Why separate the fat from stock?

[henny penny]

Making chicken stock now and wondering why it is recommended to take the fat off the top of the stock after it is cooled. Chicken fat is supposed to be so helpful for building one's immune system. I WANT it in my foods. Can't I just pour it all in a jar and freeze it together for later use? Sometimes I get confused with NT recipes. They seem needlessly complicated at times....

[laohaire]

I don't know why they say that, but I never do. When I heat it up again, I can stir that fat back into it. Yum!

[Llyra]

I never remove it. I think the fat gives a nice mouth-feel to the stock, when you eat it, plus it makes it more satisfying and filling. the only time I remove fat is when I want the fat for something else-- like I'll lift the cold fat off a jar of stock if I want to fry eggs in the fat, for instance.

[henny penny]

Thank you for your answers!

[deditus]

I don't skim either. There was a time though that that much fat would have caused me great gallbladder pain, but I am healed enough now that I have no problem with it.

[A-mac]

It's a cosmetic thing. If you want perfectly clear stock the fat has to be removed. If you couldn't care less, then no worries.

[AFWife]

I let it turn solid and then decide if I want to pull it out or not depending on what I'm cooking at the moment! For soups and stuff I go ahead and pour it on in and it melts. Sometimes for rice dishes I'll pull it out.

[CherryBomb]

I don't seperate the fat unless I need it for something else. You do want to skim the foam that rises (it's impurities) but there's no need to remove the fat, generally speaking.

[flightgoddess]

I'll skim most of the fat after its cool, I save it for hashbrowns, yum, I use it for chicken fried rice too.

[Brown Lioness]

i dont unless i want the chicken fat for something else.