Freeze-thaw clarified stock or juice
A liquid set with a little gelatin, frozen solid, then thawed through cloth in the refrigerator so that clear liquid drips out and the cloudy gel stays behind.
Built structures · Cold stores and coolers
Freezer, fridge and cloth clarification set-up
gelatin freeze-thaw clarification
A liquid set with 5 g gelatin per kg is frozen solid, then thawed in the refrigerator in a cheesecloth-lined perforated pan; the drip comes out clear.
Overview
A liquid set with 5 g of gelatin per kilogram is frozen solid, then thawed in a refrigerator in a cheesecloth-lined perforated pan. The drip comes out clear. The method clarifies stock or juice without an egg raft.
Dave Arnold documented the method in 2010. Clarified stock has lost its gelatin and can be reduced a long way without turning gluey.
How it works
Ice grows as nearly pure water and pushes the gelatin network, with the particles it traps, between the crystals. On a slow cold thaw the meltwater and dissolved flavour drain through the cloth, and the gel stays behind.
The first liquid to thaw is richer in sugar, acid and colour, so the batches are combined.
Measuring
Freeze the block all the way through. Record the refrigerator temperature during the thaw: Arnold's 32 to 34 °F was too slow.
Variants and limits
Agar (2 g per kg) can replace gelatin and allows room-temperature thawing.
The thaw takes a day or two at best. A cloudy result comes from too little gelatin time, a block not frozen through, or a thaw that is too warm. A very gelatinous stock gives poor yield; use a weak stock and reduce it later. The method saves labour, not elapsed time.
History
The method is one chef's documented technique (Dave Arnold, 2010). The source dates the post, not the origin of gelatin clarification.
Site
SettingA kitchen: a freezer and a refrigerator, with hotel pans set up for a gelled liquid to freeze, then thaw through cloth.
ClimateFreezer temperature to freeze the gelled block solid; refrigerator temperature for the slow thaw.
NotesThe source gives no appliance sizes and no room conditions beyond the pan sizes.
A build is made where it stands: moving it means building it again.
How it is built
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Thaw the frozen block inside a refrigerator, as the method directs.
Control sourceMaterials
- 1 Hotel pan, 2 inch, for setting and freezing — Holds the gelled liquid while it sets and freezes.
- 1 Perforated hotel pan, 2 inch — Lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Set inside a 4-inch pan.
- 1 Hotel pan, 4 inch — Catches the drip from the perforated pan.
- Cheesecloth — Several layers in the perforated pan.
- 5 g per kg of liquid Gelatin — Sets the liquid so it can be frozen and thawed.
- Set the liquid with 5 g of gelatin per kg in the 2-inch hotel pan.
- Freeze the gelled liquid solid.
- Line the perforated 2-inch pan with several layers of cheesecloth, and set it inside the 4-inch pan.
- Place the frozen block in the lined pan and thaw it in a refrigerator. The drip collects in the 4-inch pan.
- Combine the batches, since the first liquid to thaw is richer in sugar, acid and colour.
Places
Documented for international use, with no single place of origin assigned.
Related
Used for
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Sources
Cooking Issues, the International Culinary Center's Tech 'N Stuff blog, 20 July 2010Method
Simple Agar Clarification: 1 Year Anniversary, Plus a Rundown of Current Clarification TechniquesCited in: Overview; How it works; Measuring; Variants and limits