Skim fat off soup in a flash

After an hour of simmering, your homemade chicken soup is finally ready to eat—except for the layer of extra grease on top. Instead of chilling the whole pot and waiting for the fat to solidify, try this: Drop a few ice cubes into the pot. The excess fat will cling to the cold cubes, then you can quickly remove them with a slotted spoon, taking the additional fat along with the icy nuggets.