Alternatives to using a Fat/Gravy Separator?

[keltin]

If you don't have a gravy separator, what else would you use? I typically use a simple stainless steel mixing bowl and my fridge. It takes a little time to wait for the fat to congeal, but it works well.

Hmmmm....I bet I could make an impromptu separator out of an old plastic measuring cup and a wine cork. MacGyver is in the kitchen!

 

[Caine]

I use a ziplock bag. Let it sit until the fat floats, then trim off a bottom corner. Much cheaper than a separator, and less storage space required before and after the separation.

 

[keltin]

I use a ziplock bag. Let it sit until the fat floats, then trim off a bottom corner. Much cheaper than a separator, and less storage space required before and after the separation.

Whoa! Now that is a cool idea! Thanks!

 

[GB]

and less storage space required before and after the separation.

Not in the landfills

 

[keltin]

Not in the landfills

That's what recycling is for!

 

[Caine]

Whoa! Now that is a cool idea! Thanks!

 

[sparrowgrass]

I use a ziplock bag. Let it sit until the fat floats, then trim off a bottom corner. Much cheaper than a separator, and less storage space required before and after the separation.

One ziplock is cheaper than a gravy separator. Using a ziplock every time you make gravy--not cheaper, and worse for the environment.

Storage--you have to store the ziplock box.

Safety--pouring hot drippings into a plastic bag sounds like a good way to burn yourself and make a big mess.

Buy a separator--easy peasy, not very expensive, lasts a long time, safer.

 

[keltin]

One ziplock is cheaper than a gravy separator. Using a ziplock every time you make gravy--not cheaper, and worse for the environment.

Storage--you have to store the ziplock box.

Safety--pouring hot drippings into a plastic bag sounds like a good way to burn yourself and make a big mess.

Buy a separator--easy peasy, not very expensive, lasts a long time, safer.

Yeah, but the bag idea is cool. But, you've got a point about using it constantly and being more expensive, but as for the environment, you can recycle.

Still, you can accomplish the same thing with a SS mixing bowl (in the fridge) that you already have if you have the time to wait. But I'm thinking in some cases, timing might be critical to the dish meaning no time to wait on congealing the fat in the fridge.

 

[Andy M.]

Using a separator instead of a SS bowl makes it easier to pour off the defatted liquid. You don't have to wait for the fat to solidify.

 

[keltin]

Using a separator instead of a SS bowl makes it easier to pour off the defatted liquid. You don't have to wait for the fat to solidify.

So it’s about speed and time then? I imagine it probably cuts the time in half? No need to wait for the fat to fully “set”, but simply rise right?

In an SS bowl, once the fat hardens, I poke a hole in it, and it pours like a dream. Plus the fat goes to the outdoor “babies”.

 

[Barbara L]

For me the difference in using the bowl method and the fat separator method would depend (as it does for most of my kitchen tools) on how often it is needed. If you make a lot of gravy from drippings, a fat separator would be a good investment. If you only make it occasionally, it wouldn't make sense. Since the OP already has one and was asking how to use it properly, it doesn't really matter what most of us use. I have always kind of wanted a fat separator, and I could eat enough gravy to float a battleship, but I don't make gravy that often (trying to lose weight and lower my cholesterol), and I don't have money to spend on things that aren't essential, so I use the bowl method as well. Will I buy a fat separator someday? If I have the opportunity, probably since I love gadgets.

Barbara

 

[Katie H]

We have a fat/gravy separator that, like many of our cooking tools/gadgets, I bought at a thrift store for very little. I really like it and it does a great job. As for storing it, it hangs on my ceiling rack system I've created in my kitchen. Trust me my kitchen ceiling looks like a culinary stalactite configuration.

 

[Barbara L]

We have a fat/gravy separator that, like many of our cooking tools/gadgets, I bought at a thrift store for very little. I really like it and it does a great job. As for storing it, it hangs on my ceiling rack system I've created in my kitchen. Trust me my kitchen ceiling looks like a culinary stalactite configuration.

I love bargains and cool kitchens!

Barbara

 

[Uncle Bob]

Using a separator instead of a SS bowl makes it easier to pour off the defatted liquid. You don't have to wait for the fat to solidify.

Exactly!! I need the defatted chicken/beef stock right now. Not tomorrow.
I wouldn't be without one of these gadgets. I had two,(different sizes) but am down to one.

 

[keltin]

Exactly!! I need the defatted chicken/beef stock right now. Not tomorrow.
I wouldn't be without one of these gadgets. I had two,(different sizes) but am down to one.

Really. Of the years I’ve been cooking, timing is THE thing to learn. Have you had many dishes that you couldn’t time right without a gravy separator? Does it make that much of a difference in your planning?

Like poaching an egg is about 3 minutes, any longer and some say you have over cooked the egg. Or with Octopus they say the rule is 2 minutes or 2 hours. I’ve not cooked anything with a broth that needed to be de-fatted very quickly before. Are there dishes with such critical timing where the broth must be put to use quickly for the dish to work properly?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Really. Of the years I’ve been cooking, timing is THE thing to learn. Have you had many dishes that you couldn’t time right without a gravy separator? Does it make that much of a difference in your planning?

I use the gadget to defat chicken stock (mostly) sometimes beef or duck to reduce the fat for use in a dish I am making at the time. I pour the stock in the gadget, let it sit for a few minutes while the fat rises to the top, then pour off the stock into the dish leaving the fat behind. That is/was my plan from the beginning, so it has nothing to do with timing.

 

[GB]

Really. Of the years I’ve been cooking, timing is THE thing to learn. Have you had many dishes that you couldn’t time right without a gravy separator? Does it make that much of a difference in your planning?

There is nothing wrong with using the right tool for the job.It has nothing to do with timing. A fat separator is a perfectly valid tool to use.

 

[keltin]

There is nothing wrong with using the right tool for the job.It has nothing to do with timing. A fat separator is a perfectly valid tool to use.

Who said it was invalid?

I was wondering if it was a timing issue?

 

[keltin]

I use the gadget to defat chicken stock (mostly) sometimes beef or duck to reduce the fat for use in a dish I am making at the time. I pour the stock in the gadget, let it sit for a few minutes while the fat rises to the top, then pour off the stock into the dish leaving the fat behind. That is/was my plan from the beginning, so it has nothing to do with timing.

I bet you get a lot of fat from a duck stock! How long does it take for the fat to rise? Can you do it at room temp, or do you have to put it in the fridge?

 

[GB]

Your implication was that a fat separator was not needed. i was simply saying that there was nothing wrong with using one.

Have you had many dishes that you couldn’t time right without a gravy separator?