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Comment by Larrikin | Hacker News Reader

I found this a very interesting technique when you posted it, but I actually wonder now if there is much point to it. Most of the gunk is filtered out when making a stock when you pass it through a sieve and/or a cheese cloth.

OfIs a clear broth actually something that matters besides a gate keeping technique in French cuisine?

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As already mentioned in this thread, this is done mostly for aesthetic purposes, like when making a consommé - which is judged also by how clear the liquid is, besides flavor. Other than that, you shouldn’t bother if you’re using the stock to make other dishes.

If you aren't careful with how you make your stock (e.g., including the scales and whatnot in a fish stock and cooking on higher heat levels), the egg whites will pull out some off flavors. Otherwise it's mostly aesthetics.

Maybe you have specific aesthetic goals.

> Maybe you have specific aesthetic goals.

Traditional French (beef) buillon is made this way, it's presentation and taste is specifically light as it's the starter course in a multi-course meal so it's there to just whet the appetite not serve as a stand-alone meal. The way that it' finished is using the egg technique to ensure it's clarified after being passed through a cloth and chinois.

It's the same way in Japanese cooking, in order to get a proper dashi you have to ensure you don't let things get to a boil because the katsubushi or my personal favorite niboshi can break up and then ruin it entirely at those temps and it will become bitter and unusable to make soups, sauces and braises with.

So, yes, it has a purpose beyond just looks.

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