Chicken Stock

[kwankapang]

I operate a restaurant and prefer to have some chicken stock on hand at all times.  The chicken stock will be added to most dishes whenever water is supposed to be used.

 

Since my chicken stock is used for so many different dishes, I do not add any salt and spices into it.  I am be able to control the flavor and saltiness easily for a variety of dishes.

 

It may be a good way to do this if it is a multipurpose chicken stock. 

[radtek]

I made the first batch with 9 qts of softened water- which is about 275 ppm nacl. After reducing it to a quart it was quite salty. SInce then I have been using RO water at about 7 ppm nacl in order to have more control over the salt in the final product.

[Dave W]

I agree with kwankapang: just chicken and maybe some onions that's all the flavors I want in stock.

[Paul Bacino]

Didn't realize there were so many variations in making stock. I put my roasted chicken carcass, generally with wings, which no one seems to want to eat, in the pot, add a quartered onion and a couple of carrots, some salt and pepper, bring to a boil and let it simmer until I need that spot on the stove or I have to leave, anywhere from 1.5 hours to 4 hours. I prefer to cool it all together, chill it in the pot, then de-fat. I do it in my pot with the basket, so the solids go in the basket and can just be lifted out, and then I can ladle the cold stock into freezer containers. I use the square ones -- they stack better in the freezer. If I get close to running out of stock....it's time to roast another chicken.

 

While we're on the stock question -- can I make beef stock from short rib bones after I've cooked the short ribs? seems to me that it should work, but there's little meat left in that case. Should I add maybe some round steak or something?

 

If you do a long braise..  most of what marrow .  would be devoid of flavor.  I would think

[Josh71]

That is the question - and the answer depends on what result you want. Pressing will give more yield, but will most likely make your stock cloudy. A PC stock with slow release is typically crystal clear.

 

What is this "slow release" when using pressure cooker?

 

I tried to make a simple chicken stock using pressure cooker, and the result always cloudy (milky creamy in color).

 

My method:

 

- 1 kg of chicken wings, boiled for 5 minutes or so

- Rinse with water

 

- Put in pressure cooker

- Add 2 liter of water

- Couple of garlic cloves

 

- Heat up the stove 

- Pressure cook for 45 minutes, starting after "high-pressure" state.

 

- Once the 45 minutes passed, I turned OFF the heat and wait until I can release the lid.

 

It taste nice, but it's definitely not clear. The color is milky creamy white

Edited May 19, 2015 by Josh71 (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

What is this "slow release" when using pressure cooker?

 

I tried to make a simple chicken stock using pressure cooker, and the result always cloudy (milky creamy in color).

 

My method:

 

- 1 kg of chicken wings, boiled for 5 minutes or so

- Rinse with water

 

- Put in pressure cooker

- Add 2 liter of water

- Couple of garlic cloves

 

- Heat up the stove 

- Pressure cook for 45 minutes, starting after "high-pressure" state.

 

- Once the 45 minutes passed, I turned OFF the heat and wait until I can release the lid.

 

It taste nice, but it's definitely not clear. The color is milky creamy white

 

Your release method sounds right.  What kind of pressure cooker do you have?  Dave Arnold has blogged about the importance of the type of pressure cooker used for making stock:

 

http://www.cookingissues.com/index.html%3Fp=2561.html#more-2561

[radtek]

Not chicken. Duck. 

 

Came with head and feet on. I only wanted the breasts and leg quarters. So head and entire spine, feet, wings and other trimmings went into the PC unroasted with some fresh onion from the garden, garlic, carrot, celery, tsp salt, bay leaf, 3-4 peppercorns and two cloves. Pc'd for 1.5 hrs and slow release. I left the organ meat out of the stock. 

 

Result was 2 liters of wonderful duck stock after defatting this am. It isn't consomme clear but perfectly within standards IMO. 

Edited May 19, 2015 by radtek (log)

[Josh71]

Your release method sounds right.  What kind of pressure cooker do you have?  Dave Arnold has blogged about the importance of the type of pressure cooker used for making stock:

 

http://www.cookingissues.com/index.html%3Fp=2561.html#more-2561

 

Hmm, I have the "Fagor" kind of pressure cooker, which resulted worse in that test.

 

Well, it's still taste nice though

 

If I am going to replace it, I will look for that winner type one.

[radtek]

Eh...

 

I say operator error with the PC. One does not need steam blasting out of a jiggle-top or Fagor-type for them to perform. Bring up to pressure then adjust down to a bare hiss. Jiggle don't need to rock...

[scubadoo97]

I get some what clear stock from my Fagor but I'm not making consommé nor do I care to

[Josh71]

Can anyone make a photo of your stock made out of pressure cooker which is clear?

 

I want to see how clear is it, so I can compare next time.

 

And please state the timing

 

Thanks.

