Should I skim the foam when boiling meat?

Normally, when boiling meat or making soup, stew... from meat, we will see a layer of gray foam appear when the water heats up. So what is this foam layer and is it necessary to skim it off?

What is the foam that rises when boiling meat?

This foam layer mainly consists of two parts; one part is the blood and body fluids remaining in the meat, which will form foam at high temperatures; the other part is the protein in the meat that combines with water molecules to form foam.

You may notice that some meats produce little foam when cooked, while others produce a lot of foam. This is related to the amount of blood and body fluids left in the meat, which often depends on the slaughtering method. Strangulation removes most of the blood from the body, so the meat will produce less foam than other slaughtering methods.

Is it necessary to skim off the foam when boiling meat?

Is the foam layer dirty, should we skim it off when boiling meat... are concerns of many people. As mentioned above, this foam layer is mainly created from blood and protein; it may contain some impurities but still contains certain nutrients.

Although foam does not mean dirty, because of the excess blood, this foam often has a strong, fishy smell, affecting the flavor of the dish. If you are concerned about this, skim it off, otherwise you can skip it.

However, you only need to skim off the first layer of foam, but you should keep the second layer of foam because it is protein and fat; the blood, body fluids and impurities, if any, have all been skimmed off before. If you remove the second layer of foam, the flavor of the dish will be less rich.

Many people often blanch meat before cooking to remove dirt, making the meat cleaner and more fragrant. But even after blanching, the meat will still foam in the water used in the next step of cooking. When blanching for the first time, the foam rises in large quantities, is darker in color, and has a stronger smell. But in the next step, the amount of foam created during cooking is usually relatively small, and the color becomes brighter and clearer.

Note to remember good meat

To have a delicious boiled meat dish, choosing fresh meat is the first indispensable condition, so you should choose carefully. In particular, you need to buy meat that has been inspected to ensure safety for your own health.

Before boiling, you can soak the meat in water for about 10 minutes to remove excess liquid and blood inside the meat and reduce gray foam.

To boil meat, it is best to put cold water in the pot, then put the meat in and boil it. This not only helps the blood and liquid in the meat to drain out gradually, but also helps to remove the fishy smell. More importantly, the cold water in the pot can keep the meat soft and smooth during the slow cooking process, making the boiled meat more delicious.

You can add a few slices of ginger, green onions and other spices during the boiling process. These spices can reduce the fishy smell and add a rich aroma, making the overall dish more appealing.