Use a Ziploc Bag to Separate the Fat From the Turkey Drippings.
While a simple sauce and some decent broth will give you a good enough sauce, it’s the drippings that really make it worthy of the chef’s kiss. The drippings are exactly what they sound like: While your protein cooks, the fat and juices that cook take on an intense flavor. Unlike broth, they have a complexity and depth that echoes what you put in the sauce. It is perfectly matched and for this reason you should use as much as possible. The trick, however, is to separate those juices from the fat.
How to separate juice from fat
This can be done in two ways. The easiest way is to leave the juices to cool overnight in the refrigerator. The fat will float to the top, become lighter in color, harden, and you can simply skim it off the top in one piece. However, on an important day, as a rule, there is not enough time for this, so people buy grease separators.
The fat separator looks like a transparent teapot with a low spout and a lid with holes through which you can pour water. It works according to the same physics: fat rises and juices settle to the bottom. If you just let things sit for ten minutes or so, you can use it like a kettle, and when you tip the separator, the drops at the bottom will flow out through the spout, and at the very end you will be able to clearly see when the fat starts to flow into the spout and stops pouring out .
Or use a resealable zip-top plastic bag.
If you don’t have a grease separator, the easiest way to separate the drips is to use a ziplock bag. Remember, fat increases. So, pour the drippings and fat into the bag, stand it upright and leave it alone for ten minutes. Make sure the top is actually buttoned. Once you see the fat on top, take out two bowls. You need to cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag and the drips will flow into the first bowl. Just before the end of the dripping, before the fat begins to flow out of the hole, quickly move the bag into a second bowl and empty the rest of the bag.
How to use drips and grease
Now that everything is separated, you can do whatever you need to do with the drips themselves, most of the grease removed. Remember, fat isn’t all bad, but it needs to be handled with care. You can use it in a sauce for an even richer flavor, or use it to bake potatoes or vegetables. And like chicken schmaltz, turkey schmaltz can be used to make matzo balls for soup, which you make with all the turkey bones.