bri'sgirl]

I mostly make chicken stock, and I only skim when I am not using a free-range chicken. That was before I found a good source for free-range.

[kjbrown92]

Non-skimmer.

[Llyra]

I let the fat rise, and leave it on, to make a nice protective layer against molds. Then when I'm ready to use the stock, I take the now-solid fat off, and use it to saute or fry something that I'm cooking that day, whether it be the veggies for the soup, or whatever.

[savithny]

In old household manuals, they tell you to skim the fat and save it up in your soapmaking bucket until you have enough to make the household's supply of soap.

Traditional cooking didn't actually mean they *ate* every ounce of fat in their meat - there were plenty of other household uses for animal fats.

[bremen]

i am not hard-core tf, but when i make stock, i use the fat to make noodles or dumplings for my soup

[philomom]

I skim and use it to cook meats that don't have much fat of their own to make them juicy.

[AdlersMom]

so how do you store the skimmed off fat? I currently save my bacon grease in a jar that I just leave in the cupboard, but should I refrigerate the chicken stock fat?

[philomom]

I put in a glass jar and leave it in the fridge. I generally use it within two weeks time. Not sure if it could rot or grow mold, just not taking chances.

[TwilightJoy]

Mine goes right into the trash.

[Llyra]

Originally Posted by TwilightJoy

Mine goes right into the trash.

Really? Why? You could send it over here. I can't imagine throwing good fats into the trash.

[PeggyinNC]

Also a non-skimmer here...the layer of fat keeps the broth fresher in the fridge than I would have ever dreamed possible...