Decanting

Decanting is a technique of carefully pouring liquid from a vessel so as to leave the sediment or dregs on its bottom. The aim is to separate the clear, transparent part of the liquid from the solid particles that have settled downward. This technique is used both in cooking and — most famously — in winemaking.

In the world of wine, decanting means pouring wine into a separate vessel (a decanter) before serving for two reasons: to separate old wine from the natural sediment that forms over the years, and to saturate young wine with oxygen to open its aroma. In cooking, decanting is used more broadly: thus clear stock is separated from sediment, clean oil or melted butter is poured off from the milk solids and impurities (obtaining clarified butter, ghee), fat that has set on top of chilled stock is separated, and infusions are strained. The key to successful decanting is to do it slowly and evenly, without disturbing the sediment, so that it stays on the bottom. Often the last, cloudy part of the liquid is simply not poured. It is a simple but useful technique that allows a clean, clear product of impeccable quality and appearance to be obtained.