Customer Reviews

Trudeau 0991105 Gravy/Fat Separator

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hey, its a Gravy/Fat separator how good does it get? Well suprisingly its great. It is shaped so that the mouth fits the shape of the pan eliminating spills, it has its own strainer and it holds alot. Cooks Illustrated also recommended it, but was not crazy about the larger holes in the strainer, I disagree. I think smaller holes would clog it. If you want to strain it more, which I have not needed to, just put it through a finer strainer. Its as good as it gets.

The Trudeau fat separator is vastly superior to the common cup shaped versions. It has a large capacity, an excellent strainer and because of its shape is very stable--important when pouring hot gravy from a roasting pan. Unlike cup shaped separators the fat rises to the top immediately and fat-free juices can be poured off without waiting. Useful for gravy, soups, pot roast juices and anything that needs the fat removed.

I know some people love this contraption but for me it lets too much of the fat through, especially if you only have small quantities of liquid to de-fat. I have been using a gallon freezer bag method for years, and even though it's more cumbersome, the bag method gets more fat off. This is how it works:
It's wise to let the liquid cool off a bit first. I do all this inside the sink so it doesn't make a mess:
I set an empty bag into a container or bowl (the bowl holds the bag steady) and then I pour the liquid to be defatted into the bag. I close the (ziplock freezer) bag and bounce the bag a little to get the fat to rise to the top. Let it rest there a couple of minutes the fat will all rise to the top.
Then I lift the bag out of the bowl, leaving the bowl in the sink. I hold my bag (with the liquid) in one hand with one corner pointing down towards the sink away from the bowl, and then I cut the small tip of the corner of the bag. (SMALL- don't cut too much off) IMMEDIATELY, after the plastic tip falls in the sink, reposition the bag over the bowl so that all the good stuff goes into the bowl. As soon as I can see the top layer of fat about to come through, I move the bag so that the fat goes into the sink.
This method removes just about every bit of the fat. Works like a charm.

There is a point of culinary bliss when you can combine the drippings of a roast, whether chicken or beef, and that most blessed of vegetables, the spud. I'm talking of course, about gravy -- a simple concotion of pan drippings, a roux and maybe a bit of butter along with a dash of seasonings.



But all too often, what's left is a greasy, lumpy mess that doesn't taste right, and leaves you wishing that your mum was there to wave her hands over the pot and create magic. I kept trying and trying, and finally gave up to the inevitable -- the mysteries of gravy were going to remain beyond my reach.



Then I found out about this nifty little product after some intense research and a grim determination that I was going to learn how to make gravy, come hell or high water. And I wasn't going to settle for the bottled or canned messes available at the megamarts, oh no. I endured looks of angst from my SO, and could clearly hear his thoughts of oh no, not again! Much to my amazement, this product actually worked, relying on some very simple ideas.



The Fat Separator comes in two parts: the bottom portion is a large, rather teardrop shaped pitcher, with an oddly shaped lip to the upper portion and the spout coming up the side and starting from the very bottom of the pitcher. The pitcher can hold up to four cups or 1000 ml of liquid, and is calibrated as well. The lid portion fits tightly to the pitcher, and is perforated with small holes -- enough to let herbs, but not larger, portions through.



How to use this product: It's pretty easy, remove your roast from the pan, and pour the contents into the pitcher, using the lid to capture any large bits and pieces without them falling into the pitcher portion. Do not fill it too full -- you'll find that it won't really work once it gets over three cups. Wait a few minutes for the liquids to separate and you'll see the fat rise to the surface. Have a saucepan ready, and pour the de-fatted liquids into it. Repeat as necessary with the remaining drippings from the pan, set on a ready burner on the stove, and bring it to a boil.

Making the gravy: In the time that the separator was doing its thing, I'm assuming that you've been busy making a slurry for your gravy. What is a slurry, you ask -- it's one part flour or cornstarch to three or two parts COLD water, and whisked till very smooth. The reasoning for the cold water will become obvious once you pour it into the now-boiling liquids on the stove. This is where the magic happens, and your gravy will start to thicken up, and be sure to whisk madly as you pour in the slurry. This is what keeps the lumps from appearing, and the minimal amount of fat in the leftover drippings gets together with the flour or cornstarch and gets busy. Keep boiling for a few minutes, and then remove from the heat and give it a taste and adjust the seasonings to taste. Voila! You now have gravy, much to the joy of those eating your meal.



