Hotels Restaurants kitchen utensils the Skimmer
Kitchen Skimmer (Jhara) – Types, Uses, and How to Choose the Right One
In every Indian kitchen — from a bustling hotel to a small home — there’s one humble tool that does it all: the Skimmer, or as we call it, the Jhara. Whether you’re frying crispy pakoras or making perfect boondi laddus, this simple utensil is your secret weapon for neat, oil-free, professional-looking dishes.
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What is a Skimmer?
A kitchen skimmer is a flat, round utensil made of stainless steel or wire mesh with small perforations, attached to a long handle. It’s designed to remove solid ingredients or impurities from hot oil or boiling water during cooking. Skimmers come in various sizes, typically ranging from 3 to 9 inches in diameter
What is a skimmer in cooking?
In cooking, a skimmer (or Jhara) is used to remove food ingredients, foam, fat, or particles from hot liquids or oil. The shallow spoon with holes lets oil or water drain away while keeping the food intact making it essential for deep-frying, boiling, or blanching.
The Spoon is very shallow and has a wide base with numerous small holes or with a fine mesh wire for draining but not releasing the skimmed items.
Skimmer is a preferred and necessary utensil in a Restaurants operations. It is really impossible to work at a commercial kitchen without a Skimmer. It's a unique and has amazing capacity to perform in daily kitchen operations.
👨🍳 Chef’s Tip: Always preheat your skimmer slightly before frying — it prevents batter from sticking. And never leave it resting in oil; it reduces its lifespan and causes discoloration.
Also known in Hindi as Jhara ,the Skimmer has different types and size according to its uses.
Mess Skimmer meaning
A mesh skimmer is a kitchen tool commonly used in cooking. It's a utensil with a long handle and a flat, perforated or meshed scoop at the end. In restaurant or at home Chefs and home cooks use it primarily for skimming and removing solid particles or foam from the surface of liquids like soups, broths, and frying oil. This in turn helps in achieving a clearer and cleaner liquids or oils in the cooking processes.
Uses of Skimmer in kitchen (mesh skimmer)
Skimmers are incredible useful tools in daily operations and culinary tasks. Below are few uses of skimmer spoon in short.
- Removing foam: when you are cooking any types of soups or stocks, skimmers are used to skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface of the soups or stocks. This ensures a clear and clean broth for you.
- Frying: Skimmers are very handy for safely placing food items into the hot oil or removing them without getting to close to the hot oil. This is particularly helpful for food items like french fries and fried chicken.
- Blanching: When you are blanching some vegetables or pasta, a skimmer can be used to quickly remove them from boiling water and transfer to an ice cold water or stop the cooking process further for pasta or vegetables.
- Draining: They are very useful and excellent for draining fried foods or removing excess oil from foods like dumplings or fried tofu.
- Scooping solid ingredients: Skimmers can also be used to scoop out solid ingredients like poached eggs or dumplings from simmering water.
- To skim rice, noodles and vegetables from hot boiling water.
- To skim fried food items from hot oil.
- To make boondi and motichur ladoo.
How to Choose right Skimmers based on your needs
1. Materials
- Stainless Steel : These types of skimmers are very durable, easy to clean, and resistant to rust and staining. They are always a first choice for most kitchen daily tasks.
- Mesh or Perforated : Some special tasks like skimming foam or straining small food particles, from stocks or boiling water a mesh or perforated skimmer is ideal and best. The fine holes allow for precise skimming without losing any ingredients.
- Wire : Wire skimmers are great and ideal choice for performing tasks like deep-frying and blanching. They allow excess oil or water to drain quickly from them.
- Always consider the size of the skimmer's head. A larger head is very suitable for skimming larger quantities of food items, while a smaller one is more accurate and precise for dedicated tasks like poaching eggs.
- The handle length should provide a comfortable grip and keep your hand at a safe distance while working from hot liquids or oil. Longer handles for skimmers are better for deep frying food items, while shorter handles are more suitable for stove top tasks.
- Skimmers come in various shapes. Like a flat and round skimmer is versatile and good for skimming, while a slotted or spider skimmer with a deeper basket shape is excellent for scooping solid ingredients.
5. Multipurpose and Specialized
- You can decide whether you want a multipurpose skimmer that can handle various tasks in your kitchen or a specialized skimmers designed for specific tasks like frying or straining in your kitchen.
Types of Skimmer
1. Large Skimmer ( Jhara) :-
When a large amount of Rice or Noodles is boiling then this type of Skimmer or Jhara is commonly used to remove the cooking items from the surface of boiling water.
It is widely used in kitchen operation for skimming large amount of foods from boiling water or hot oil. Particularly used in banquet operations.
2. Medium Skimmer
This type of Skimmer is use to skimmed Fry items from hot oil. Like French fries potato wedges and papad.
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You can also skim different types of snacks or small size appetizer using this type of skimmer.
Skinner used to skim some food items from hot oil are..
Skinner used to skim some food items from hot oil are..
3. Small Skimmer
This type of Skimmer is commonly used at home. Like. To skim Puri, deep fried fish or chicken from hot oil.
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4. Chinese spider
This one is commonly used in Restaurants operations. When large amounts of vegetables or Rice is boiling in hot water, you can easily skimmed them using it.
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5. Small Chinese Spider
This small Skimmer is generally used in household operations.
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6. Skimmer (Jhara)
It has very small mini size whole on its base. Commonly used to remove excess fat or small particles from soups and Stew.
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7. Boondi Jhara
This type of Skimmer or Jhara is commonly used in Halwai kitchen, Indian sweet making kitchen. It is used to make boondi or motichur laddu.
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Uses :
1. Skimming French fries from hot oil.
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2. Skimming Indian Pakoda from hot oil.
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3. Make boondi for laddu.
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Comparison: Mesh vs Perforated Skimmer
| Feature | Mesh Skimmer | Perforated Skimmer |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Soups, broths, stocks | Deep frying, draining |
| Design | Fine wire mesh | Metal plate with holes |
| Advantages | Captures tiny impurities | Faster draining |
| Example Use | Skimming foam or fat | Removing pakoras, fries |
How to Clean and Maintain a Skimmer
- Wash immediately after use with warm soapy water.
- Use a nylon brush to clean mesh skimmers gently.
- Dry completely before storing to prevent rust.
- Hang vertically or store upright to keep handles straight.
Chef’s Recommendation: In my professional kitchen, the medium perforated stainless-steel skimmer is my daily go-to. It’s perfect for frying and keeps oil clean for longer.
FAQs on Kitchen Skimmer (Jhara)
1. What is the difference between a skimmer and a strainer?
A skimmer is shallow and used to lift food from hot oil or water, while a strainer is deeper and used for draining liquids entirely.
2. Can I use a skimmer for frying puris?
Yes! A small round skimmer (jhara) is ideal for safely removing puris and pakoras from hot oil.
3. What material skimmer is best for daily use?
Stainless steel skimmers are durable, rust-resistant, and the best choice for daily use in both home and restaurant kitchens.
4. What is a Boondi Jhara used for?
Boondi jhara is used to pour gram flour batter into hot oil, creating tiny boondi balls for laddus or raita.
5. Can mesh skimmers be used in deep fryers?
Yes, but ensure the handle is long and heatproof to avoid burns or splashes.
NICE TO MEET YOU!
I’m Mobasir Hassan, Executive Sous Chef with the Radisson Hotel Group. After years in hotel kitchens, I now share chef-tested recipes, step-by-step cooking techniques, and restaurant-style dishes that home cooks can recreate with confidence. I’m glad you’re here!
