You can use the whole leek if you like. I often save the white and light green part for cooking and store the dark green tops in the freezer, to be used later when I am making stocks.

Why isn't there salt in this stock? I thought the point of the lesson on "seasoning with salt" was that you should pretty much season everything as you go, so wouldn't that include stock?

Salt is optional in stock, as stock is meant to more neutral in flavor. This allows you to have more control when you make dishes later. If stocks are made with no (or very little salt) it is much easier to control the amount of saltiness in a dish. Does this make sense?

We often add a touch of salt into our stocks but again this is optional. For more information on this, watch the cooking school lesson on How to Make Stock Fundamentals, in particular topic 5 (after about the 45 second mark).

I followed the instructions on caramelizing the bones and vegetables, and then placed all the ingredients (and hot water) in my slow cooker instead of a stock pot and let simmer for 5-6 hours on low. The stock was extremely flavourful and gelatinous! Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I will not make chicken stock any other way except the rouxbe way from now on! :)

Glad you were happy with the results you got; however, we don't recommend starting a stock with hot water. Cold water helps to coagulate the impurities, allowing them to float to the surface, which makes for a clearer and cleaner-tasting stock. If you were happy with the results, that's great, but we'd encourage you to try the stove top method as shown in the lesson on How to Make Stock Fundamentals. Cheers!

Thanks so much for the explanation! No wonder I saw so much residue in the stock! But the taste was good though. :) I used slow cooker to make the stock cos I don't own a stock pot and I could just walk away and not have to keep an eye on the stove constantly. However, I will certainly try the stove top method one of these days! :) Thanks again!

I get my chickens from a local farm. They come with feet attached. I have cut them up and saved all the extra bits for stock. I have wingtips, backs, necks, etc. My question is should I use the feet for the stock as well? Why or why not? -Thanks

Good question. Indeed, you can use chicken feet in a stock.
Here is another forum thread that talks a bit more about this same subject. Cheers!

Knowing roasting and pan drippings are a crucial part of the process, is there a way to make stock from rotisserie chicken? We have a rotisserie shop we like to buy our chicken from but we would like to make use of the rest of the chicken. Thanks!

Indeed, you can use leftover chicken bones. You can either use them as is or you can roast them first. Then carry on with the same stock making process. Cheers!

So far I've only made regular chicken stock, and a failed attempt at demi glace which I now call a veal/brown stock, Both were ok, but this ROCKS!!!! Maybe I'm just getting better at following directions?!

I will never again bother with just a straight boring bland clear chicken stock. Or maybe I will once I finish all the lessons and understand why one would pick that over this.

The aroma from the roasted chicken feet and left over roasted carcasses is AMAZING.

I can actually taste this "Flavored Water" (thanks a million for making that clear to me, Joe G.!)

I wasn't sure if it was going to work adding frozen left-over roasted chicken carcasses that I've been saving along with the raw frozen chicken feet as I couldn't find any chicken necks, backs etc. unbelievable!

So I ended up re-roasting the left-over roasted chicken carcasses and roasted the raw chicken feet. Along with the mirepoix this took all day just to roast!!!

I do have one question...

I didn't follow the directions exactly as far as roasting the mirepoix as far as using tin foil. I just oiled up my half-sheet and roasted on that.

When the roasting process of the mirepoix was finished, it seems to me I missed an opportunity for more of that grand suc flavor by not deglazing the pan the mirepois was roasting in.

I only dumped the mirepoix into the pot without deglazing it because part of the pan had black burned bits and frankly I was tired of the marathon roasting day I had been struggling with.

I didn't know I could re-roast a previously roasted chicken carcass and it took about the same amount of time the raw chicken feet took. I had far more sucs with the previously roasted chicken carcasses and much more flavor and aroma. Hummmm.... this is fun!

Could you please comment on why you would skip the tin foil and just roast the mirepoix, then deglaze that as well?

I really think I should have deglazed the mirepoix and added it to the mix.

I'm thinking there's not much coagulation that's going to go on in a previously roasted chicken carcass, but if you add half raw chicken feet you may end up with the same viscosity or "congeniality" as you wanted.

Please comment.

thanks!