Why this product works: It's the lid, which keeps the fat portion from spilling over into the waiting saucepan, and the fact that the spout gets the liquid out of the bottom of the pitcher. The lid will also keep any small vegetables from getting into the pitcher and clogging up that spout. The oddly shaped top also helps to keep the various bits from spilling over as well, and helps to create a barrier to keep the fat from getting too quickly into the pitcher portion.



Cleaning it up: Here's where things fall down a bit. If you have a dishwasher, the manufacturor claims that it is safe. I don't know, I don't have one, so I had to wash by hand. Fortunately, the lid and pitcher separate easily. The lid cleaned up quickly, but it was the spout portion that gave the most trouble. Grease, unfortunately, tends to collect at the bottom, and I had to resort to using a very soapy, wet paper towel, and the handle end of a thin spoon to clean the wretched little nooks and crannys. I was also very careful to rinse this very carefully. And this was the only problem with this product.



It's not cheap either. I ordered mine through Amazon.com with a special deal with my roasting pan and rack. But the list price is just about 10$US, which is quite reasonable.



Summing up, this is an excellent product, and while it has a bit of a problem with cleaning issues, it's far far better than similar products that lack a lid. It's also large enough to handle most cooking, and I am quite happy with this. It solves a vexing problem that I've had with cooking, and it has more than met my expectations.



Happily recommended, with four stars.

I was tired of trying to manually spoon off the fat from roasts to make sauces or gravies. I did a little research on a separator and found this one. I really like this separator. It has a great 4 cup capacity with markings on the side that measure cups or liters (for our European friends).
If you are making a home made stock or gravy with some meat or bones or maybe a veggie mirepoix for flavor, the drop in filter that fits on the top is great for straining your stock. Just pour it through the filter and it strains out all but the smallest bits of solids in your stock. The filter easily lifts out with the solids to be saved or disposed of. Then let the fat rise to the top for a minute or so, and start pouring out the good juices from the bottom of the separator.
The separator has a large footprint which makes it nice and stable when pouring your stock in. The unit is temp rated to 400 degrees and dishwasher safe. All for a reasonable price.
This separator is a home run for me. Did someone say homemade gravy from scratch....yum.

America's Test Kitchen gave this a high rating and I bought one for this past T-giving. It worked well as I was able to eliminate about 90-95% of the fat from the gravy. It has a large capacity and a built-in strainer which is nice. Is low and doesn't take up too much storage room. Recommend.

After getting this, I wish I had purchased one years ago! It works so well! No more skimming fat off with a spoon over and over, and still not getting all of it! The only thing, as some others mentioned, is that the holes on the lid will not eliminate all the small particles. However, it's main purpose is just to separate out the fat, so I wouldn't hold that against it. It is quite easy to pour through a fine mesh sieve from the separator to get the little bits if you want. I use a paper coffee filter in my sieve if I want to get a really clear broth or gravy.

All you really need to know is that Cook's Illustrated (the ultimate authority equipment, food, and recipe testing) rated it by far their favorite fat separator.

Wide top makes it easier to pour in without spilling. Large capacity eliminates the need for multiple batches of separating. Strainer is nice feature I haven't seen on any other fat separator.

I bought this to cut out the fat when using meat juices for sauces or gravy like turkey or chicken gravy, odobo/chicken cooked in soy sauce, etc. It's way faster than trying to skim the fat off the top w/ a spoon, the top blocks the larger bits from getting into your gravy/juices and w/ the clear cup you see the line that separates the fat on top and the juices on the bottom, the spout pours from the bottom so when you pour out the contents you're getting the juices into your bowl to use and not all the fat. I think this was recommended by America's test kitchen/cooks illustrated and it is great!

Whoever invented the fat-free gravy separator was a genius, hands down. I love this one because of it's large 4-cup capacity with measurements on the side plus the wide perforated lid that allows you to easily strain out the larger bits of meat or skin from the drippings. This is a quality product and I just love it.