Dégraisser

Dégraisser (to de-fat, to degrease) refers to two related but mechanically distinct operations that remove excess rendered animal or vegetable fat from a liquid preparation. In the cold method — the more thorough of the two — a stock, braise, or pan sauce is chilled until the fat solidifies into a pale disc or cap on the surface (animal fats saturate between roughly 30–45 °C), which is then lifted cleanly with a spoon or spatula leaving the jellied, water-based gel beneath. This technique eliminates fat almost completely and is standard practice for stocks made a day ahead. In the hot method, the pot or roasting pan is tilted so the liquid pools to one side; liquid fat — which is less dense and will not emulsify if the stock is not agitated — rises and pools on the surface, where it is drawn off with a ladle or absorbed with a wide, flat spoon held at a shallow angle. A purpose-made degrease ladle (louche à dégraisser) has an off-centre spout or a stepped lip that skims only the surface layer. Both methods are essential because excess fat in a finished sauce coats the palate unpleasantly, prevents proper reduction, and can produce rancid off-flavours on reheating. Dégraisser is conceptually distinct from dépouiller (removing foam and protein scum) though the two operations are often performed in the same cooking session.

“"After the short ribs braise overnight in the refrigerator, dégraisser the liquid — that solid white disc peels off in one piece and takes every gram of tallow with it."”

• TechniqueStock Making
• ConceptEmulsification
• TechniqueBraising

1. 1.Le Guide Culinaire — Auguste Escoffier
2. 2.Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making — James Peterson
3. 3.The Professional Chef — The Culinary Institute of America
4. 4.Larousse Gastronomique — Prosper Montagné (ed.)

Confidence: high