How to Strain Stock Crystal Clear at Home

The short answer: strain twice. First pass through a coarse or medium mesh to remove bones and vegetables, second pass through a fine 60 mesh – slowly, without pressing the solids. Pressing squeezes cloudy particles through; gravity alone gives you the clear, glossy stock restaurants serve.

Why stock turns cloudy

Cloudiness is suspended protein and emulsified fat, whipped into the liquid by a rolling boil. Two habits prevent most of it: keep the pot at a bare simmer, and skim the foam in the first twenty minutes. The rest is a straining problem.

The two-pass method

Pass one: ladle – don’t pour – the stock through a 20 or 40 mesh strainer into a clean container. Ladling disturbs the sediment at the bottom far less than tipping the whole pot. Discard the solids without pressing them. Pass two: swap to a 60-mesh cup and let the stock fall through at its own pace. The fine net catches the particles that make broth murky.

No cheesecloth required

Classic recipes call for cheesecloth, which is single-use, slippery and always missing when you need it. A 60-mesh screen (openings around 0.25 mm) catches what cheesecloth catches for everyday stock, rinses clean in seconds, and goes in the dishwasher.

One tool for both passes

With COLAROA you do pass one with the 20 or 40 mesh cup, flex the frame, click in the 60 for pass two – same solid 304 stainless handle, no weld at the joint to loosen over years of hot stock. More on the FAQ page. Launching on Amazon soon – the launch list gets 15% off during launch week.