Making Chicken Stock
 

Ok, I need a good guide to making chicken stock. I'm a huge soup fan, mostly because of the cheapness and ease of utilizing left overs. However, my big hurdle to leap is buying chicken stock. I don't mind it, but I would like to be able to do without store bought stuff.

So what kind of meat/bone do I use? What spices? Do I cook just bones? Liberate me from my H.E.B overlords!

For Chicken Stock, I'll use neckbones, and wing tips -- because I like a darker colored broth, I will throw them in a roasting pan, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some garlic powder and olive oil and cook in a hot oven til they are browned not burnt.

Then take a big stock pot, throw the bones into it, and cover with water by about 4 inches. Throw in a carrot chopped up, and some celery chopped up, and a bay leaf or two, I also add in some thyme and parsley.

Bring to a rolling boil, then cover tightly and let simmer a few hours.

Strain.

(that's the recipe I got from Mrs Goldblatt when I lived in a very Orthodox section of Manhattan -- I was the good little goyim she tried to teach how to cook)

This is where I fail her teaching.

Refridgerate it.. the fat (some say the best part) raises to the surface - and throw it out.

What you are left with is a nice clear broth for adding matzoh balls, or noodles or whatever you want.

the roasting of the bone trick is also awesome for makiing a beef broth as well - you can use shank bones and roast 'em -- have the butcher hack them into 2" pieces.

maleficent's method is excellent, but whenever I make stock for soups, I omit any kind of spices etc so that my final product is just stock, nothing else. That was you can add whatever you want later.

Also, I cook mine uncovered, do not bring it to a boil (can make the stock cloudy) and add onion to my vegetables.

I would say that it's all a matter of personal taste, just experiment and let us know how it goes!

A couple of extra tips...

When adding water to the broth, make sure it's cold water. That way it heats up slower and (IMHO) you get a tastier broth.

After straining it, it's best to cool it down as fast as possible. Set the pots down in a cooler full of ice, then place a couple of frozen water bottles in it to cool it faster. This will help prevent bacteria from growing in it.

there is a whole show on "good eats" on the food network, with Elton Brown about making stocks. It is very detailed and goes through the whole process and explains the best way to go about it.

My roomie always makes it with the leftover carcass of the chicken after we get through cutting off the breasts, wings, thighs, and legs. He tosses in the giblet bag as well. Strain it all out afterwards. Chicken broth saved my life when I had my tonsils out. Freeze it in 1 or 2 cup containers and thaw as needed.

whatever you do, don't let anyone pee in it. dormmate of mine had that problem. this one kid was a pisser when he got drunk. ugliness ensued.

agree with all advice above, ox tails, or chicken back/wing tips. carrots, celery, onion/leek in cold water bring to a light simmer for 45 min. I do not salt mine but do add tyme sprig. good idea on the cooling quick.

From Good Eats...

4 pounds chicken carcasses, including necks and backs
1 large onion, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2
4 ribs celery, cut in 1/2
1 leek, white part only, cut in 1/2 lengthwise
10 sprigs fresh thyme
10 sprigs fresh parsley with stems
2 bay leaves
8 to 10 peppercorns
2 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 gallons cold water


Place chicken, vegetables, and herbs and spices in 12-quart stockpot. Set opened steamer basket directly on ingredients in pot and pour over water. Cook on high heat until you begin to see bubbles break through the surface of the liquid. Turn heat down to medium low so that stock maintains low, gentle simmer. Skim the scum from the stock with a spoon or fine mesh strainer every 10 to 15 minutes for the first hour of cooking and twice each hour for the next 2 hours. Add hot water as needed to keep bones and vegetables submerged. Simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 hours.
Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer into another large stockpot or heatproof container discarding the solids. Cool immediately in large cooler of ice or a sink full of ice water to below 40 degrees. Place in refrigerator overnight. Remove solidified fat from surface of liquid and store in container with lid in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or in freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to use, bring to boil for 2 minutes. Use as a base for soups and sauces.

Fonds de Cuisine (or the fundamentals of cooking) from The Escoffier Cookbook, 1941

"Indeed, stock is everything in cooking, at least in French Cooking. Without it nothing can be done. If one's stock is good, what remains of the work is easy; if on the other hand, it is bad, or merely mediocre, it is quite hopeless to expect anything approaching a satisfactory result. The cook mindful of success, therefore will naturally direct his attention to the faultless preparation of his stock......"

edmos1 and Good Eats suggest 6 to 8 hours (which IMO is plenty), Escoffier suggests 12 hours. He goes on to say in his eponymous cookbook that every decent chef needs to be able to make a variety of stocks, from thick glazes to consomme. The domain of the professional chef methinks?

The last time we made stock, we boiled it longer than normal and it actually became jelly (consumme?) when we put it in the fridge.

When you get the jelly, that's good; that's how I like it. I like my stock clear (so NO BOILING) and simple (very few ingredients). I rarely set out to make stock, so I end up making stock usually from HEB (hehe) rotisserie chicken and use it as a replacement for water in other recipies to add body.

all looks good

necks and backs will give a thicker more gelatinous stock
never boil
never stir
mirepoix % 1/2 onion,1/4 carrot,1/4 celery
ratio of mirepoix to bones like 5-10 percent weight of bones
cook 6-8 hours adding mirepoix and boquet garni last 2-4 hours
boquet garni parsley stems, bay leaf, thyme(fresh), black peppercorns

roasted bones with tomato product+ mirepoix= brown stock
raw bones + mirepoix= white stock

for more refinement make consome

take cooled stock that is farily clear
put in pot

in blender,robot coupe(cuisnart) combine 1 chix breast with 4 eggs and mirepoix if desired for more flavor add to stock

stiring constantly bring to a simmer stop stiring when eggs start to coagulate(165 or so)

chicken and eggs should raise to surface and float creating a "raft"

break a 1- 2 inch hole in a spot that looks like the stock is going to break thru let simmer 1 hour

do not boil

using a ladle to remove stock strain trying to leave raft intact
consomme should be very clear but still golden in color

Do just what chef001 says. Just to reiterate, never boil it - you'll get a murky looking stock that no amount of straining will clear. DO start with cold water and bring to a gentle simmer (just an occasional bubble breaking the surface).

Occasionally skim off the scum that comes to the surface. Strain through a colander lined with cheesecloth.

Alton Brown suggests chilling the stock rapidly by placing the pot of strained stock in a cooler or sink filled with ice. This works very well. As Bobaphat said, Alton's recipe is very complete.

After making my stock I freeze it in ice cube trays. This alows me to use as much or as little as I need.

For even faster cooling action, Take an empty 2L pop bottle and fill it most of the way with water then freeze it (if you fill the bottle all the way, it'll explode). While the stock is in the ice bath, but the bottle of ice in the stock pot to cool the inside while the ice in the sink hits the outside.