Ok, this may be over the top, but I usually make about 16 to 20 quarts worth of chicken bone/water in my stock pot.

I'm not very happy to make such a small amount given the amount of cost of energy it takes to do this all day marathon.

that's not your fault, it's mine for not finding enough chicken bones to fill a 20 qt pot.

In any event since this is the smallest batch I've ever made...as I skim the surface for grease and what-not, I know I'm taking valuable liquid stock out in the process.

I was thinking of taking that grease-filled bowl of the skimming and placing it in the frig to let the grease rise to the top so I can skim it off, then take the small amount of left over stock and add it back to the pot instead of water as it evaporates.

Usually I have a much larger batch and wouldn't care about losing that little bit of flavorful stock and throw it in the trash.

So, I would like to hear your comments on this.

Thank Rouxbe, you are going to make a world-class-home-cook out of me yet!

This stock came out perfect and tastes so wonderful I could just sit here and drink it all up!!

p.s. the pre-roasted frozen--re-roasted chicken carcasses along with the roasted raw feet came out perfect. Perfect texture and tastes amazing.

Thanks Rouxbe, you're going to make a gourmet cook out of me yet!

Is it my imagination or is there less scum rising to the surface on dark chicken stock as opposed to white chicken stock?

Made white yesterday, today making roasted dark. There looks like less scum in this batch than the white.

Thanks!

No, it's not your imagination, Jude. If you caramelize the bones prior to making stock, the impurities on the surface actually coagulate and tend to make the stock less scummy or cloudy. Nice work on the stock making...sounds like you're all stocked up for a while :)

what is wrong with using an excellent quality aluminum stock pot? i think it was mentioned here that stainless steel should be used.

Wish I could answer this for you and I'm sure someone with expertise will be along shortly to give you a more qualified answer.

Only thing I can think of is aluminum is not exactly healthy and emits a subtle taste to your food. Cheap stainless steel is everywhere and tasteless and a lot more healthy for your brain.

The only thing I can think of as far as heat distribution, aluminum is excellent, but still wouldn't want my food to have physical contact with it. It's great in frying pans when used as a heat conductor/distributor, but again, wouldn't want it in direct contact with my food.

Just my two cents worth.

Here is a good link describing the pros and cons of aluminum. Hope this helps!

i am currently attempting my first hand at making chicken stock. i have decided to try making dark stock.

i am not certain how it's gonna turn out but i am crossing my fingers.

wish me luck!!!

I do my dark chicken stock by putting the mirepoix in with the bones to carmelize. Would this make a differece? Also sometimes use turkey necks, backs, added to chicken bones. Will this be okay?

As long as nothing burns or darkens too much (which will create bitter flavors). Also, be sure things are not too crowded or they will steam...otherwise, it should be fine. You might also want to check out our lessons in the cooking school under the stock section. Here we discuss the different bones to use, etc., along with the fundamentals of stock making. Cheers!

I've made the dark and light chicken stocks from this site with great success before. This week I was all out of stock in my freezer, but only had a couple of chicken bones I'd saved. My small-town grocer usually sells chicken backs (with all the fat and skin attached... but at least I can get them!), but this week they only had turkey necks. I decided to buy them and try it out. Is there anything else I should change about this recipe as I will be using turkey necks instead of chicken bones?

The same ingredients/mirepoix that are used to make chicken stock can be used to make turkey stock. Then again, you can also vary the mirepoix depending on the flavor profile you want to give the stock, if any.

Also, I personally love the aroma and taste of poultry seasoning, so I might had a pinch or two of that if I had it, but it's not necessary. Cheers!

I am new to Rouxbe and am making my first batch of dark stock today. I am using 2 pots, since I don't have a stock pot. I live in Houston, too, and was wondering if you could tell me where you found yours. I am not familiar with any restaurant supply stores in our area, and hope you can help me.
Thanks in advance,
Nancy

Hey Nancy! I thought I had responded to your post earlier in the week - but see that it did not make it - so here is another attempt

Link to Ace Mart store locator in Houston is here
http://www.acemart.com/store-locator.ep

Link to product is here
http://www.acemart.com/prod7788.html

Good luck! Please let me know if you need anything further.

Matthew