Ladle and a gravy separator (which to be fair would probably be a specific/specialized tool if you didn't already have one). Ladle the fat out without having to be too fussy, then use the separator to pour the stock back in. Alternately, you can just ladle it into any old container or measuring cup, then pop that in the fridge to harden the fat and recover the extra stock, without having to chill the entire stockpot.

I’ve always used something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002YTGIQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YdUVDbK5WBVDV

The fat rises to the top, and you’re able to pour the soup out. Works well hot, but I can never find one large enough so multiple fills and pouring is necessary.

Also if you have any large objects, like meat or noodles, it won’t work if you put it in this device. So you’ll never get all the fat, but definitely most.

One of my favorites.

/np/https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ

Just wish it came with a bottle-brush that could clean the spout. I bought a brush set and none fit as well as I'd like.

You can get a fat/gravy separator. It looks like a measuring cup with a spout. Here's one for $15: OXO Good Grips 4-Cup Fat Separator

yeah, theres a device thats used to seperate fat from drippings. it looks like this.

what i do is, i pour the hot (but not boiling) gravy into a zip lock freezer bag. then i "hang" the bag in the fridge. you dont want it to keep getting jostled, you just want it to remain exactly upright and stretched out. this basically amounted to hanging it off of one shelf and weighing it down with a gallon of milk.

the fat goes up, the gravy goes down. then you cut a corner off of the bag and let the gravy portion pour out, and pinch it shut/tip it when the fat gets to the bottom.

you can use it the same way you use bacon fat. also, in ramen and other soups, you can take a tsp or so of it and mix it into 1 cup of soup for some added richness and flavor.

Like this?
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ

Get yourself a gravy separator

http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ

I find this essential for braising/slowcooking so I can skim fat easily and leave those condensed cooking juices in the recipe.

If you let the drippings sit for a minute, the fat will separate (as you noticed) and float. So next time, let it sit before you serve it, and skim off the fat with a spoon or ladle.

You can let it sit right in the roasting pan, then gently tip the pan so the juices collect in the corner. The deeper the pool, the deeper the fat and the easier it'll be to skim.

Or you can let it sit in a separate container, like a measuring cup or gravy separator (the latter has a spout that lets you pour from the bottom, leaving the fat behind).

[yup] (http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ)

What is your favorite food?

Grilled Cheese is easy. Skillet to medium-high. 2 pieces of bread, a pat of butter, and a few slices of cheese. Half of the butter in the skillet with the bread on top. Layer the cheese on top of the bread and cover with remaining piece of bread. Cover (very important to melt the cheese). Cook until bottom of bread is starting to blacken, spread butter on other piece of bread and flip. Cook til starting to blacken or cheese is melting like crazy. Remove and serve.

Also, I suggest my easy lunch special. 1 medium sized chuck roast. Rub a modicum of kosher salt on it the night before. Preheat oven to 225F. When hot lay roast naked on the rack with a drip tray below. Let cook for 4 hours. Remove and wrap in foil. Return to rack for another 4 hours. Remove and wait 15mins before unwrapping. If you want to be awesome puncture the wrap and drain the juice into a cup before removing from foil. To make the lunches with this start a whole diced yellow onion in a skillet w/ some butter on medium-low. Sweat the onions for 5 mins then add diced green pepper. Throw on some Ms. Dash and a bit of soy sauce and skillet for a bit. While this is cooking take your leftover roast and chop into bite sized pieces. Throw onto a separate skillet on medium/medium-high. If you saved the juice throw it in there as well. If you removed the fat from the juice it'll be even better. Skillet until reheated, you are not cooking this meat. When it's done and the veggies are done, mix and skillet on medium for a bit to mingle the flavors. Now, this part is done. You are going to be pairing it with either Rice or Couscous. Couscous is easier unless you have a rice cooker. Either way, layer your lunches rice first then veggies/meat on top. Easy to microwave, tasty too.

Another good one Frank. If you do this often, I'd recommend getting one of these fat separators. You could pour the last few cups into this and then pour off the solids cleanly. Thanks for the information as always.

If you need to add water because of pressure cooking then you can probably just use a fat seperator at the end to extract the liquid gold.

If you don't have one, a fat separator would be great for removing the surface fat. (I'm not endorsing this Oxo - haven't used it - but here's a link to one.)

Food looks awesome.

Nope, that's just pork shoulder. I typically pull the pork out of the liquid after about 8 hours then use a gravy separator to pour some of the braising liquid without the oil back into the crockpot.

I use an oil separator pretty successfully on other recipes.

I almost always use foil pans. I have never noticed the difference in smoke penetration by using them. It always tastes the same and just as good. The main reasons I do it is for how easy it is when you "crutch", just put foil over the top. You can always unfoil a little early and put it back out in the open pit to dry out the bark a little after the foil. Because the braising does cause the bark to get moist.

