Crystal Clear
Have you ever made chicken soup and wondered why it becomes so cloudy? Well the secret to making a clearer broth is to NOT DO ANYTHING!! What do I mean by this? You don’t want to disturb the pot by stirring it. You end up mixing up all the impurities or “scum” that is released from the meat & bones, thereby mirking up the liquid. Instead, just follow these few simple steps and you will be on your way to a clearer soup:
Grandma's Homemade Chicken Soup-Mmmm Good!
1) Place your meat/bones in a pot covered with COLD water. Do not add any seasoning just yet. When the liquid comes to a high simmer, you will see that the bones start releasing “scum” which floats up to the top of the pot.
2) Skim the surface scum, without stirring the contents of the pot.
3) Once you have skimmed most of the scum, add your flavoring ingredients (parsley, carrots,onions,celery,turnips, etc.) salt and pepper, and reduce heat to a low simmer. **Use only kosher salt. It has none of the anti-caking properties of typical table salt, which can sometimes cloud your soup** I also like to use white pepper so you don’t see black flakes in the liquid.
5) Continue to skim the fats and impurities from the surface of the broth periodically.
6) Once the desired flavor has been achieved, ladle out the clear broth into a bowl, being careful not to disturb the rest of the ingredients in the pot. At this point, you will have clear broth and a pot filled with the bones & meat, any remaining scum and vegetables. You can clean up the meat and vegetables, and add back to the broth or serve separately.
Enjoy!