Rescuing a greasy sauce
Fat floats on water-based liquid, so a greasy stew or soup wears a shiny layer on top. Let the pot sit a few minutes off the heat, then skim it with a wide spoon or ladle. Chilled fat is even easier to lift.
When the sauce splits
A pan sauce with butter can look oily because the emulsion split into fat and liquid. Take it off the heat, add a splash of water or stock, and whisk hard. The added liquid lets the whisk break the fat back into tiny droplets.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
Your braise has a layer of oil floating on top. What is the quickest fix?
Skim it off with a wide spoon. The fat sits on top and lifts off directly.
True or false: Chilling a stew overnight makes the fat harden into a layer you can lift off.
True. Cold turns the fat solid, so it forms a cake on top.
A pan sauce looks oily and split. What should you do first?
Whisk in a splash of water. Water helps the fat scatter back into tiny droplets.
What went wrong? You skim fat from a soup with a small spoon, but you stir the pot hard between passes.
Stirring mixes the fat back through the soup. Fat stays on top only if the pot is left still.
Fill the blank: Cook a stew a day ahead and you can lift off the cold, ___ fat.
Cook a stew a day ahead and you can lift off the cold, solid fat. Chilling sets the fat so it lifts off in one piece.