Putting a piece of meat in a pan with water, and turning on the burner, hoping to cook a tasty soup or broth, you can find boiling foam when boiling. What are the bubbles formed from, is it necessary to remove it, or is it better to leave it?
It is not difficult to answer such questions - the composition of the foam is known, the cooks have their own useful recommendations for preparing the first meat dishes.
The composition of the foam appearing in the broth
Meat is a protein product, it also contains fats, bone particles. During cooking, the bulk of the proteins remain inside the piece, however, a small amount of them is released into the water, coagulates under the influence of high temperatures, forming a foam. Cooking foam is a protein released from meat.. In this case, it has a light, grayish tint. Such foam can be left, it will be dispersed on its own during the cooking process, however, the broth may not be too transparent.
Interesting fact: If you accidentally break an egg during cooking, when immersed in water, a similar foam may also occur. And it is also created during cooking by legumes. Beans, peas are rich in protein, which can also stand out in the water, creating a light foam.
To remove or not to remove foam in the broth?
Some people still prefer to remove the foam, despite its protein composition. Removal is carried out not only for aesthetic reasons. A gray, dark brown mass is formed from blood when it is contained in a carcass or piece of meat. It is desirable to remove it, coagulated blood has a specific taste, which not everyone likes. Although it is not harmful.
Sometimes bone marrow, the smallest particles of bone, even small debris, also go out into the foam, if the piece was poorly washed before cooking. It is better to remove such foam immediately. If meat contains contaminants, it makes sense not only to rinse the product before cooking. You can boil water with meat, then drain it, put it to boil again in fresh. The result will be positive. Meat of dubious origin, which could be stored for a long time or subjected to chemical processing, “pumping”, is also first boiled, then boiled in new water, the foam must be removed.
How to get rid of foam in the broth?
A large amount of foam does not look aesthetically pleasing, many seek to get rid of it. It is not necessary to scoop out the liquid, you can just throw onions into the broth, which will stop the process of its exit. The quality of meat also plays a big role. Young veal will produce less foam than beef. A product that has not undergone chemical treatment, in which there are no contaminants, blood, also creates fewer problems in preparation than the old, low-quality. The correct choice of a piece even at the stage of purchasing products will eliminate the output of a large amount of foam, which will have to be removed.
Relying on the independent dissolution of the protein, the disappearance of bubbles naturally, you need to wait about 20 minutes. During this time, the processes are stabilized, on the surface there will be only a slight trace of yellow fat. With a large volume of foam, the broth may become cloudy, and when it cools down, some sediment may appear - you should not worry, the quality of the broth remains normal. A small amount of protein will not affect the transparency, color.
Digested protein is just as healthy as remaining in meat. The main thing is that it is the protein that will saturate the broth, increase nutrition, and not harmful substances, chemistry.
Opinions regarding whether to leave foam in the soup differ. Some do not pay attention to it, because the bubbles disappear on their own by the time it comes time to put other products in the pan necessary for making the soup. Others deliberately await her release in order to remove completely, to make sure that she does not protrude again.
Still others react to this phenomenon according to the situation, removing dark foam or removing it with dubious quality of meat, and leaving it when everything is in order. There are no unambiguous, stable tips on this score; each person has the right to act according to his own taste, in accordance with established habits. After all, today is not the time when you have to fight for every gram of protein in order to survive, and you can completely afford the luxury of removing a small amount of nutrients for the aesthetic pleasure of a clear broth without suspensions, turbidity.
