WJEC Level 3 Certificate in Food Science and Nutrition

219 Separating Separating means dividing something into its constituent parts. Clarifying is a type of separation. It is a term used for making a clear stock from vegetables, bones and water for use in clear soups called consommés. When the ingredients are boiled together, the stock will become cloudy with fine particles. Once boiled, the stock is strained through several layers of a fine muslin (cotton) cloth to separate it from the larger solids. An egg white is then added to 100ml cold water and stirred into the hot stock, which is brought back to the boil, removed from the heat and left to stand for 5 minutes. The egg-white protein will coagulate and trap the fine particles, and can be separated from the stock by straining it through more layers of muslin. The finished stock should be clear. Examples of applications in food preparation ⦁ Separating egg whites from egg yolks ⦁ Separating the seeds from the flesh of fruit by sieving, for berries such as raspberries ⦁ Separating curds (solid) from whey (liquid) when making cheese ⦁ Separating buttermilk from butter when churning cream ⦁ Separating visible fat from lean muscle in meat joints, by trimming with a knife ⦁ Separating fish skin from the flesh when filleting ⦁ Separating the flesh from the membranes when segmenting an orange Clear chicken consommé soup Advanced techniques in commodity preparation