I also do it for saving the drippings. Buy you a fat/juice separator like this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002YTGIQ?pc_redir=1395397137&robot_redir=1

Separate out the juice to add back to the pulled meat for moistness. Foil pans also make for easy cleanup. Give it a shot and see how you like it. You'll never know until you've tried it.

I've seen people use milk frothing pitchers to pour, someone on /r/coffee posted this as a frugal alternative

http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373495560&sr=8-1&keywords=fat+separator

There's also this kettle which is cheaper than the Harios and Bonavitas

http://homeloo.com/a/product/pour-over-coffee-kettle-1200ml/

Or this

http://www.amazon.com/Ounce-Gooseneck-Single-Serving-Teapot-Stainless/dp/B008JQ1LEG/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1375912462&sr=1-1&keywords=small+teapot

The point is you don't need to get hung up on the word gooseneck, all it really is is a narrow spout that doesn't dump all the water at once and instead lets you control the flow. Someone said you could do something with a chopstick and a normal kettle but I forget how they did that

Long and short is ... Invest in a fat separator.

Butterball.com has tons of info on turkeys. Get a probe thermometer with an alarm, put the probe between thigh and breast and set to 170F. I dry the turkey with paper towels and coat with melted butter and Adobo, if you can't find Adobo, kosher salt will do. I don't measure, but don't go too heavy on the salt. Get a silicone roasting rack too which lifts the turkey above the liquids in the pan. Add celery, onion and carrots chopped up to the bottom and add some chicken broth. Put the turkey breast down, this allows juices to go thru the breast and juice it up. Brining is a pain and unnecessary to me, I've done it and don't get any big difference. Be sure to have the turkey rest or all the juice will come out , you cover with foil on the counter and make the gravy will waiting.

You don't stuff the bird because you have to overcook the turkey to cook the stuffing. Dressing on the side is just as good. If you can't find premade stuffing bread, just bake some stale bread till it is dried, online you can find details. I use a wok, but a good skillet will do. I weigh some ingredients, because what is a large onion? I use bouillon, but you can use broth.

A saucier pan has rounded corners for easier mixing, but a regular sauce pan is okay. You can use only poultry drippings if you have more. You strain the pan dripping and then reduce by half for better flavor. You should get a fat separator cup to get rid of the fat.

I've made a lot of turkeys and tried many things and this is my way of getting a great turkey. As to looks, I don't care what a turkey looks like when done, I am going to eat it, not have a photo session with it!!! LOL! As for carving, any good knife will work for the breast and a boning knife is great for the legs and thighs. Wings you eat off the bone.

~<DRESSING - GOOD OLD COUNTRY-BASIC >~

1-12oz bag-6C herbed dry stuffing bread.........4 oz crushed Ritz crackers.......6 oz bulk breakfast sausage.......8 oz ground pork......4 large stalks celery, chopped......1 large onion-212g, chopped......1 1/2 cup chicken bouillon......1/2 cup water.......1 tsp salt.......1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper.......1 1/2 Tbsp dried sage or 6g fresh........1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley or 6g fresh......1 Tbsp poultry seasoning.......2 eggs, beaten......1 stick-8 Tbsp butter........2 large loaf pans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

PREPARE INGREDIENTS - Put everything in separate bowls:

Chop celery.

Weigh out onion and chop.

Grind crackers.

Put herbed bread in 12 qt container along with ground crackers.

Beat eggs and add to bread mixture, stir.

Grind parsley and sage.

Put parsley and sage into small bowl, add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, mix.

Saute sausage and pork in large wok.

Add browned meat to container and mix.

Add butter to wok and when it melts add celery and onion with sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper mixture..

Sauté until transparent, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour over bread mixture and stir.

Add bouillon slowly to bread mixture, stir.

If needed add water.

Pour stuffing into a greased pans. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until thermometer reads 165F.

https://www.amazon.ca/Polder-362-90-Digital-Oven-Thermometer/dp/B0000CF5MT

https://www.amazon.ca/Sundlight-Silicone-Roasting-Microwave-Bakeware/dp/B07VC3FXYG

