Rant: My stockpot of duck jus took 3 days to clarify

I was finishing a sauce for a special and the jus just wouldn't drop clear, no matter how many times I skimmed or strained it. I finally realized my simmer was way too high and it took letting it sit cold overnight, then gently reheating it with a raft of egg whites to pull out the last of the cloudiness. Has anyone else had a simple reduction turn into a multi-day project like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix_thompson421d ago

Seriously? You didn't check your simmer until day three? That's the first thing I'd look at. How hot were you running it that it kept churning up all the fat and solids? Sounds like it was basically boiling. Did you just not notice the whole time, or were you hoping it would magically fix itself?

riley_schmidt20d agoMost Upvoted

Read a thing a while back about how a true simmer should just barely move the surface, like a few tiny bubbles breaking through. If it's churning, you're basically making a stock tornado and pulling all the junk back in. Gotta keep it low and slow, almost like you're not sure it's even on. That constant gentle heat is what gets you clear broth without all the fat and bits mixed in. Letting it roll for days just makes a cloudy, greasy mess.

nancybailey20d ago

Exactly! This is why so many people mess up simple stuff. They crank the heat because they're impatient, then wonder why the results are bad. It's like people who blast their windshield defroster and get shocked when the glass cracks. The right way is almost always slower and gentler.