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A recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that higher sugar consumption among women was correlated with lower HDL (good cholesterol), higher LDL (bad cholesterol), and higher triglyceride levels.

- Fact #37
San Marzano Tomatoes

Deborah says, “San Marzano tomatoes are essential to a great marinara sauce and other Italian red sauces. You know they’re the real deal if the D.O.P. designation appears on the label. They cost a bit more than other plum tomatoes but—for both taste and texture—they’re worth it! One more thing: 35-ounce cans are not available through Amazon. You'll need 3¾ 28-ounce cans for my Marinara Sauce.”

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Guide to Degreasing Pan Drippings
The definitive procedure for removing fat

Select a measuring cup or heat-proof bowl large enough to hold the drippings. Line it with a zip-lock bag of comparable size. Set a strainer over the bowl. When your roast comes out of the oven, transfer it to a platter. If you normally deglaze your pan with wine or some other liquid, go ahead and do so, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the drippings through the strainer into the bag-lined bowl. Wait a minute or two to allow the fat to rise to the top. Lift the bag and hold it so that 1 corner tilts down toward the bowl. Notice that you have 2 layers: a juice layer on the bottom and a fat layer on top. With a long sharp skewer or narrow-tipped knife, poke a tiny hole at the very tip of the lower corner and allow the contents of the juice layer to run into the bowl. As soon as you reach the end of the juice layer, TILT THE BAG AWAY FROM THE HOLE, and discard the fat layer left in the bag. Your bowl should contain nothing but beautiful, healthy juices, and you can proceed with your recipe as you normally would.

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Comments&Trackbacks

  • November 22 2009, 11:47 AM
    Madeline

    Thanks so much for the excellent written instructions.
  • November 24 2009, 9:01 PM
    Ann

    What a clever idea! Thanks.
  • November 24 2009, 9:33 PM
    Deborah

    You’re very welcome, Ann. Glad you liked it!
    Deborah
  • November 25 2009, 5:25 PM
    Cynthia

    I am so glad to have found your comment today regarding making gravy. I am a health conscious person that likes exotic unusual foods.
  • November 25 2009, 8:29 PM
    Deborah

    Cynthia,
    I’m glad that you’re glad and I hope you come back often. This website is for you and everyone else out thee who cares about food and health!!
    Deborah
  • November 26 2009, 5:22 AM
    Angie

    So glad I went to allreceipes site to check timing for my big bird for dinner and saw your post for this great easy idea! I have been using my old Pampered Chef fat remover for sooo long it is in sad shape, and so darn hard to clean! What a breaze. Wish there was a better alternative than a plastic bag, but I guess for once a year . . . I can’t wait to come back to your site and check it outafter I am done with the holiday and have rested : > Happy Thanksgiving and thank you so much!
  • December 13 2009, 5:41 PM
    Rachael Sullivan

    I use this same technique but place the bag in a Pyrex glass measuring cup in the “quick freeze” section of my freezer for about 15 minutes. The fat becomes nearly solid at the top of the bag. I grab that section with one hand and cut a slit in a bottom corner with kitchen shears and let those lean juices flow into the cup.
  • December 13 2009, 6:37 PM
    Deborah

    WOW, Rachael. That’s cool! It never occurred to me to put it in the freezer. I guess I’m less patient than you are. I just do it all at once right when it comes out of the oven, but it’s great to know there’s another approach. People can try it both ways and see which one works best for them.
    Thanks for sharing it!!
    Deborah
  • December 14 2009, 1:36 PM
    Karen

    Great idea, if you are short on time. For turkey, I usually aim to have the bird done a couple of hours ahead. It rests for an hour, then I carve it onto a warm platter, cover it, and keep it warm. The turkey, with this long rest, never dries out. All this allows time to put the gravy into a shallow pan in the fridge or freezer (as per one of your other comments). When the fat hardens, I lift it off and brush the bits of broth from the bottom of the fat into the broth pan. SAVES USING PLASTIC BAGS–so a greener alternative.
  • December 14 2009, 1:53 PM
    Deborah

    Karen,
    Thanks for responding. I agree with you that the plastic bag solution is not ideal from an environmental point of view. Its purpose really is to permit virtually immediate degreasing– which is necessary in cases where the roasted meat or poultry must be served soon. It’s true that turkey holds up well after resting for a couple of hours and so your freezer method is perfect for it, but unfortunately a beef tenderloin or roast chicken isn’t as forgiving. Meanwhile, you make an excellent point about the bags and I only use them when it’s absolutely necessary. In fact, at this very moment, I have in my fridge a measuring cup of chilled drippings waiting to be scraped. I had the luxury of using the scraping method because I did not have to serve the chicken immediately.

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