Bone broth newbie questions

[Rachaell]

Newbie here, with questions on bone broths,

I cooked a chicken today, and i'm making a broth from the bones.  How much water goes with bones from one chicken?  Can you make a whole large stockpot full of soup from the bones of one chicken?  Also, I put a couple pieces of orange peel in as the acid - how long should I leave them in there for?  i'm afraid of it tasting to acidy, is it supposed to be in there the whole time it's cooking, all 24 hours?

Thanks!

[krankedyann]

The ratio I prefer is two to three.  Two pounds of bones to three pounds (6 cups) of water.  However, you can make it as rich or as thin as you want to cover your needs.  You could make a whole stock pot from the bones of one chicken, but it will be thin.  I'd recommend a long cooking time to help make sure you get maximum extraction.  24-48 hours

Take out the orange peel before you put it on the heat.  Orange peel probably isnt' enough acid.  Next time, use 2 Tbs vinegar per quart of water.

[Magelet]

I wouldn't use orange peel. The peel isn't very acidic, in fact, since the pith (white part) tastes so bitter, it's probably alkaline.  I would use some sort of vinegar (I've used just about everything, apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, even red wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar in a pinch.)  The peel would probably make it taste kind of gross and bitter.  I'd say for a full size stockpot (mine is 12 qts), I do more like 2-3 carcasses.  Which would mean about 6 qts for 1 chicken like ann.  I never measure though, I fill it up til I'm sure it won't boil dry, and if it's too light, when it's done, I'll strain it and boil it down.

[philomom]

I use a couple of spoonfuls of Real Lemon or balsamic vinegar to get the goodness out of the bones.

[prancie]

use vinegar or white wine.  i prefer to use a raw carcass with the wings still on (prefer 2 carcasses) for good gelatin extraction.  a cooked carcass will not give off much gelatin at all as it was already lost.  however, waste not want not, you will get some tasty stock from your cooked bird.

[gabbyraja]

Sorry to hijack, but I need a related answer. I recently read someone say something like if you cook for too long (more than a few hours) it will break down the gelatin. We want the gelatin (for gut healing) so we don't want to break it down. I'd been boiling 12-24 hours until I read that, now I don't know what to do. Any thoughts?

[krankedyann]

Whether of not the gelatin is visible, it's still there.  Gelatin, in a broken down form, is still beneficial.  I cook mine 48 hours because  I need the maximum nutritional benefit.

[philomom]

Originally Posted by krankedyann 

Whether of not the gelatin is visible, it's still there.  Gelatin, in a broken down form, is still beneficial.  I cook mine 48 hours because  I need the maximum nutritional benefit.

Hmm, I slow simmer my bone broth in a crockpot on low all day. If I simmer  past a day.. the broth gets very dark and the kids find the taste less palatable.

Are there any books or studies on bone broth nutrition?

[prancie]

I cook my bone broth for 3 days and only once did it go dark in color.  It was still good.  And my broths are still full of gelatin that sets.  

[Magelet]

Folks here have looked into analyzing the specific nutritional content of bone broth several times, then scraped the idea, because it was SO expensive, and bone broth varies each time.

[Rachaell]

Thanks all for the discussion!

Does it make much difference in the nutritional content of the broth if the bones were cooked first?  Gelatin is a side point, my main need is the vitamins and minerals.

[JamieCatheryn]

Some vitamins can probably cook out but minerals will stick around. My long cooking stocks always turn to jelly in the fridge, gelatin intact.

[Rachaell]

JamieCatheryn, you cook the chicken first and then use the bones for stock?  how long do you cook your stock for?

[philomom]

Originally Posted by Rachaell 

Thanks all for the discussion!

Does it make much difference in the nutritional content of the broth if the bones were cooked first?  Gelatin is a side point, my main need is the vitamins and minerals.

I always use leftover chicken bones from a baked chicken meal. It makes great broth that does gel if you break the bones before the long simmer. And add a touch of acid.