john_coburg
Assistant Cook
Greetings all,
A maiden post, so i hope i will start an interesting discussion.
I often roast beef joints, and always aim to make the richest-tasting gravy with the most depth of flavour. I am often left over with sauce from the roasting pan which i leave to cool in a tall clear pot for refrigeration. I find over night, it always separates into three layers: the golden coloured fat rises to the top and hardens; then there is a dark layer of 'jelly-like' substance, and then at the bottom, there is a layer of paler (tan-coloured) grittier paste-like substance. All melt nicely on the hob in a small pan. My questions:
i) what are each of the bottom two layers, and why do they separate?
ii) are there specific uses for each? clearly the fat can be used for potato roasting and making a roux for gravy, but what about the other two? is one more useful/flavourful than the other?
iii) with the layer of fat on top, how long can this all be kept in the fridge? i have ended up keeping the pot over a couple of months, and a small layer of mould will form on the fat...in which case i discard the fat and still make use of the (seemingly still fresh) layers below. i guess that's how things were preserved in the past....does anyone know how long such preservation safely lasts?
iv) roasting the meat in this stuff next time round, i often end up keeping the 'sauce' in a similar fashion, and the process repeats itself over and over. is this sensible, or do i end up taking health risks with many-times 'recycled' juices? in orther words, do i eventually need to throw it out and start again? or shouldn't i really use it all more than once or twice?
Many, many thanks for any thoughts on what i appreciate is a rather obscure and rather dull topic...!
John.
A maiden post, so i hope i will start an interesting discussion.
I often roast beef joints, and always aim to make the richest-tasting gravy with the most depth of flavour. I am often left over with sauce from the roasting pan which i leave to cool in a tall clear pot for refrigeration. I find over night, it always separates into three layers: the golden coloured fat rises to the top and hardens; then there is a dark layer of 'jelly-like' substance, and then at the bottom, there is a layer of paler (tan-coloured) grittier paste-like substance. All melt nicely on the hob in a small pan. My questions:
i) what are each of the bottom two layers, and why do they separate?
ii) are there specific uses for each? clearly the fat can be used for potato roasting and making a roux for gravy, but what about the other two? is one more useful/flavourful than the other?
iii) with the layer of fat on top, how long can this all be kept in the fridge? i have ended up keeping the pot over a couple of months, and a small layer of mould will form on the fat...in which case i discard the fat and still make use of the (seemingly still fresh) layers below. i guess that's how things were preserved in the past....does anyone know how long such preservation safely lasts?
iv) roasting the meat in this stuff next time round, i often end up keeping the 'sauce' in a similar fashion, and the process repeats itself over and over. is this sensible, or do i end up taking health risks with many-times 'recycled' juices? in orther words, do i eventually need to throw it out and start again? or shouldn't i really use it all more than once or twice?
Many, many thanks for any thoughts on what i appreciate is a rather obscure and rather dull topic...!
John.