Stew can be a delicious and healthy one-pot dinner. However, as a stew cooks, oils and other impurities collect on the surface. It is important to remove these to enhance the flavor and nutrient profile of your stew. Fat and other impurities can be easily skimmed from a stew during or after cooking. Meat Choices The meat you use for making stew is responsible for the majority of the oil in your dish. When possible, choose lower-fat cuts of meat to use when making a healthy stew. Chicken and turkey have less fat than beef or pork, but produce a lighter broth. Some fat may also be poured off after browning the meat in the bottom of the stew pan before adding water for the stock. Skimming during cooking Never allow your stew to come to a hard boil; this allows the oils and impurities that have separated to disperse throughout your stew. Cook a stew only at a gentle simmer. As a stew cooks, you will notice oil and foam accumulating on the surface. The foam is due to coagulated protein, starchy carbohydrates and other impurities that cook out of your ingredients. Run a spoon gently around the edge of the pot to remove the foam. Place the skimmed foam in a bowl to discard. It may be easier to skim while tilting the pot slightly, but exercise caution when doing so. Leftovers If you are not going to eat a stew immediately, or you have leftovers, simply refrigerate the stew and allow the oil to accumulate on top. This can be more convenient if you are preparing a stock or a stew for later. After the stew cools and the oil congeals, use a large spoon to remove the congealed oil. Benefits Excess oil adds more calories from fat to your stew. Additionally, the oil and foam that are skimmed off can ruin the taste of a stew if they are allowed to settle into the stew. An improperly skimmed stew will taste bland and muddled. While it may seem like a large commitment of time to skim a stew, skimming quickly every 15 minutes while cooking can keep it delicious and healthy.