[jrose_lee]

I thought I saw in NT that you weren't supposed to have the skin on the chicken when making stock.
What I've actually been doing is cooking up the chicken in our crockpot on low, taking off the chicken, then using the bones to make the broth (with other ingredients). I threw the skin out b/c I thought I shouldn't use it (don't know why...maybe toxins or something?)
However, my broth did not turn out very geletonous (oh my goodness..sp?) this time around.

Should I be using the skin when I make broth? Thanks!

 

[momto l&a]

I don't know about NT and skin but i use the skin because the fat imparts flavor. I do skim off the fat after making the stock however.

Did you use vinegar in your stock?

 

[twins10705]

Quote:

Originally Posted by momto l&a I don't know about NT and skin but i use the skin because the fat imparts flavor. I do skim off the fat after making the stock however. Did you use vinegar in your stock?

What do you do with the fat? I have been saving mine to cook up leftover brown rice and it turns out really well.

 

[jrose_lee]

Yes, I use vinegar. I thought the last batch was a little bland. Probably because of not using the skin. Maybe that's also why it wasn't geletony (sp?). Darn, I just threw out the skin for this one too. I'll keep it from the next chicken

 

[RidentMama]

We raised Cornish-Cross chickens one fall...these are the breed usually used by the "chicken factories" because they grow so fast and have very little fat on them.

We ALWAYS peel off the skin. Ours had about an acre to make use of, but wouldn't leave the feeder. These birds seriously eat all of the time, and don't move once they have a good spot. We would have to go out there and physically move them out of their own piles of poop. They don't move around much, which results in them sitting down a lot, peeling most of their feathers off of their bellies. Which means skin sitting directly on whatever they are on (and seeing as how they chose to sit by the feeders, it was usually on poop). Factory chickens don't have near as much room to roam, so I'm guessing that they are sitting in even more filth (at least we cleaned out around the feeders every other day).

We do not eat chicken skin...we even peel it off of the fried chicken that people bring to church potlucks.

But even though we don't use the skin when making stock, I almost always have jellied stock. Just add a splash of vinegar to leech out the minerals from the bones, and add in all of the cartilage joints (I think that's where most of the gelatin come from, since the more of those I add, the thicker the stock comes out).

 

[zinemama]

I make it with the skin, put it in the fridge, and then when it's cool, skim the fat off. Much easier than messing around with taking the skin off beforehand.

Never heard of putting vinegar in chicken stock! My mama always told me to use lemon juice to brighten up chicken soup.

 

[momto l&a]

I feed the fat to the cats and dogs. They adore stock making time

 

[kdmama33]

Lemon juice works, too. You just need something acidic (and edible

) to help draw out the minerals from the bones.

 

[kdmama33]

Oh, and I always leave the skin on when I make stock. In fact, if I roast the chicken prior to making stock, I make sure to leave some of the skin on, instead of eating it. That was the first thing that really thrilled me about NT -- the prospect of being able to eat the skin on chicken again.

I always put a couple of chicken feet in the pot when I make stock, and there's no way I'm taking the skin off of those beforehand! I am a farm girl, born and raised, and chicken feet still give me the heebes! But they do make for great stock.

 

[cobluegirl]

LOL...ah yes...butchering chicken time...feet are gross...lol

I leave the skin on too because it adds more flavor.