[lynchyk]

I've got a really nicely gelled turkey stock in the fridge. How do I make it into soup? I'm assuming I need to dilute it with water some or it will be really strong? I've made chicken stock a handful of times and been disappointed in the soup that I've made from it.

Is it normal to have to add a ton of salt? I don't even eat much salt on my food but to the stock I have to add a ton. What other seasonings tend to go into chicken/turkey soup?

I just want to make my family a basic chicken/turkey soup with carrots/onions/celery/rice but it never tastes that good and I feel like I am wasting my good stock.

I know it's one of those things most people just throw together but could someone give me a bit of detail about what they add, how long they cook it for. Saute veggies first or just throw in the pot?

Thanks,
Kelly

 

[henny penny]

Oh, yummy! Your stock sounds great! My favorite thing to do with gelled stock is make some nice brown rice/wild rice with it. Use the stock in place of most of the water. And yes, I use a lot of sea salt in mine, but I love salt. For soup I saute veggies first and use a lot of onions (maybe 3 or 4) and caramelize them well (slow cooking in a little butter or oil; cook till sorta sticky and very well browned; almost burned looking) before the rest of the veggies go in. I love an herb heavy soup: thyme and parsley especially. Also, using celery salt in place of plain sea salt seems to reduce our total salt intake. A few dried mushrooms really gives it some umph, too.