Gordon Ramsay's Brilliant Bread Hack For Skimming Fat Off Stock

A flavorful soup stock doesn't have to take all day to cook, but you do need certain components to create a worthy base for your homemade soups and stews. Good stock requires a mirepoix (a mixture of aromatic vegetables and herbs), spices, and, with the exception of vegetable stock, a fat component that comes from animal bones. Fat in stock holds the flavor, and without it, the other ingredients really have nothing else to cling to. But when you've coddled and simmered your stock and the fat has risen to the top, ridding it isn't always as easy as taking a spoon and skimming it off, especially when the stock is still hot. Gordon Ramsay has a hack for you, though, and it doesn't require anything but a slice of bread.

During a Q&A with fans shared by Wired on TikTok, after Ramsay was asked if straining chicken stock through a cloth would help remove the fat, he responded by saying that straining the stock would merely make it cloudy. Ramsay's tip for removing the fat? Take an ordinary slice of white bread and drag it across the top of the stock. The bread will act as a sponge for the fat that's collected at the surface. You may need to grab another piece of bread to make sure you've gathered the majority of the fat but don't worry about getting every last speck — the goal here is to get the big chunks of fat that will make your stock greasy.

If you're having trouble with the fat in your stock not staying at the surface and setting enough to skim, Ramsay suggests allowing the stock to cool and placing some ice cubes on top of it. The ice brings the fat content together and pulls it to the top, making it easier to remove. With the fat more solidified, the bread hack is that much easier.

You may want a relatively clear stock if you're planning on adding extra fat to your recipe. So if you're serious about removing as much fat as possible, refrigerate the stock overnight after it has cooled to room temperature. The layer of fat on top of the stock will be one solid sheet, and it will be easy to remove with a ladle or large spoon. While Ramsay pointed out that using cloth alone won't get the fat out of stock, you can try tying up some ice cubes in cheesecloth and dunking the whole thing into your stock. The ice acts as a kind of magnet, attaching to and pulling the fat from the top of the stock. Alternately, allow a metal ladle to cool in a bowl of ice, and skim the fat with the cold ladle. If you don't have a ton of time, we love Ramsay's bread idea, as well as his added suggestion to take the bread that's been dragged with the fat and fry it. Sounds like a win/win.