Skimming foam from stock without removing floating spices When I make chicken stock from scratch, I like to include whole spices like mustard seed, coriander, star anise and black pepper. I put these in right at the start when the water is still cool, so they can slowly add flavor as the stock simmers for hours.

I only run into a problem when skimming foam. Many of the whole spices float to the top and I find it very tedious to skim the foam without taking out spices as well. I use a metal spoon or ladle for skimming.

How can I skim the foam without catching the floating spices as well? Is there a technique or tool specially suited to this task?
I tend to just stick the spices in a tea egg 

I do this whenever I think the spices will get in the way during my process or when I want to remove them before serving, such as in case of a bouquet garni, cloves or juniper berries. 

Should you be reluctant to use metal in your recipe you can of course use loose leaf tea bags.

Either way you can just lift the spices out whenever you want to skim the top of your broth.