how do you separate meat juices from the fat???

[lucysmam]

im making a roast chicken dinner for the 1st time in ages and wanted to try using the juices in the gravy but dont know how you separate the juices from fat, does anyone have any tips or suggestions i could try this afternoon?

thanks

You need to let them settle for a bit in a jug.

You can buy special jugs. If you let the juices settle for a little while the fat seperates to teh top. The jugs have a spout right at the bottom so the juices stay in hte jug.

Alternatively you can skim the fat off with a spoon.

If you had more time you cann let them set and the fat should set a bit like lard and you can easily get it off.

ooooh, i have one of those lurking in cupboard but never ever used it. thanks DontNeedAnything

You just need to goive the juices a few minutes (not sure how many - while you rest teh chicken I suppose) to settle in hte jug before you start pouring the juices off.

You should see the layer of fat come tot eh top and then you are set to go

Haven't ever tried it, but remember someone saying that putting ice cubes in works...fat attracted to the ice? I use one of those jug thingys.

i put my jug into the freezer while the meat is resting making it easier to skim off the fat.

I tip the pan at an angle and use a bulb baster to hoover up the juice from under the layer of fat.

ice cubes do work, just pop a few in roasting tin, then you can just scoop out with a sppon as fat sticks to the ice.

brill, thanks, have washed out my little jug thingy to give it a go. might give the ice cubes a go next time though as sounds quicker but havent got any at the mo

well?????

fab thanks DontNeedAnything, i let the juices settle in my funny little jug thingy then just tipped um into my bisto n hey presto it worked!! am still stuffed now though and was thinking about pud but couldn't possibly

I have done this, putting the jug in the fridge works well.

Never heard of this putting ice in the fat but it sounds good.

I have just turned down the temperature on a large piece of boned leg of pork. I never thought and put olive oil in the meat to start and when it was cooking for the first hour at a high temp', but have now removed the oil by the bulb method, and it always works. I then spread 250 gms of duck fat on the top of the meat which is not cooking on as low a heat as I can get on my gas stove. Hopefully I will have some wonderful spreadable fat and juices!
Sorry, but I can't recall what the name of this mixture is, when you finish the meat and let the fats go solid and under the top layer of fat will be a gorgeous layer of meat juices. Should last me for a week!

Take care and all the best to all in the new 2012 year.

Hi sorry to hijack but can anyone tell me where I can buy one of the jug thingies? Been looking for ages but no luck. tia

Here you are - Lakeland Plastics (as was!)

www.lakeland.co.uk/5034/Gravy-Skimmer

Thanks

DH (a chemist) has another method:

Line a sieve with kitchen paper, and then rinse through some cold water to dampen the paper.

Put the sieve over a jug, and pour the meat juices through the sieve into a jug. The fat stays on the paper, and the fat-free juices go through the damp paper into the jug.