Topic: To skim or not to skim? That IS the question!

[RubyDoo]

There are many recipes from very well respected sources for base gravy but some skim the scum and others implicitly say not to as this contains much of the taste.

What do you do and more importantly , why?  Have you tried both?

[Peripatetic Phil]

I leave the scum in place and stir in.  Yes, I have skimmed : it seemed a complete wast of time !
** Phil.

[Salvador Dhali]

I've also done both, and definitely found it nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune... 

[JerryM]

defo skim for me. it's not a huge difference.

i find the "technique" important - regular stirring. this seems to stop the oil from rising (which you don't want to skim off for sure) whilst giving a long enough window ~20 mins to get all the scum out in skim form.

i get something like 300ml from a ~ 4L base.

[curryhell]

I don't think there's any hard and fast rules on this  .  It does seem as though it is very much a personal preference.  I have skimmed and not skimmed.  To be honest, IMHO i didn't notice any difference when i tucked in to the end results :

[976bar]

I agree with Jerry,, regular stirring will stop scum, but if it does appear, I will almost certainly stir it back in..

[chewytikka]

defo skim for me. it's not a huge difference.

i find the "technique" important - regular stirring. this seems to stop the oil from rising (which you don't want to skim off for sure) whilst giving a long enough window ~20 mins to get all the scum out in skim form.

i get something like 300ml from a ~ 4L base.

Sometimes a bit confusing to follow Jerry
Is that 300ml of scum or oil from a 4L base?

Hi RubyDoo
It's probably down to knowing what scum is that your looking for on the final simmer.

If you think of it as three layers on the very surface of the base.
The Base, The Oil and The Scum.
If you move the scum slightly to one side underneath is the oil, likewise underneath the oil is the base.

If you actually taste the scum, its pretty grim and bitter, because like any scum its the impurities
created by the boiling process and in this case oil separation.

It really is hard to believe some people think it has a value and a good taste.

It's similar to a BIR Chef doing a huge pan of precooked Lamb or Beef, the first stage is to quickly
boil the meat to get rid of it's impurities (in the form of Scum) This is washed away, fresh water added
then the clean meat is precooked.

Each to his own, but that's my take on scum and why I don't want to eat it.

I also never make a base Garabi without a sieve to get the correct texture.

cheers Chewy

[Peripatetic Phil]

BIR bases aside, for me the so-called scum is where all the flavour lies.  Throw away the scum from steak-and-kidney, or the scum from rabbit (both of which produce copious amounts) and you lose most of the flavour of the final dish.

** Phil.

[Cory Ander]

I stir it back in.  I don't think removing it is worth the effort. 

I have no idea what "impurities" may be in it or what the "impurities" may be?  Anyone?

[Secret Santa]

If you actually taste the scum, its pretty grim and bitter, because like any scum its the impurities
created by the boiling process and in this case oil separation.

It really is hard to believe some people think it has a value and a good taste.

I can't relate to that at all. I don't always get scum but when I do it has always tasted, if not pleasant, then at least not unpleasant and certainly not bitter. I always stir it back in.

And what are these impurities exactly? Food in = food out.