Stock 101

 

I love to make my own chicken stock.  It really is easy, all you need is time!  I will sometimes buy a whole chicken, butcher it then use the carcass to make the stock.  This time I bought a 10 lb bag of leg quarters and used about 2/3 of the bag.  It is important to hack into the bones to release all the yummy flavor they have locked away inside.  Toss the chicken in the biggest pot you have along with onions, celery, garlic, carrots, parsley, thyme and a bay leaf or two.  To make it even more economical I keep a plastic bag in the freezer where I toss any celery leaves, onion tops and tails, raw chicken bones, carrots that are getting a little soft, parsley stalks, basically everything that would normally go in the trash!  When it’s  time to make stock I just plop the frozen trimmings in the pot along with my fresh veg and herbs.  Next, the most important ingredient:  water.  This is NOT a place to skimp!  Use GOOD water, it’s the main ingredient after all!  Cover everything by about an inch.  Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 

I made this stock Friday night, as you can see the clock says it’s 10:27 p.m.  I let it simmer overnight.  By simmer I mean barely bubbling.  Not bubble, bubble, bubble, but bubble..bubble……………bubble. 

The next morning….

Next you need to let it cool and strain it through a fine mesh strainer.  If you are feeling extra picky you can use cheesecloth, but I have a pretty fine strainer.  At this point I add salt, or I will fortify it with a bit of “Better than Bullion” in lieu of salt.

At this point there is quite a bit of nasty fat going on and if you taste your stock you will get oily undertones.  Quite unpleasant.  To fix this place your stock in the fridge (once cooled) overnight and all the fat will solidify on the surface, just scoop and Voila!  To preserve the stock I portion it into freezer bags, premeasuring a variety of quantities and noting the amount on the bag.  Press out all the air and lay the bags flat to freeze.  This is important because it saves freezer space, and also if you just need a tablespoon or 1/4 cup you can just grab the baggy from opposing corners and snap off a tiny amount of frozen stock, take out what you need, reseal the bag and return it to the freezer. 

Uses:

Soup recipes (obviously!)
Gravy
Use instead of water when making rice or boiling potatoes
Risottos
Pot Pies
Pasta Sauces

You can basically use it anywhere you use water!  Well, maybe not for coffee…

I had never made a beef stock, so this was an experiment.  I have not yet skimmed it so I haven’t had a taste of the finished product, but it sure smelled good!

Beef stock is more work.  You must roast the bones in the oven (do not burn!) and caramelize the veg on the stove top.  Also, I only had this stock cook for 4 hours.  Again, keep a baggie in the freezer where you put any beef trimmings.  Then you need bones, neck bones are what I used.  My stock does have a tinge of purple to it because I used a big ol purple onion.    Again, I fortify with some good bullion.

Your homemade stock should not taste like ramen broth!  Save most of the salt for when you are actually using the stock, this way you can control the sodium. 

I wish I had had my homemade beef stock when I made this delicious stroganoff!

So give stock a try, your house will smell delicious!