My chicken stock is a gelatinous mess

trailingspouse

Not wanting to brag, but my stock is always jelly-like when it's cooled...

Now that yours has set in the pan, you can heat it gently (no need to boil) just so that it liquifies again, then strain the bones and do what you would normally do with the stock. I let it go cold and then scrape the fat off before I do anything with it.

If your stock is normally watery, it's because you're using too much water. I put my carcass (all broken up and the last remnants of meat stripped off and put in a pie) into a stock pot with just enough water to cover. Put the lid on the pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for an hour.

I made some just this evening - great for making soup, obviously, but also as the basis for a risotto, or for making wicked gravy.

BitterAndTwisted

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

Apparently chicken feet make a very gelatinous stock. Would a butcher sell a bag of chicken feet that could be frozen and a couple chucked in each time?

Depends on how the chickens are sourced, I expect. They're a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, so they might go off to the restaurants separately. Dunno what they see in them. I ordered some for a bet with my Mum once. Not very thrilling.


About the stock: I'd expect it to be thick and gelatinous once cooled. For those of you who don't have theirs end up like this I'd recommend you taste it once you've finished cooking it. More often than not the liquid needs to reduced by at least a third to be worth using.

Cottage_Economy

Ok, to update.

I actually used a sieve and simply pressed the stock mix through into a bowl, rubbing it round with the back of a spoon. That worked well.

Used the stock to make soup today, adding in leeks and potatoes.

Tasted far better than what I've made before with homemade chicken stock, and was so satisfying I didn't actually have any bread with it.

Unfortunately my delight was shortlived.

It must have been chock full of fat, because within half an hour I had heartburn and I don't get that with my homemade soup, only very fatty dishes like curries with cream. There was no visible fat to scrape off at all when the stock was cold. Obviously well integrated with the other components of the stock.

Damn.