After working my tail off making chicken stock, I was disappointed at the lack of robust chicken taste. Though the stock was lovely, clear and fresh tasting it didn't seem to justify all the work. Should it have tasted more chicken-y, or am I just used to the taste of packaged stock? Should I try and reduce it? Help!!

That is a good question, I actually remember the first time I tasted homemade chicken stock, I also thought it was going to have a stronger more chickeny flavor. What I have learned since making my won over the years is that it is not meant to be so strong that it will overpower the flavor of foods.

You are correct that store bought stock often taste very "chicken-y" but that is because they are generally loaded with salt and other flavor enhancers.

If you are looking for a strong fuller-flavored chicken stock I HIGHLY recommend that you make a dark chicken stock. I was amazed the first time I had a roasted dark chicken stock - I literally drank it in a cup it was so rich and delicious. Alternatively you could even add a few more chicken bones to your basic chicken stock. Basically once you learn the process (and it sounds like you have) you can tweak things to your liking. Hope this helps - keep up the good work. Cheers!

Hi Dawn,
I just wanted to let you know that I tried some of my white stock after it had spent the night in the refrigerator. I was shocked by how good it tasted! I've been drinking it straight, something I never would have anticipated doing.

I am having problems getting chicken bones for stock. I have checked super-markets and I get blank stares. Can I use a whole chicken?

I would try calling smaller butchers in your area. Sometimes larger supermarkets won't carry bones because the chickens are processed at another location and shipped to the store. Any small butcher that carries chicken will likely have bones on hand or in the freezer.

If using a whole chicken, we recommend that you to follow the instructions in the lessons on How to Make Broth and/or How to Make Broth-Based Soup. With these methods, you will have leftover, cooked chicken in the end. While the broth will be flavorful, it won't likely be as gelatinous as a stock because less bones are being used. Hope this helps! Cheers!

If there happens to be a kosher market in your area, they're likely to be butchering their own chickens, and will be happy to sell you the bones.

Hi there,

I just shelled about a pound of fresh English peas, and I'm wondering if I should keep some of the empty pods and add them to my "veggies for making stock" bag in the freezer. (I'll give 'em a rinse first, since I didn't bother before shelling.)

Thoughts, O Wise Ones? (I have a garbage disposal, but now I think twice before chucking anything down it!)

Cheers,
Wendy

You sure could try it and see how you like the flavor. They'd probably be really good in a Vegetable Stock. Feel free to add/substitute/use a variety of different veggies in this vegetable stock. Cheers!

Thanks for the quick reply, Kimberley! I'll add a few pods to my veggie bag!

I've made several batches of stock by now. Thanks for the lessons!

One question, I have a 20 quart stock pot and follow your instructions, just use more ingredients. So far so good.

But one question still plagues me. I keep it at such a low simmer that you only see a bubble or two every couple seconds. Which I think is correct.

what I don't understand is why I usually don't see any of the "scum" rise to the surface. To get it to rise to the surface I have to turn the heat up, which causes the stock to actually simmer more bubbles to the surface.

So is it ok that I see an extremely small amount of scum rise to the surface on extreme low heat or should I turn up the heat so I can actually get scum to rise to the surface?

Thanks!

I got lucky right off the bat when I moved to Portland, OR. Can't remember what I googled, but I found a whole sale distributor of all kinds of meats. It's not a butcher, it's a huge warehouse who sells to local restaurants.

Surly most cities with restaurants have a whole sale distributor. Anyway, I buy in bulk, usually about 40lbs of chicken bones and feet at a time and it's fairly inexpensive. They do come frozen but were very fresh when frozen.

The way I see it, if I'm going to have the burner on for 8 to 10 hours, it doesn't cost anymore energy to make 20 quarts as opposed to 5 quarts of stock. And the stock freezes nicely.

Next on my list is a pressure cooker so I can do my own canning and save freezer space.

Go Green and good luck!

You may just need to turn the heat up a tiny bit to obtain a gentle simmer. Just remember that the most important thing is to prevent your stock from boiling. Sometimes there are more impurities than other times. It just depends on the bones and whether or not they were rinsed and/or blanched first. If your stock is flavorful and clear, then try not to over think it. You sound like you are on the right track. Cheers!

Thanks very much for getting back to me so quickly. I just turned the heat up a bit. So true about over thinking.

You're the best!

I cut up my first chicken last night according to the lesson! It wasn't the best job in the world (I kinda forgot about the oyster), but it was satisfying like crazy. I made a small batch of white chicken stock today from the back that turned out really well (seems to be tasty and has lots of gelatin content). Had to say thanks!

I'm quite addicted to this website. :)

I bought some turkey necks (CHEAP!) from the grocery several months ago and froze them right away awaiting the start of my culinary education. I felt ready to try to make some stock last night, but It didn't really come off like the video.
I blanched them first and restarted with clear water. They weren't completely thawed when I started either. I skimmed for four hours but didn't get much of anything. I added mirepoix after the first 45 mins or so, but no other herbs or seasoning. It simmered (probably too low) for 4hrs.
In the end, the muck that I should have been skimming was stuck to the BOTTOM of the pot, and the flavor of the cooling stock was watery and a little greasy. The necks were still very whole and tough.
I'm thinking I had the temperature too low; should have flayed open the necks to cut through the fascia, and probably didn't go long enough. I also probably should have cut the vegetables smaller (I had 3/4 inch pieces or so.)

