On 11/14/2018 4:48 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 4:40:01 PM UTC-5, dsi1 wrote:
>> On Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 1:05:07 AM UTC-10, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 7:26:24 PM UTC-5, Jill McQuown wrote:
>>>> On 11/11/2018 6:09 PM, notbob wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I see a lotta French and Italian recipes that demand skimming.Â* Me?
>>>>> ....I got questions.
>>>>>
>>>>> Like, why.Â* Fer French food, it seems to be a "clarify the broth" issue.
>>>>> Same with Italian dishes.
>>>>>
>>>>> OTOH, not my experience.Â* For instance, if I "skim" a pot o' Minestone,
>>>>> the "skimming" seems to eliminate anything suspended in olive oil.
>>>>> Thyme, etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> Same with Red Beans (sans rice).Â* I getta lotta "crud" floating on the
>>>>> top.Â* Should I skim it?Â* Typically, I scrape the sides where the spices
>>>>> (thyme, Creole mix, etc) seem to collect, as the liquid boils down.Â* If
>>>>> I skim it, there go the spices.
>>>>>
>>>>> I usta have an all brass/copper skimmer, but I sold it on ebay.Â* Now, I
>>>>> jes use a large spoon.Â* Works jes as well.Â*
>>>>>
>>>>> nb
>>>>
>>>> I'm not sure I undersand your questions. I skim broth/stock to remove
>>>> excess fat. I don't use a special tool to do it. I chill the broth in
>>>> the refrigerator, let the fat rise to the top. It solidifies then I use
>>>> a deep spoon to discard it. No special tool required.
>>>>
>>>> If I don't want herbs or peppercorns in the stock I use a tea-ball to
>>>> season it. Easily removable.
>>>>
>>>> Jill
>>>
>>> People who are very serious about making clear, clean-tasting broth or
>>> stock skim the protein foam that rises to the top during simmering.
>>>
>>> Cindy Hamilton
>>
>> When braising pork, I don't bother to skim. I'll just boil the pork for 20 minutes or so and then dump the water out and rinse the pork. Then I continue with fresh water. It's kind of a Japanese/Okinawan thing.
>
> Apples and oranges. One skims when one wants to save the liquid.
>
> Cindy Hamilton
>
Agreed! Apples and oranges. I clarified (pardon the pun) my other
reply. Yes, when I cook meat for stock or broth of course I skim the
foam. I use a small shallow mesh strainer for skimming the foam. But
I'm intending to use the cooking liquid.

To me, braising is completely different from boiling. I can't think of
a single time I've ever *boiled* pork. Not any cut.

I remember about 20 years ago on RFC a cantakerous debate about boiling
pork ribs prior to grilling them. It was silly.

Jill