​

~~~~~< GRAVY - POULTRY >~~~~~

3 Tbsp butter.....1/4 tsp sage.....1/4 tsp sage.....3 tsp flour.......1 cup poultry broth or bouillon.......1/2 cup saved poultry drippings(opt)..............Salt and Pepper to taste........2 tsp wine or 2 tsp cup cider and 1/4 tsp cider vinegar or 1/4 tsp lemon juice

Set heat to 3 and in saucier pan melt butter, add spices.

Keep cooking butter till it is popping, you want water to boil off about 5 minutes.

Slowly add flour. Cook until brown, 10-20 minutes.

Add wine or cider mixture, stir.

Add poultry drippings and stir.

Add stock a little at a time till you get the right consistency. Should stick to bottom of spoon.

https://www.amazon.ca/OXO-Good-Grips-Fat-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ

It depends on the cut like segfaultxr7
said. Top/bottom round is very lean so there is very little, if any fat in the bag juices. Beef fat is solid and not always the best tasting when it's solid/semi solid.

You can always take bag juices from a fatty cut and either

• let it sit until the fat rises to the top and and it all cools down so the fat is a solid disk on top you can remove
  
  
• use a Gravy Separator which will only take about 5 minutes or so to let the fat rise to the top.
  
  
• pour the juices into a ziplock bag and stand it up in a glass until the fat rises, then snip the lower corner to drain the juices out and stop before the fat comes out
  
  
  If you get lumps trying to thicken the gravy, use cornstarch, not flour make sure you don't add it to the mixture directly but slowly add cold water the the cornstarch while stiring. It will make a thick paste, then a tick liquid you can stir to get all the lumps out of before you pour that into the juices. I use maybe 1/4 a cup of water and stir it in a small bowl with a chopstick or something.
  

2.5 lbs beef chuck
1 small onion roughly chopped
1 cup white mushrooms sliced
campbells slow cooker sauce - tavern pot roast
1 lbs mini red potatoes

1. place mini red potatoes in glass bowl, microwave for 5 minutes
   
2. place half of onion, mushrooms on bottom of crock pot
   
3. salt and pepper chuck roast on both sides, place in crock pot
   
4. put the rest of the onion and mushrooms in the crock pot
   
5. place mini potatoes in crock pot
   
6. pour slow cooker sauce into crock pot
   
7. cook for 8 hours on low
   
8. remove potatoes, beef chuck. separate fat from leftover liquid in https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ/
   
9. strain out bits of onion, mushroom. place in food processor. Add defatted cooking liquid and process gravy to desired smoothness
   
10. Slice up chuck roast, serve with potatoes and gravy
    
    (gravy not pictured)

No, collagen doesn't bind to fat. Once you strain it out, most of the fat will visibly float in minutes. Maybe there are fat chicken feet out there, but I've never seen them.

I wouldn't even bother counting this, personally.

If you run across those fat chicken feet, these fat separators are helpful.

A fat separator is just a cup that you can pour all the rendered juices that collect in the bottom of the foil when you use a crutch. It will separate the tasty juices from the liquid fat. The benefit of this is that you won’t have all the fat harden up once you refrigerate the pork. It will help keep your pork feeling moist without feeling greasy. Taste great too.

Here is the one I use

No problem. That's the "fine dining" version of gravy. You can also make a quick and dirty gravy in a matter of minutes, just using what's left in the bottom of a pan after you sautee or roast a piece of meat in it. Just deglaze the pan with water and bit of wine and pour the result into a gravy seperator. Pour off the liquid and set aside. Then, mix the fat (adding butter if necessary) with flour for a roux and use the liquid as a stock to complete. This makes awesome gravy if you roast a whole chicken in a stainless steel frying pan, especially if you sit the chicken on top of some carrot, onions, and celery, while roasting.

If you don't feel like skimming, you can always invest in a fat separator. I don't use mine very often, but if you're roasting a huge turkey or a big pork roast or something it can be a really handy tool (especially if you like to save fat for cooking with later).

One of these guys!

this is the one I have
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1542601139&sr=1-4&keywords=fat+separator

The spout of the separator takes liquid off the very bottom of the cup first. So I just pour until the fat reaches the bottom and then stop pouring.

I bought this:
http://www.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-4-Cup-Separator/dp/B0002YTGIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412607167&sr=8-1&keywords=stock+separator

I'll just leave this here:
http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Separator-4-Cup/dp/B0002YTGIQ
I figured these things were common knowledge, but I've had several people ask about what mine is and where I got it.

It's from the meat. Many short rib recipes, and other stews as well, specify to make a day ahead of time and remove the solidified fat after refrigerating. Some thinner liquids can be defatted by using a purpose-built gadget like this fat separator.

This is one thing about crockpot cooking that you just have to learn to work around. It's due to the nature of the slow cooker. Over the long cooking period, foods like meat and vegetables give off a lot of water. Since the slow cooker is a closed environment, that water has no place to go -- any that evaporates or boils off just condenses on the lid and drips back in. To my mind, you have three choices.

1. Flavor the liquid. Use salt/pepper/spices to season the liquid so that it's palatable. When you see recipes that call for onion soup or powdered ranch dressing, that's the point. I don't like this approach because you almost never need that much liquid, and it takes a lot of seasoning to make that stuff taste good. I personally don't use seasoning packets or premade mixes.
   
   
2. Thicken the liquid. Using either tomato paste or cornstarch or a roux. Usually you would remove the meat and the vegetables and cook the liquid with the thickening agent until the desired consistency is reached. Season to taste. This is what you want if you're going for a gravy or a thick sauce.
   
   
3. Concentrate the liquid. Again, isolate the liquid from the solids but this time just bring it to a boil and let that flavor concentrate. (You may want to use a fat separator to reduce the amount of fat in the liquid depending on what you've cooked.) You may need to reduce the total volume by half or more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use this method if you want an au jus or dipping sauce.
   
   Try playing around with these methods. The last two add a bit more work, but I think that you'll find the results are well worth it.