Why You Really Should Skim The Foam Off Your Soup

Homemade soup is an easy, filling meal that can be loaded with plenty of nutrients. Whether you're adding meat, noodles, or some veggies, it's almost always going to have better flavor than anything you would buy in the store. If you're eating chicken noodle soup when you have a cold or meal-prepping a healthy batch of a family recipe, there's a good chance it will start with meat stock. That means you'll likely notice the odd, foam-like substance that often develops at the top of the soup pot once that stock-based soup reaches a rolling boil. It certainly looks unappealing, and while it's not harmful, it's the stock's impurities all coming together — so you're probably going to want to take a big spoon and scoop it all out.

That bubbly foam at the top of your stock is commonly referred to as "soup scum," and the name alone is enough to make us want to get rid of it. It isn't going to impact the soup's flavor, but it will affect its color and texture. If you want a clean-looking soup, it's best to remove it. But at worst, it's just an unappealing addition to the dish given that it's composed of the soup's coagulated proteins, which can come from the stock, the meat, or even some veggies.

The soup's temperature is what causes these proteins to congeal in the first place. The soup heats, and the proteins within the beef or chicken stock (which leaked into the liquid from the bones of the meat used to make the stock) congeal and coagulate due to the high temperatures. There are two main reasons to remove the soup scum: appearance and texture. The soup won't look as clear if you just stir that foam right back into it, and now that you know what it is, you probably won't want to. Plus, if you plan to reduce the soup, then those congealed proteins can become even more noticeable, as they'll create tiny, lumpy bits in the soup.

A skimmer, which is a tool that has a flat, mesh surface at the base of a handle, is the best tool for skimming the stock. You can also use a ladle or large spoon, though this is a little more challenging because you have to remove the stock bits without removing the stock itself. Since the foam is ultimately harmless, the choice to remove it comes down to personal preference.