Thoughts?

A few things. First, don't give up. Stock making takes some practice and before you know it, it will be a breeze to quickly put a stock together.

Were the necks stuck all together in one big frozen bunch? If they were, it'll take longer to fully blanch the bones. Make sure to start the stock in a clean pot. The gunk on the bottom of the blanching pot is nasty so you'll want to either transfer the bones to a new stock pot (if you have a second one) or place the bones into a large colander while you wash out the pot.

Perhaps the heat was a bit too low. In order to prevent the impurities from emulsifying with the liquid, we want to drive home the point that stock should never boil; however, it can simmer gently. The bones won't totally break down during the stock making process. You can chop the necks into smaller pieces (3-4 inches or so). The stock will be more concentrated because you'll need less water to cover. Finally, for the mirepoix, you don't want them too small. One-inch pieces are fine as you don't want them to disintegrate and cloud the stock during the long cooking time.

You can even make a small batch with a leftover carcass from a roast chicken. We often make tiny batches because they are easier to handle. Stock is one of the most valuable things you can have in the kitchen and it will take your cooking to a whole new level, so keep trying. Hope this helps!

I soaked the frozen necks in cool water for an hour or two before starting, so they were defrosted and separate on the outside, but I had to separate them so they were still quite frozen in the middle.
The pot was clean when I started, and the blanch water was murky after the first heat cycle, so I felt like I was on the right track at the time. It was after the 4 hours when I strained the stock that I discovered the bottom was covered in a kind of slimy scum. I've done recipies for stock before and experienced skimming-- the crud on the bottom looked exactly like what I was expecting to see on the top.

Good to know about the size of the mirepoix.

My simmer was REALLY tame. Reviewing the differences between poaching and simmering, I didn't HEAR the water at all.
Also, the vegetables and necks all floated the whole time. I pushed down on the necks to see how deep the water was-- only about 1/4-1/2 inch above the meat-- but with the surfaces complete covered, skimming was hard anyway.

Since it's been tough to find chicken bones at my local stores, I have begun buying whole chickens and bone-in parts, de-boning them myself, and putting the bones in the freezer for stock. I now have more than enough and want to make my first stock the proper way. Do I need to thaw the bones first, or can I just throw them in the pot and bring to a simmer very slowly. The main reason I ask is that I know it's important to start with cold water. But, I live in Houston...in August...and this time of year our water never really gets cooler than luke warm. I figure that starting with frozen bones and adding our "warm cold" water would make cold water, though I realize it may take longer to come to a simmer. Is this ok, or would it be better to thaw the bones and then start with water that has been iced to make it colder?

It is fine to start a stock with frozen bones. We do it all the time because we too "stock up" on leftover bones in the freezer. You are right, it will just take longer to come to a simmer (don't rush it). Your warm/cold water should be okay as the bones are frozen and the water will still be cold as it comes up to the simmer. Happy stock making!

Hi,

Just went through the first lesson on stock making, and wanted to clarify something before I go ahead and spend a couple hours making my first pot.
I would like to make a lot so that I can store it in the freezer. Towards the end of the lesson I noticed that it says to make sure that it has completely cooled before refrigerating/freezing. Also I noticed that you mention, the stock should be boiled before being frozen because bacteria may develop? At what point in time should the stock be boiled?... as it was mentioned not to boil at the beginning.

Thanks!

When making stock it should never be brought to a boil.

It is only later on when you are using the stock to cook with that we say to "For food safety, just make sure your stock always comes to a boil in whatever recipe you’re using it in.".

Hope this clarifies things. Good luck and happy stock making. Cheers!

My training had a much smaller ratio of vegetables to bones. My instructors were insistent on 10% vegetables (by weight) max. The thought was too much vegetables would impart too sweet a flavor from the vegetable sugars, especially carrots. But, that is one school of thought.

We also were a bit more precise in our water - we would measure 1.5 times the weight of bones for the weight of water - not just cover the bones. However, I've never seen that done in a restaurant kitchen - always the "cover the bones by an inch" method. Lastly, we would place the garni in with the mire poix - we wouldn't wait 9and forget!) to put them in at the end. The vegetables I've seen added early as you suggest, or later as other suggested. Two schools of thought again.

You make good points. The amount of mirepoix you use is up to you whether it is more or less as shown in the lesson. What is important is to understand the effect it will have on the flavor and color. Obviously more mirepoix will mask the flavor of the bones and vice versa.

Regarding the amount of water, again, it's a rough estimate. The bones and mirepoix should always be covered but not by too much which would result in a diluted stock. It's a general guideline.

It is also fine to add the bouquet garni earlier in the process, along with the mirepoix (we often do).

The thing about making stock is to just understand what you are doing and why. You will make your own tweaks along the way. If you wind up with a flavorful, clear liquid that is all that matters. Finding that perfect balance that works for you is the art of it. Cheers!

I totally agree - I was just adding my (free!) 2 cents. I often make use of ratios as guidelines, not not locked in concrete rules. I find it makes a consistent product. Some chefs I've worked with are very picky on certain things, more relaxed on others. My particular chef-instructor back in the day harped all the time on the 10% rule - but that was just him.

Bon appetit!

Your free cents are always welcome. :)

You are right that some chefs have very strict rules. We are trying to teach people to just understand the concept and then relax about the rest. There are some guidelines to follow, but cooking doesn't have to be so strict...and only one way.

Thank you for your input - have a great weekend! :)