Instructions

1. Cook your gumbo completely. Only when the soup is finished cooking will the meat have released all its fats. Once all the fat is released, you'll be able to skim it off the top of the gumbo.

2. Use a soup skimmer to take the grease off the top of the gumbo. These contraptions are available at any cooking store, and are mesh spoons that trap grease in the wire without losing any broth. Skim the top, then rinse the skimmer. Repeat until no fat is sitting on the top of the gumbo.

3. Use a ladle to remove excess fat if you don't have a skimmer. Fill the ladle only until the top layer of grease flows in. Dipping too deep will cause you to lose broth. Dump out the collected grease.

4. Fill a measuring cup with soup. Take the measuring cup over to the sink and with a spoon, skim off the top layer of grease. By using a measuring cup, you are less likely to lose large amounts of soup. When all the fat has been skimmed off, pour the broth back into the pot of gumbo.