Questions about STOCK! This stuff is the bomb :) page

[Dynamo]

Hello!

I must confess that I was somewhat intimidated with making chicken/beef stock, but finally took the plunge and made some last weekend...I am now, officially, addicted to the stuff

I have read as much as I could on this topic as to not ask repetitive questions, but here is what I am left with:

1. How much stock do you eat per week? I am talking about what most of you "stock experts" agree is the minimum amount required to derive the maximum nutritional benefits. I am sure this varies based on the "quality" of how and what you put in it. (I made chicken soup and froze a meal size portion in tupperware containers. I have been eating one "bowl" per day, and sometimes two. I could seriously eat more as it not only tastes delicious, it "feels" so good when I eat it.)

2. Do you use a pressure cooker to make your stock? I have read that Mark is ok with this, yet at least one post indicated that this is not the ideal way to cook it. Something about the fact that the "quick" high heat either destroys some nutrients or the process does not allow for the maximum amount of nutrition extraction. Any advice on this? Also, if you use a pressure cooker could your recommend a brand/model/size that works well? I am thinking of getting a fairly large one so that I will do this stock preparation less often. (I have a very tight schedule). I have kept in mind that although Mark might have promoted this process in an earlier post, he might have changed his mind as well.

I would certainly appreciate any insight you have to offer!

Thanks again and have a fantastic day!

P.S. I am editing this to say I think I am talking about BROTH here! Sorry, I don't know the difference for sure. I am taking about taking roasted bones and veggies and simmering it for several hours....whichever one this is, is what I am talking about

Diane

[KWM]

I make my bone broth with roasted bones -- usually a combination of lamb, pork, beef -- and don't add anything other than about 1/4 C vinegar (to a LARGE crock-pot) until "doctoring" individual servings. As noted, I make it in a crock pot. After roasting the bones, I put them in the crock with cold water and a bit of vinegar and let everything simmer on the lowest setting for up to 72 hours. Partway through, I pull out the larger bones and crack them open to allow more nutrient, and marrow, release. By the time it's done, the bones are soft enough to crumble.

I'll have several mugs a week -- sometimes more than one large mug a day. I especially like it for Instant Breakfast. I freeze some of every batch in ice cube trays and use a cube or two to add liquid when braising or cooking kale/spinach and such.

I haven't yet figured out how to calculate nutrients, which is something of an issue when I'm tracking my intake.

I also add the broth to my pet food -- one of the reasons I don't add greens and seasoning until making individual portions.

A superb quickie additive to a large mug of broth, IMNSHO, is a teaspoon or so Mrs. Renfro's Green Jalapeno Salsa. Warms you right up!

Great stuff, broth.

[Dynamo]

Excellent! Thank you for those details...I forgot about the vinegar Are we to use Apple Cider type? I think I read that somewhere. Also, it sounds like you add it from the beginning. Again, I think I read that but can't recall for sure. There is just SO much information on making stock/broth...I am still a bit overwhelmed but will take this one step at a time... Thanks again!

Diane

[KWM]

Yup, vinegar goes in with the cold water.

Whenever I cook any meat with bones, I toss the bones into my freezer "bone bag" to include in my next batch of broth. Every once in a while, there are enough cooked bones in the freezer bag to make a batch of broth without adding any of the beef and lamb bones bought just for that purpose.

Do remember -- for best flavor, use bones from cooked meat or pre-roast the bones. I roast mine in a roasting pan lined with parchment. When the fat on the parchment has congealed, I carefully lay out the sheet in the freezer and break off a chip when I need saturated fat for some other purpose. (Usually for pets -- I collect a LOT more saturated fat than I generally consume myself.)

[Lewis]

2. Do you use a pressure cooker to make your stock?

Traditionally, it's cooked very long and very slowly at just simmering -- where a bubble breaks the surface every now and then. That's what I'd do.

I think the terms are fairly interchangeable, although I haven't an OED or anything to hand to check usage! I think it would tend to be referred to as "stock" when i it was used as a kitchen staple to add to dishes. Broth, I think, would be when it's made for use as a soup. Stock would often be scraps and bones; broth might well be made from something like a whole fowl, as in cock-a-leekie soup -- in that case some of the meat might on occasion be shredded back into it.

[Dynamo]

Thanks for those additional tips! Actually, I started this "venture" by looking up a recipe on youtube(I needed a visual). So I roasted a whole chicken, then but the carcass (including the dark meat) and simmered that for about 3 hours - along with onion, celery, and carrots. (I used the white meat for the "chicken" in the chicken soup. I also added catsup (but will add some tomato paste instead this time.) I need to stick with a basic recipe and then fine tune it more to "grok style" as I understand the nuances. I noticed that there are a TON of different ways people on this forum prepare this concoction Oh, I love your idea of just drinking the broth and with a tad bit of that salsa added. Sound delish and I love spicy food! Thanks again! I sure appreciate you taking the time to provide those details! (I have not ventured past chicken yet )

[Neckhammer]

1. I make mine with the meat....so slow cooking a whole chicken or a bone in roast normally is my way. I have also done it with just bones, but that is actually less likely for me to consume it all as then I have to add it or make other foods with it.

2. I do mine in a slow cooker set on low. 8 hours or so for a chicken and 12+ for beef.

[LauraSB]

I made stock in a crock pot for the first time and what a breeze. So much easier than on the stove, because I just went to bed and let it do its thing. The house smells great this morning!

I'm wondering about the water to bones ratio. I just covered the broken up roast chicken carcass with water - I'm guessing 1-2 qts. Based on past experience this will congeal in the frig. Is that OK? I mean for drinking purposes? When I cook with homemade stock (as opposed to using the canned stuff), I often dilute it a bit with water.

[Dynamo]

Oh, Lewis, I just saw your post! I am going to stave off the pressure cooker for now. It just makes more sense - until I learn more - to stick with the slower process Thanks for the further clarification on broth vs stock I have read that somewhere but I cannot find it. (This forum is chalk full of info - however, I get lost searching sometimes!) Thanks again~!

[Dynamo]

Hi Neckhammer! Thanks for those tips! I think I might go buy a crock pot today! Laura, I have read that you just put enough water in to cover the bones/carcass, etc. When you crockers set the pot on low for 8 hours, do you keep the lid tight? When you go back to look at it in 8 hours has any water evaporated? (I am not a crocker so this would be my first time). Do you just put the broth in the fridge, still in the crock pot when you let it cool down? I am thinking that after it cools and I want to make the chicken soup I can just skim the fat and plug the unit back in, adding my veggies and chicken. Well, that is what I am imagining is the way to do this Again, thanks to all of you for sharing your experience and variations!!!!!