Best way to make stock??

Loretta

Pal wrote:

I make loads of my own stocks using chicken carcasses, beef, lamb or pork bones and a few choice veg and a few herbs. I agree with Loretta - stock making becomes addictive! I even bought a new chest freezer that lives in the garage just to store stocks and leftover meats for stockmaking!

I always stick a pigs trotter in my stocks as well. It makes the stock set like jelly when it is cold and it tastes great, even if you are not making a pork stock (pork is pretty neutral tasting and can go in any meat stock, or pork stock itself can be substituted for chicken stock in any recipe).

One tip is to simmer the stock on as low a heat as possible once it has boiled - only a few bubbles a minute if possible. This stops the stock going too cloudy.

My favourite thing is to turn a good stock into a consume, which is dead easy:

Get a big pot of cold cloudy stock with the fat skimmed out, and whisk a couple of egg whites into it until well mixed. Chuck in a diced carrot or two, finely chopped onion, any leftover mushrooms, a few sticks of celery, maybe a leak, and a bit more lean meat that matches the stock (eg chicken for chicken stock). Add more herbs if you like.

Then start heating it all up. Stir a few times as it heats up to keep the egg white moving around within the stock. As it approaches a boil, stop stirring. The veg and egg will solidify and form a mat on top of the stock that acts like a lid, turn the heat right down and very gently simmer it for half an hour or so (the bubbles will rise through holes in the "veg" lid). Let it cool for 15 minutes.

If you then break a small hole in the lid, you will see that the stock underneath is now totally clear as the egg has bound itself to all the cloudy bits. Either ladle the stock out through a hole, or strain the whole lot through a muslin cloth, and chuck away all the veg and eggs (they have done their job and the flavour is in the stock now).

You are left with a total clear, deeply coloured and fantastically flavoured consume that can be used as stock, but is good enough to be eaten as soup by itself.

I did this with some lamb stock from the sunday joint this week. Yesterday I got some of the lamb consume, and cooked a handful of pasta in it. It hen added a bit of chilli, some peas, a few sauted mushrooms, and a handful of leftover lamb from the fridge. Mrs Pal reckons it was one of the best soups she has ever had. <smug smiley>

I am so envious, an extra freezer for stock, sounds like heaven!

freyaluck

well
I think this tread has come just at the right time, as I made my 1st ever stock yesterday
Is all I did was simmer a chicken carcass from the night before for a few hours then drained the stock into my slowcooker(didn't think about putting it into the slow cooker sooner ) added some tatties carrots and stewing beef to make a stew and It was lovely.
I usually add astock cube, but never again so much nicer with my hm stock.
I will also often use the left over juice from stews to make soup, which is always delicious.
hugs
frey

simon123

I just bought my first slow cooker yesterday and was looking for stuff to put in it so cant wait to make some stock now

doreenb_2

Does stuff from freezer have to be defrosted first before putting in sc?

apprentice_tycoon

You will probably want make stock out of your Christmas turkey, you can do this at a later date by freezing the turkey carcass - then when it all frozen through you break it up by force and re-bag it - it's such a waste of space to have a huge cavernous beast in the freezer and it probably wouldn't have fitted into your biggest pan anyway.

Just to re-enforce what other people have said about simmering, not boiling, the stock, if you boil it you emulsify the fat into the stock and make it greasy

chubberdog

Dear Innovate....celeriac 'yuk' outside stock?????? Cook some with your mashed 'taters before mashing as usual, adding perhaps nutmeg and black pepperYUM

Pink.

I usually only make stock once a week after the Sunday roast. I give the bones a quick blast in the oven then gather any left over veg and gravy, the water left from steaming the veg, and any peelings and pop them all into the slow cooker overnight. On Monday morning a delicious stock is ready.

I love Holsales tip about saving things and freezing them until enough gathered for stock. I'm going to give that a go....I just hope I can be disciplined enough to do it regularly otherwise I'll be doing my usual trick of staring blankly at all these unidentifiable things in the freezer.

Pink

martinmerlin

I normally use Kallo organic stock cubes in cooking (shepherd's pie, spag bol, soup etc). Can anyone suggest a home made stock that can be frozen and used in place of Kallo, as I need to save where I can and would think it would probably taste better.

I can recommend using Maggi liquid seasoning, a few drops here and there gives stews etc., a lift.....but go careful.

thriftlady_2

Chicken stock

After you've had a roast chicken,collect all the bones and bits of skin and put them in a large pot.Add an onion,a couple of carrots and some or all of the following veg;leeks,celery,parsnip,mushrooms.Cover with water and bring to the boil.Simmer for a couple of hours.Strain bones and veg,leave to cool and pour into tubs and freeze.

I generally freeze in half pint portions.
I like to leave the skin on the onion as it makes the stock a lovely golden colour.
You can boil the stock rapidly to reduce and concentrate it.Freeze concentrated stock in smaller portions and add more water to the finished dish.
Freeze in ice cube trays if you want small quantities.
You can also make this in a slow cooker.

HTH:)

martinmerlin

Many thanks thriftlady, will try that......and guess what I am doing roast chicken for 10 peeps at a care home where I work this afternoon, so will give it a go.......cheers.