There are many different ways to remove oil from stocks and soups. The most traditional way is to just use a ladle and skim the top off. However, there seems to be a new trend where they get a block of ice to remove oil from Soup. What most people don’t know is that they can already do this at home. This tutorial will show you how to use ice to remove oil from soups and stock.

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Why does Ice Remove Oil from Soup

Fat has three different phase in which it can exist Solid, Liquid and Gas. When heated or cooled to a certain temperature, it will change to the the appropriate phase. Saturated fat has a higher melting point than other type of fat like unsaturated fat. What that means is that it takes a higher temperature to melt the fat into a liquid form. Using a extremely cold object like ice, will turn most if not all fat from a liquid to a Solid.

Another way that cooks use temperature to remove fat is by sticking stock in the fridge. Because water and oil will not form a chemical bond, the fat will separate from the liquid and float to the top. Once cooled to a certain temperature, the fat will solidify. If for some reason you want to keep both liquid and fat together to for a solid, you can try to emulsify them using a binding agent like mustard. If you manage to cool it fast enough, it should be one piece. Just be aware that the liquid will more readily melt.

Unsaturated fat like those you see in vinaigrette or dressing will not solidify because it needs a much colder temperature to reach a solid form.

How to Use Ice to Remove Oil

Given this information about how oil transform to different phases, you should be able to form a method where you can use ice to remove oil. Once of the easiest method is to use a Ring Mold Pan. You need a big chunk of ice, as a small one will melt too fast. Doing this should be pretty much self explanatory but I have given detailed instructions below.

Direction

1) Fill the Ring mold with Water.
2) Once frozen you can start to use it.
3) If you have issues removing the Ring from the mold, you can use hot water to lossen it.
4) Once the fat has formed onto the Ring, scrap it off to a bowl or trash.
5) Remember to do this fairly quick as you do not want to water down the soup or stock.

Dangers and Hazard

Do not use this method if the pot is at a rolling boil. If the fat is too hot, you can cause the ice to shatter and harm you. Use your best judgement. You can find a lot of video on youtube where they toss ice in boiling oil. The results is shattering ice. Use it on soups that are not too hot.

Removing Oil with Ice Thoughts

This method works great especially if you want to remove oil quickly. The video that you saw at first was done with Hot Pot. They are usually overly oily because of the amount of fresh meat used in the soup. Since meat is added while cooking, the fat will eventually collect to an excessive amount. In those situation, instant removal of fat is necessary.

For your home soup, usually you want a little fat to improve the flavor of the stock or broth. Instant removal of fat is not always necessary unless someone in particular does not like it. In this instance, having a frozen Popsicle stick is not a bad idea.

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