Making your own chicken stock

[Dottie]

I defrosted a cooked chicken today and I realised that I was more excited about the stock I could make from it, than actually eating the chicken and I do love eating chicken.

I only got back into doing my own stock sometime last year, all because I'd bought a load of reduced priced Lentil and Bacon Soup, which I found far too salty. So not really knowing how the soup would turn out the first time, as I'd already tried just adding water (as suggested on the tin) and had not being impressed. But adding homemade chicken stock, really makes it taste excellent and very very morish.

Tonight I have the slow cooker on and will just let it cook until I feel the flavour is good enough to drink on it's own. It could be 12, 24 or 48 hours, it's not the time I concern myself with, but the flavour.

My reason for this post is to encourage anyone who uses stock cubes, to give making your own stock a go, it really is worth it. A slow cooker really helps me, as I feel happy to just leave it to do it's stuff, without me having to attend to it, or add more liquid etc. The huge advantage for me too, is I don't end up with a loads of steam and condensation.

So now I'm looking forward to having a big pot of soup on the go, very soon and stock to add to risotto and other dishes. Yum, yum. Beats any of the fresh soups you can buy at the supermarket, so there's no going back for me now, I'm offically a homemade stock kind of girl.

[Jeanied]

I know what you mean, Dottie - I use a lot of stock. Mine has to be veggie though, as I only rarely eat meat.
I've been meaning to track down a good veggie stock recipe.
Now I think I'll just have to go and get a slow cooker too!

[Scarlet]

I know what you mean, Dottie - I use a lot of stock. Mine has to be veggie though, as I only rarely eat meat.
I've been meaning to track down a good veggie stock recipe.
Now I think I'll just have to go and get a slow cooker too!

Delias is a good one to try - Quick Vegetable Stock - Recipes - Recipes - from Delia Online

[Dottie]

I know what you mean, Dottie - I use a lot of stock. Mine has to be veggie though, as I only rarely eat meat.
I've been meaning to track down a good veggie stock recipe.
Now I think I'll just have to go and get a slow cooker too!

Not really thought about doing a veg stock, but that might be something I'll need to try in the future, when I don't have a chicken handy. Although just a little earlier I suddenly thought I might just have to go down to the lottie tomorrow, just to dig up a couple of parsnips to pop into my chicken stock. I'll slice them up in the processor first, and I was thinking I'll cook the parsnips in with the stock, thereby adding flavour to the stock, but also the stock adding flavour to my parsnips to eat as a veg with me chicken dinner tomorrow.

[FionaH]

I like the idea of stock in the slow cooker. That would prevent all the steam in my kitchen

[Dottie]

Delias is a good one to try - Quick Vegetable Stock - Recipes - Recipes - from Delia Online

Thanks for the link, but I was surprised at he small amount of veg added to the pot. Surprised, as in when making a chicken stock, you'd also add the same veg to the pot, as well as chicken bones, skin etc.

Have you tried it and does it have much body? How does it compare to using the water from your cooked veg?

Sounds like a nice stock for lentils.

[Dottie]

Delias is a good one to try - Quick Vegetable Stock - Recipes - Recipes - from Delia Online

Thanks for the link, but I was surprised at he small amount of veg added to the pot. Surprised, as in when making a chicken stock, you'd also add the same veg to the pot, as well as chicken bones, skin etc.

Have you tried it and does it have much body? How does it compare to using the water from your cooked veg?

Come to think of it, it sounds like a nice stock for lentils and it would be interesting to see how it lifts my Lentil and Bean Soup.

[Bren In Pots]

I've always used the pressure cooker to make my stock it doesn't take long either and its always tasty.

[Dottie]

I like the idea of stock in the slow cooker. That would prevent all the steam in my kitchen

Yep conventional hob cooking of stock creates far too much steam in the kitchen, especially in winter when I don't want to open windows so much, as I have storage heaters.

Economy 7 comes on at 11.30pm at mine (have switches that have a red light come on, when E7 kicks in), so I've just turned my slow cooker up to high and will put it back on to normal, in the morning.

[Dottie]

I've always used the pressure cooker to make my stock it doesn't take long either and its always tasty.

I love kitchen gadgets, but have always being too scared to actually try a pressure cooker. I want someone to come around and give me a demo, before having a go. Which is unlike me, as I'll usually give anything a go, so I must have some built in fear of it blowing up or getting burnt from the steam? Silly I know and I don't recall seeing any such thing happening as a child, so I don't know why I'm a big baby when it comes to pressure cookers.

However, there are now electric pressure cookers on the market, that automatically do all the reduction of steam etc for you. I only came across them recently online, when I was looking up some other kitchen gadgets. So I did think that could be the machine for me, although I have now become the biggest fan of the slow cooker, so not sure if I need a pressure cooker too.

[chris]

We make it a lot. Any carcasses left over, we bang in the freezer - and when we've 3 odd, just bang them inthe pot, with some cellery, carrots and an onion including skin. Don't even defrost the chicken - leave it to simmer gently for a few hours.. think we use the jamie oliver method - but fond out from HFW that you can use frozen chicken - so that's how I do it now.

[Bren In Pots]

I love kitchen gadgets, but have always being too scared to actually try a pressure cooker. I want someone to come around and give me a demo, before having a go. Which is unlike me, as I'll usually give anything a go, so I must have some built in fear of it blowing up or getting burnt from the steam? Silly I know .

Dottie we've had our pressure cooker since 11th January 1982 (Boots dated stamped the cookery book) and only had one blow out were mushy peas ended up all over the kitchen, did scare me a at the time and cleaning the kitchen took most of the day. My fault I should have kept an eye on the peas instead of wondering off so I've not made that mistake again.

Then the other year we bought a small 2 litre one to take camping it works different to my old Prestige one so that took some getting used to. so I know what you mean about being unsure about having one.

I've been offered a slow cooker this weekend and not sure if I'd use one enough to have it taking up cupboard space, so I ought to search what I could cook in it before saying yes or no thanks.

[Dottie]

I've been offered a slow cooker this weekend and not sure if I'd use one enough to have it taking up cupboard space, so I ought to search what I could cook in it before saying yes or no thanks.

Accept it, accept it, accept it. You can always pass it onto someone else if you find you don't use it. Although I'm sure your pressure cooker does everything you need and more than a slow cooker. But the slow cooker really comes into it's own, just for the fact that you can just bung everything in, walk away and forget about it. So for days when your not well enough to cook or miss a day completely, your food in the slow cooker will still be ready, when your ready.

Thanks for your feedback on getting to use to a pressure cooker, as I really can't recall why I have a built in fear. But as you had to learn from a few mishaps in the early days, maybe I saw a pressure cooker disaster when I was very young?