How do you do stock?

[peaceful_mama]

Tell me about stock. I've read the nutritional info. I know it would be cheaper to make it myself than to buy the stuff that is not artificial at the store. (though I could go that way too)

I read the "12-16 hour' stock stuff and go "HOW am I supposed to do that?"

Do you do a *lot* and freeze it?

I used to try to make chicken soup the old-fashioned way and never got it 'right' IMO so I went to using chicken breast and "better than boullion" (a jarred substance that doesn't contain MSG and the like.)

[mbravebird]

After I make a chicken dish, I freeze the bones/leftovers if I'm not going to get to stock right away.

When I'm ready to make stock, I do it in the evening while I'm making dinner. I chop up an onion and a carrot, put it in a pot with the leftover bones and a couple of feet, put in water to cover and a couple of TBS vinegar. Let sit for a half hour or hour, bring to boil, then set at a bare simmer for the rest of the night. Strain the next morning.

If I'm going to be gone the next morning, I just let it simmer longer.

Does that help? Is that what you were looking for?

[Magelet]

after making roast chicken (which is one of my fave foods so the primary way we do chicken, though I'd save raw and other cooked chicken bones. except maybe not grilled, I think the char wouldn't taste good.), I put the carcass (having been stripped of all the bits of meat I want to eat) in the freezer.

Over time, I also throw limpish celery and celery trimmings, carrot trimmings and onion skins in a bag in the freezer.

When I'm ready to make stock, I add a little bit of veggies (too much doesn't taste good, particularly too much onion), as many carcasses as I have and 2-4 raw chicken feet from the freezer per carcass (and any chicken necks etc in the fridge), cover with water and add a splash of ACV.

I bring it to a simmer, and let it simmer overnight. then i strain it sometime the next day. (then I chill it, then I put it in plastic bags and freeze flat. I need to come up with an easier processing method.) I used to skim, but I never could figure out WHAT on a chicken stock I was supposed to skim, so I don't bother.

(I'm contemplating simmering it down to demi glace and then freezing ice cubes but I don't think it will be any less time consuming. strain, clean pot, put back in pot, reduce....)

[peaceful_mama]

Thanks! so your all-night simmer has been fine? no mishaps? I've left my crockpot overnight but not the stove.... that sounds easy though just save chicken bones and boil, then simmer with water, vinegar and a *few* veggies. I THINK even *I* can manage that.

[siobhang]

slow cookers are perfect for broth. cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 12-24 hours.i make a ton and freeze - I measure it out by cups - one cuppers, two cuppers, and three cuppers.

[Magelet]

nope, it's been just fine doing it on the stove all night. I make sure it has enough water to not boil dry, put the lid on, make sure no flames lick up the side of the pot, make sure nothing is posed to fall on the stove, make sure it's not so low a gust might blow the flames out, and confidently go to sleep. It scared me at first, and then I realized that quite frankly, it wasn't all that different than leaving it on while I was awake. It just isn't that hazerdous. (If my cat countersurfed, I'd be getting a crockpot tomarrow to do stock in. I'd be worried he'd knock something flamable onto the flames. B'H, he doesn't)

[Llyra]

I haven't been comfortable leaving mine all night. I do have cats, and they can and do get onto the counter when I'm not around to stop them, and also my stove (gas) belongs to the landlord and occasionally blows out. So I won't leave it on if I'm not right there.

I've had good luck making stock in the crockpot, but mine is really small.

So what I do is start mine on the stove, then put it in the oven to simmer. The oven needs to be about 300 to 325, and you'll need something like a cast iron dutch oven to do it.

[mbravebird]

You can always buy a plug-in countertop electric burner just for stock. I don't use the slow cooker because they have some lead in the inner lining, and it's not clear if it transfers.

I have an electric stove and feel comfortable leaving it on low all night.

Have fun with your stock!! Yum.