Mang

Thanks for all the good info - I'm going to have another go at this soon. My result was two beautiful containers of very bland brown jello. Still very useful, but nothing like what I was hoping for. I'm pretty sure I had too many veggies and not enough chicken (as suggested by others in this thread). I also think that I let it simmer for far too long resulting in some off flavors (onionish and rather sour). Oh, and I'm going to get a larger stock pot - I used an 8qt (all I have) and I just wasn't able to stuff enough chicken into it. Thanks!

Well, 5 months later and I'm making stock! I followed the eCGI stock steps pretty much to the letter, but I had to adjust things to fit my 8qt stock pot (only one I have at the moment). I cleaned and halved the celery and carrots, quartered a red, white and yellow onion (all large), threw in 4 large whole legs (cut at the joint), covered with cold water and brought to a simmer. Simmered and skimmed for about 9 hours - about 1/4 of the water had reduced. I then got rid of as much of the solids as possible and tossed it into the fridge to let the fat collect. Tomorrow I reduce I am wondering a couple things though: A) The broth smelled and looked great, but was quite bland - I did not add salt as I plan on reducing quite a bit. Will the flavor improve after reducing? About how much should I reduce? B) My entire 8qt pot was filled to the brim at the beginning. I'm not quite sure how much water I really started with. I do know that in the end I have just under 2 qts of broth. Sound about right? Thanks much - these forums are so great.

I may end up experimenting a bit with the salt... I don't want "too salty" but I have definitely learned that salt added in the beginning of many dishes doesn't result in salty, just more flavor - not unlike salting meat etc before searing. Perhaps this does not hold true for stocks (??) Thanks again for the tips!

Excellent info - thanks so much. I did indeed find the eCGI class, also. I can't wait to accumulate enough bones, etc to get started

Can I get a few tips on how to make a basic chicken stock? I've never made one and I have a few questions. What things should I not be throwing away at the end of a meal that could be used? Can I save the chicken bones that I have removed prior to cooking? Can I save the gnawed on ones after eating (!)? How do you know when you have enough to make a 2 or 3 qts? How do you know if you have succeeded when done (taste, color, etc)? Is the final product a liquid, like store bought broth? Or a gel? I was going to try one with chicken bones, simple mirepoix, a little salt and peppercorns - is that pretty standard? Thanks a ton for your help!