Storebought chicken stock: A TF journey

[Taedareth]

A commercial on TV depicts a happy woman declaring that her Thanksgiving dressing tastes just like her mom's used to because she uses Brand X chicken broth in her recipe.

My initial reaction was to laugh. What could be easier than making chicken stock? How funny to think about buying it off a store shelf. But then I realized it's only been in the last year or two that I've even known how to make stock. Previously I either used bullion (which I now know contains MSG!) or substituted water for stock in recipes because I was too cheap to buy it.

This got me thinking about how many products on grocery store shelves are the result of people in our culture not learning basic culinary skills. I bet you can think of a few examples. It's refreshing to realize how much money we're saving (and how much more nutritious our food is) now that we make all these things from scratch.

Anyone else like to share a few thoughts on this subject?

[EENS]

Stock is a huge one for me. I can also think of:
cream cheese (yogurt cheese) as a by-product of whey-making
mustard
ketchup
pickles!

Then there are others like mayo and peanut butter which are so easy to make but which my family won't eat due to the taste.

[krankedyann]

Many of the basic condiments come to mind. I'm actually making catsup today. Also, many spice mixes. A homemade version of the Lipton Onion soup mix costs pennies and about 2 minutes to make, but the boxed stuff costs like $2 for a box. And how much does taco seasoning mix cost?

[momma4fun]

Most people don't know how to cut up a whole chicken, or to make do with various cuts of meat.

Plus, making bread is really so simple.

[krankedyann]

For those who don't know how to cut up a chicken- http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cutupchicken.htm.

Also, for many chicken recipes you can swap various cuts if you adjust the cooking times. This chart will help- http://www.perdue.com/handling/guide_chicken.html

[Ruthla]

I've never even used the storebought stock. Kosher chicken broth without added chemicals (MSG and/or yellow food coloring) does NOT exist in the store! Maybe Tabatchnick might sell a frozen version (I know they have other kinds of frozen soups that are all natural) but nothing shelf-stable.

[spughy]

Bread and stock are my big ones. And pickles.

Can somebody post a good ketchup recipe? I am mistrustful of the one in NT.

Smoked salmon is another thing I can't believe people buy (at least here on the coast). And canned beans.

[Taedareth]

Originally Posted by spughy

Can somebody post a good ketchup recipe? I am mistrustful of the one in NT.

DH makes the ketchup recipe from NT and uses the fermented fish sauce (asian store carries it). It tastes fine... if you like fishy flavor! My pregnant nose can't stand it. But I'm sure it would taste better if we used soy sauce or whatever other thing SF recommended instead of the fish sauce. If anyone has another recipe though, I'd like to try it.

Condiments... absolutely! We make all ours at home now too. I choke when I see salad dressing being sold for...what? $3 a bottle? Same with BBQ sauce... mayo... cocktail sauce... ranch dip... guacamole... all can be whipped up in minutes with fresh ingredients, for pennies! To think of all the money I could have saved if I'd known years earlier that it's possible to make ranch dressing from scratch

Canned beans crack me up... and boxed cake mixes, too! Oh how about the ready-made cookie dough? Like it's such a hassle to spend 5 minutes making cookie dough

[Brookesmom]

Salad dressing and stocks are the big ones for me.

Also related, lots of gourmet grocery stores and restaurants have soup to go, for like $4.00 a PINT or 7.95 a quart for something I can make for a dollar or two. It blows me away, but my mom explained that a lot of people have NO clue how to make tasty soup, or lack the time and inclination to prep and cook it. I would never buy plain old soup unless I was super sick. But it goes to show you how much you have to pay sometimes for simple, no-msg soup- wow.

[Taedareth]

Ooh great point about the soup. That reminds me, have you seen the Campbell's Soup commercials? Their theme song says, "Campbell's Soup: possibilities!" and it shows a mom "preparing" this canned soup in her kitchen, and using it to make casserole or whatever. The idea being that they want you to think of heating up canned soup as "cooking a homemade meal" or consider it a raw ingredient for your casseroles.

You're so right that many people don't know how to make soup. Granted, there are a few tricks to it (like, add the vegetables according to how long they need to cook, otherwise you'll have mushy broccoli by the time the potatoes are ready). But once you know how to do it, paying $4/pint seems like highway robbery!

