skim the fat

Meaning

This expression means to remove the layer of oil, grease, or impurities that rises to the surface of a liquid (like a soup, broth, or sauce) during cooking. It is typically done using a spoon or a ladle. While primarily a culinary term, it can occasionally be used metaphorically in business contexts to mean removing excess or unnecessary costs.

Examples

• Use a large spoon to skim the fat off the top of the chicken soup.

  Use a large spoon to skim the fat off the top of the chicken soup.

• If you let the broth cool in the fridge, it's much easier to skim the fat.

  If you let the broth cool in the fridge, it's much easier to skim the fat.

• Don't forget to skim the fat periodically while the beef is braising.

  Don't forget to skim the fat periodically while the beef is braising.

• She used a specialized ladle designed to skim the fat from gravies.

  She used a specialized ladle designed to skim the fat from gravies.

• Skimming the fat makes the sauce look much clearer and taste lighter.

  Skimming the fat makes the sauce look much clearer and taste lighter.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Take off the fat from the soup with a spoon.

  ✓ Skim the fat from the soup with a spoon.

  While 'take off' is understandable, 'skim' is the precise, natural culinary verb used for removing surface liquids.

• ✗ You should clean the fat from the surface.

  ✓ You should skim the fat from the surface.

  'Clean' implies washing or sanitizing; 'skim' specifically describes gliding a tool across the surface to remove a layer.

Related Expressions

Practice

• As the stew cooks, use a ladle to ___ that rises to the top.

  💡 Remove the oily layer from the surface.

  Show answer

  skim the fat

• It's healthier to ___ before serving the meat sauce.

  💡 Get rid of the surface grease.

  Show answer

  skim the fat