What's wrong with my homemade stock?

tallulah_beaulah

I've been doing well at being OS recently, but I just can't seem to make stock. When I tried to use my chicken carcass to make stock, it tasted disgusting, like bile. I put all the chicken bones and some herbs into my slow cooker and let it cook all day. It was so horrible that I didn't make any more stock for months, til this week.

This week's stock was onion peel, carrot peel, leek ends, and some herbs. I cooked it all day in the slow cooker, it smelled quite nice. When I tasted it at the end of the day, it tasted exactly like the chicken stock did - like bile. What is going wrong? I thought stock was meant to be quite simple? Is there something I'm missing?

wendym

Is it possible that the problem lies with the slow cooker?

I make stock in a pan, which doesn't take long, and that way it definitely boils.

I'm sure a slow cooker expert will be able to help.

Addiscomber

Mine smells a bit unappetising sometimes. To be honest I have never tasted it as such. The purpose of it is to add 'oomph' (for want of a better word) to other dishes such as soups or risottos. If you have carefully followed instructions then I don't see that there is likely to be anything wrong with it - it just isn't quite how you expected it to be.

tallulah_beaulah

thanks for your answers. I'll try a pan for shorter time, maybe then it won't be so strong.

ChocClare

It shouldn't taste like bile though! You haven't left the giblets in the chicken, have you? Stock should taste like VERY watered-down chicken soup which desperately needs something to give it a bit of flavour...

I regularly make stock in the slow cooker (and cook a whole chicken in there too, for that matter).

For the stock, I break up the carcase; add an onion cut in quarters with the skin on, a carrot chopped and some celery if I have it. I don't put in any seasoning at all. Then I tip a kettle full of boiling water over the top and leave it in the sc overnight or while I'm at work during the day. Strain off the gunk and you're left with something which looks like greasy water. Stick it in the fridge so you can take the fat off the next day, then use it as the basis for soups and sauces. It isn't either in itself!!

Debt_Free_Chick

tallulah_beaulah wrote:

This week's stock was onion peel, carrot peel, leek ends, and some herbs.

Try this

A whole onion, sliced half. Leave skin on
Leek ends (if you have them)
A garlic clove (if liked)
A carrot - or ends off 2 or 3 carrots
And a few celery leaves (if you have them)
A stick of celery (I find this essential for stock)
One or two bay leaves - whole
Fresh herbs preferred - just thyme (grows through the Winter, if you have it in the garden. Otherwise ask a neighbour?)
A few parsley stalks

I think that, if you're using dry herbs, that they can sometimes be bitter if cooked for a long time.

Don't cook it all day - 2 hours is sufficient, 3 maximum. And if you have a control on the SC use the low one. You want it to barely simmer and not boil.

HTH

pol

If you make stock from veggies, they only need to cook down for about an hour, then you strain and discard the solids. It's not supposed to taste particularly good on its own, but when added to other ingredients, gives that extra flavour (minus the salt) that a good stock cube would give.

susank

You must boil it though in a pan and if you keep it overnight -boil it again - warming it all day will make it go off as it needs to rolling boil and will taste delicious.

tallulah_beaulah

Thanks so much everyone. I'll try again...

bizzylizzy

Thank you for posting this, I tried stock in the SC twice and both times it was horrible and I threw it away. I have made successful chicken stock in a pan though.
After reading this it could be that I used dried herbs, and that I left it too long (1 time was overnight).
I will stick to using a pan from now on.