Skimmers

Skimmers are very important tools when making soup stock and in many other ways, including small ones for skimming tea.

Soup Skimmer

This is the center device in the photo. It is a kitchen workhorse anywhere soup stocks are made in volume, particularly to skim off the foamy crud from the top of the water as the makings for stock come to a boil.

Fine Asian Skimmers

These are right and left in the photo. They have an amazingly fine wire fabric that strains similar to muslin but many times faster. I use the large one as a general skimmer, especially when making small batches of stock or parboiling beef. I also use it as a strainer when pouring a finished stock through it before reheating it and putting it up in jars. This eliminates even the smallest particles that get through a regular strainer.

Spider Skimmer

This has its own Spider Skimmer page, as it is used mostly with oils, but it is also very good at removing things from water, especially things that try to escape - it sneaks up on them easily.