What ever happened to Home Ec. classes in high school? I went to public school in Norway for a few years, and all the kids there (both in grade school and middle school) attend Home Ec. classes at least once a week. They weren't teaching TF techniques, but I learned how to fillet a raw fish, make gravy, rice pudding, and rowan berry jelly. Some useful skills, for sure. But I was only there for 3 years and I still came away not really knowing how to feed myself when faced with a kitchen full of raw ingredients. It would have helped if my parents had been intentional about teaching me cooking skills as a teen (but by then, I lived with my dad and the best he could do was chop a salad or make mac'n'cheese from a box.)

[FiberLover]

I know!

The stock is very much one of those things, and gravy. Ugh, I can't even imagine eating canned-packaged-powdered gravy.

Instant mashed potatoes still boggle my mind...

Salad dressing is another wow, people BUY that?

[Ruthla]

I never got the point of dry packaged gravy. If I'm going to dirty another pot cooking it, why not just add flour to the turkey drippings? Ready made, canned gravy at least makes some sense- open it up and you're good to go, no need to dirty another pot or make room on the stove.

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I never got the point of dry packaged gravy. If I'm going to dirty another pot cooking it, why not just add flour to the turkey drippings? Ready made, canned gravy at least makes some sense- open it up and you're good to go, no need to dirty another pot or make room on the stove.

that's what cracks me up too. I already hate washing gravy or pudding type pots, but that's the only part about it I don't like, the cooking part is simple.

I always catch the butcher when they cut up all the chickens, and ask him to make me up the biggest sack of back and necks he can and they give me a discount for not having to take the time to individualy pack them. I sometimes don't want to have to plan a chicken dish but I want some chicken broth and if I'm out of chicken scraps in the freezer I do it that way.

The cream of mushroom soup in lots of recipes is what grosses me out. I always make it, but usually we end up just eating it plain and it never makes it into a dish

[krankedyann]

Am I allowed to say that I am appauled at the new brownie commercials? Now you don't even have to dirty a bowl to give your kiddos sugar-filled, chemical-laden goodness!

Barf.

[pampered_mom]

Originally Posted by 425lisamarie

The cream of mushroom soup in lots of recipes is what grosses me out. I always make it, but usually we end up just eating it plain and it never makes it into a dish

I've actually had good success using a replacement for it that I found on KerryAnn's website.

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

I've actually had good success using a replacement for it that I found on KerryAnn's website.

Thanks. although i've been making it for years and never used a recipe. I LOVE mushrooms!

[spughy]

Originally Posted by Taedareth

What ever happened to Home Ec. classes in high school? I went to public school in Norway for a few years, and all the kids there (both in grade school and middle school) attend Home Ec. classes at least once a week. They weren't teaching TF techniques, but I learned how to fillet a raw fish, make gravy, rice pudding, and rowan berry jelly. Some useful skills, for sure. But I was only there for 3 years and I still came away not really knowing how to feed myself when faced with a kitchen full of raw ingredients.

Interestingly enough we had an elderly friend over for dinner a few weeks ago who used to be a home ec. teacher - and I asked her about the whole "why doesn't home ec actually teach you anything" and she said it was because of the time restrictions of fitting the skills to a one- or two-class time period. The most she ever got was an hour and a half and given that she needed to do a brief introductory explanation, set up, assemble everything, cook, clean up, etc. there was just not enough time to do so much of the things that would be useful... for example, making stock takes a long time and there was no way she'd have been allowed to leave things going on the stove or in the oven.

Basically, the school system that ANY public educator has to work with is just totally NOT suited to any domestic-task instruction. Sad. And another reason why I'm leaning towards homeschooling

[Taedareth]

Originally Posted by spughy

Basically, the school system that ANY public educator has to work with is just totally NOT suited to any domestic-task instruction. Sad. And another reason why I'm leaning towards homeschooling

True, there's always that limitation. But still, learning some cooking skills is better than none. What I learned in H.E. was really beneficial to me. I wish public schools would reinstate some cooking classes. And teach kids a few other basic life skills like how to balance a checkbook (which would be a lot more useful than the stuff I learned in high school)... but that's another issue.

[425lisamarie]

Originally Posted by Taedareth

True, there's always that limitation. But still, learning some cooking skills is better than none. What I learned in H.E. was really beneficial to me. I wish public schools would reinstate some cooking classes. And teach kids a few other basic life skills like how to balance a checkbook (which would be a lot more useful than the stuff I learned in high school)... but that's another issue.

no kidding. I remember having to balance a check book in highschool! My home ec class was lame, and I could already cook, but I know it taught someone something for sure. We made a few basic dish things