Do you skim your stock?

[NoTiGG]

I was wondering... when I make stock it is always cloudy looking.... instead of clear. i was wondering if this was normal and if skimming would help anything at all

[tinuviel_k]

I do skim my stock when if first comes to a simmer to get all the gunk off. However, I do not get "clear" stock. I think I'd be more likely to get a clear stock if I only simmered for a few hours, but I go for a 24 hour simmer to extract lots of minerals. All of that gets dissolved into the stock, and so it is not perfectly clear.

[CherryBomb]

I skim off the icky foam when it first starts cooking, but I don't skim off the fat. Cloudiness doesn't bother me, it just means it's full of good stuff

[Arduinna]

I do if it needs it. I usually do mine with roasted chicken bones and don't get much scum though. I do strain before putting it in jars.

[MamaLea]

I skim repeatedly but still have pretty cloudy stocks. I simmer a long time too.

[lastrid]

I'm pretty sure all stock is cloudy unless it has been clarified. Couldn't tell you how that's done though. Only that it can involve an egg.

[CherryBomb]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

I do if it needs it. I usually do mine with roasted chicken bones and don't get much scum though. I do strain before putting it in jars.

Yeah, I do strain mine through cheesecloth and a colander before using or storing

[BeagleMommy]

I guess I'm the lazy one here. I don't skim as a rule. I have skimmed if it looks foamy and nasty, but it doesn't usually. I don't actually strain very well either. I like little bits of garlic and onion in my broth.

[Pippi L.]

I don't skim because I use a crockpot and often make it overnight. I do strain it through a flat diaper.

My friend taught me a trick. She grew up in rural China and said that before putting meat in the stock pot her grandmother taught her to pour hot or boiling water over the meat. Now I put my chicken scraps in the sink and run hot, hot water over them. It really made a difference. I never liked crockpot stock before and I figured it was because I wasn't skimming. Now it turns out great and I can make it while I sleep

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by Pippi L.

I don't skim because I use a crockpot and often make it overnight. I do strain it through a flat diaper.

My friend taught me a trick. She grew up in rural China and said that before putting meat in the stock pot her grandmother taught her to pour hot or boiling water over the meat. Now I put my chicken scraps in the sink and run hot, hot water over them. It really made a difference. I never liked crockpot stock before and I figured it was because I wasn't skimming. Now it turns out great and I can make it while I sleep

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to try this.

And no, I don't skim.

Interesting explanation of the differences between stock, broth, and consomme:
http://www.ochef.com/1306.htm

[SweetSurrender]

I try to skin off the icky stuff just when it starts to boil but I have a hard time getting much of it out without sacrificing the good stuff (or taking forever to do it...i'm showing my laziness here ) I strain it through a thin colander to get the chicken meat/bones and the veggies out but that's about it. After that I pick off the meat from the bones (it slides off super easily because I do the 24 hour stock too) and crush it up to use in chicken salad or quesadillas. My little trick to get some organ meats into my family's diet?...I squish up most of the organs that come with the chicken into the shredded meat and nobody can tell! I still haven't told my hubby about it because though he is super supportive of TF, he still gets grossed out about some things. He'd just rather not know. I just fessed up today that I have been adding raw (organic/free range) eggs to our smoothies for the last few weeks and he was pretty disturbed (even though he knows it's super healthy). Hopefully he'll still drink my smoothies after this!

[josie143]

I do if it needs it.