Don Silvers

The Floating Fat

When fat floats to the top of gravy, soups, or stews it is easily removed by placing a slice of fresh white bread on top of the fat for a few seconds. The fat will be quickly absorbed and the bread should be disposed of. Be sure to not leave the bread too long or it will deteriorate and fall apart in your food.

Eliminating Fats From Soups and Stews

Fats can be eliminated through the use of lettuce and ice without refrigerating the food and taking the time for the fat to rise to the top. A good percentage of fat can be eliminated by either placing 4-5 ice cubes in a piece of ordinary cheesecloth and swirling it around in the soup or stew or by placing a few lettuce leaves in the food and stirring them for a few minutes then removing them and throwing them away. Fat is attracted to the cold and tends to have an affinity for lettuce leaves. Another method is to gently place a piece of paper towel on the top and absorb the excess fat (works great on pizzas too).

Stop Gravy From Separating

One of the more frequent problems when cooking gravy is when the gravy decides to separate into fat globules. To solve the problem all you have to do is add a ping or two of baking soda to emulsify the fat globules in a matter of seconds.

Go For Paul's

Spaghetti sauces are really best if they are homemade. Commercial sauces are for the most part higher in fat content and calories. Prego Extra Chunky with sausage and green peppers 9s 47% fat. Ragu Marinara is 40% fat. The only sauce I recommend is Newman's Own. The mushroom sauce is only 22% fat.

What Can You Do To Stop Curdling?

There is always the risk of curdling especially if you are preparing cream soup and sauces. To avoid the problem you should always wait until you have thickened the mixture with flour or cornstarch before adding any ingredients that are acidic, such as wine, or any type of citrus or tomatoes. Remember, heavy whipping cream won't curdle when you boil it.