[scubadoo97]

I have one, just need to find it on the "big" computer

[scubadoo97]

Found it. This is after I strained out the solids and was reducing it down on the stove

[Josh71]

It is very nice and clear indeed. How long did you pressure cook it?

 

And what's the ingredients?

 

I am thinking on mine, probably it's just the chicken wing is too fatty, or the ratio of chicken vs water which was 1 kg chicken vs 2 liter water, so need more water.

 

 

 

 

 

Found it. This is after I strained out the solids and was reducing it down on the stove

[scubadoo97]

The ingredients were probably a couple of chicken carcasses with skin.

Cooked for usually 90-120 min. Strained off into a pot through a strainer lined with muslin

[Paul Bacino]

Those making chicken stock and want clarity

 

Consider rafting your product!!

 

 

 

 

 

[paulraphael]

My stock would be pretty clear if I just ladled it off the top. But it clouds up when I dump it into a strainer to get all the liquid, which is what I do. I usually don't need it to be clear. 

 

I can partially clear it by pouring through a superbag (I just use generic 25 micron bag filters). 

 

For consomme, I'd use agar clarification. A pain in the ass, but it preserves a lot more flavor than a traditional protein raft.

 

One trick that gives some of the benefits of a raft without the drawbacks is to have some lean, ground meat in with the stock ingredients. It both contributes flavor and traps coagulated protein.

 

Depressurizing the cooker slowly is also important. If you do it fast, the liquid will come to a boil. I don't think the type of pressure cooker matters so much w/r/t clarity. Dave Arnold and company found that flavor suffers if your cooker vents steam. But clarity should only be impacted if the stock is allowed to boil. This is just a matter of paying attention no matter what kind of valve you have.

[radtek]

This is the duck stock from the Fagor PC. Not crystal clear but the solids were pressed because I want it all...

 

[patrickamory]

Somehow the argument in that Dave Arnold article seems unlikely to me. But then I own a jiggler type PC (Presto), so what do I know!

[Josh71]

I watched Heston Blumenthal "Peking Duck" and saw he made super clear duck consome.

 

 

Start from minute 2:00 ...

 

He froze the cloudy stock, then let it defrost slowly, strained using cheese cloth.

 

I think I am going to try this

[btbyrd]

Ice/gelatin filtration works pretty well, but it takes a while and the yield isn't awesome. If you try that technique, be sure to make the stock with bones and cuts that have lots of connective tissue so you can extract enough gelatin for the technique to work.  

 

I'm a fan of the ChefSteps consomme strategy which employs a Methocel/protein raft to clarify.

 

[Paul Bacino]

Ice/gelatin filtration works pretty well, but it takes a while and the yield isn't awesome. If you try that technique, be sure to make the stock with bones and cuts that have lots of connective tissue so you can extract enough gelatin for the technique to work.  

 

I'm a fan of the ChefSteps consomme strategy which employs a Methocel/protein raft to clarify.

 

Gonna look that one up..thanks

 

for chicken I just pulse a breast or 2 ( depends on volume ) , some shells, egg whites and what ever herb  I have--  but it reduces the yield//   does the above reduce the yield?

 

 

[Josh71]

Ice/gelatin filtration works pretty well, but it takes a while and the yield isn't awesome. If you try that technique, be sure to make the stock with bones and cuts that have lots of connective tissue so you can extract enough gelatin for the technique to work.  

 

I'm a fan of the ChefSteps consomme strategy which employs a Methocel/protein raft to clarify.

 

 

That's nice, and I think much quicker than ice filtration.

 

But it requires some special ingredient (the powder) and another chicken breast

 

Let see if I can buy that powder to try it next time for experiment.

[huiray]

Yesterday–Today's chicken stock/broth, from two stewing chickens (from a Chinese grocery) w/ ginger slices and a bit of salt.  Chickens were rinsed, chopped up (backbone split w/ cleaver), simmered, skimmed repeatedly, left on stove overnight at a bare simmer (around 180-190ºF by pie-type thermometer).  No fuss.

 

Stock/broth, "first decant" through cheesecloth, stopping short of chicken pieces "falling over against the cover held against the pot".

 

Remainder of the broth/stock, "shaking"/"thumping" the pot and holding the chicken pieces against the cover as the stock is poured off, through that same cheesecloth.

 

The latter portion was used for a nice lunch "soup" with young kale, asparagus added in (& vermicelli, at the end) and simmered till done.

[huiray]

Thought it was time for a bump-up...

 

Today's chicken stock/broth (i.e. finished this morning), after shutting off the heat and sitting for a bit to let the chicken pieces floating at the top to settle back down and before doing anything else to it. Chicken fat layer on top, of course.  

 

 

Pastured free-range chicken necks & backs, backbones chopped through lengthwise, skimmed constantly at the beginning, sea salt, sliced ginger, low simmer around 7-8 hours. The house smells wonderful.