Fat on chicken stock question

Alisonpennypincher

Hello, hope someone can help. I have tried looking on the search function for an answer but can't find anything. I am in the process of trying my first chicken stock with a recipie from my 96 year old Grandma.
I have the bones form a chicken in my slow cooker along with a few veg etc, but my question is this, all the recipies i have found (I looked a couple up to check what my Grandma told me) say that you should skim the fat off the top of the stock. Now i use this stock as a basis for Gravy and have always used the fat in it as it seems to give it flavour, so my question is - should i use the fat, why do all recipies say to take the fat off, and have i been eating something that is really nasty and/or bad for me?:eek:
TIA
Alison

Pink.

Hi alison,

I think recipes suggest skimming the fat off stock because these days we are so much more concious about what we eat than our grandmothers generation were and tend to focus on lower fat 'healthier' foods.

I only skim the fat off stock if it's excessive (eg lamb stock) and then I don't remove it all as I agree with you that it adds flavour and substance to the stock. I believe that fat is an essential part of our diet and eaten with a modicum of sense is actually good for us and definitely makes many foods taste better.

Pink

thriftmonster

Sometimes I'll spoon it off the cold stock and use it to fry veggies for a sauce or if it's quite solid - it makes nice pastry.

If you're making a clear Chinese style soup I think it's nicer without the fat, but for most other things I don't worry.

tandraig

like the other posters i dont skim fat off unless its excessive! bits of fat floating on top when it cools wont hurt! if there is a solid layer of fat then i do remove it, put it in tupperware and use it when i do roasties, or need to make gravy without having anything which produces enough fat! if you can understand that!

Alisonpennypincher

Thank you everyone, that has reassured me, I was just worried i might start growing hairs on my chest or something .

I am now looking forward to seeing if i can make stock as well as Grandma!

teedy23

it,s the fat that has the flavour,it would be sacrelidge to take it off

thriftlady_2

I NEVER take the fat off my stock, as Teedy says it would be sacrilege. I bet your Grandma didn't either, that's probably why she's got to be 96.

My gran's 101 next week and my great aunt is 100 next month and they never went in for removing fat from things.

tandraig

true thriftlady and the others - very true - but if OP is fat conscious it wont hurt to remove it once stock has cooled as the flavour is then in the stock anyway ! she doesnt have to use it as i do - its just a suggestion!!!!

ubamother

I would leave the fat if I was going to thicken the liquid with something, and skim it off if I wasn't - a thickened sauce will hold the fat in the mixture where an unthickened one will let it rise to the top which isn't very appetising when you're eating. At the moment I skim because I'm losing weight - haven't noticed a taste difference personally, just a slight texture difference - not as silky IYKWIM. I think therefore you are all correct!

thriftlady_2

ubamother wrote: »

an unthickened one will let it rise to the top which isn't very appetising when you're eating.

I've never noticed fat rising to the surface of my soups, stews and any of the other things I use my unskimmed, unthickened stock for

ubamother

have you not? If I do anything with meat, lamb in particular, I get a layer or rim of liquid fat on the top as the food settles after cooking, that goes solid when it's cold. If I cook tomatoes with the lamb, the fat is a lovely if slightly weird orange! All my meat is local, free-range and organic so it may well be fattier than modern cuts. I remember lamb stew at school where the fat would slightly solidify around your fork and you could feel the waxy fat in your mouth - revolting!