Homemade chicken stock is too expensive to make.

[FoodyBorris]

I know it might not be as good as stock you can make with meat, but stock made with the bones from whatever organic chicken you buy and cook (for roasting or any other meal purposes) can still be tasty... That's what I currently do -- I buy whole free range chickens from a local farmer, and freeze the carcasses after roasting them. Then when I have a few of the carcasses I make stock in my pressure cooker...

I don't do the pressure cooker bit, but I definitely do the freezing of the carcass after roasting. When I have 3 or 4 I make a large batch of stock and get about 10 tubs, which then go in the freezer.

[budrichard]

Whether you use commercial chickens or free range, simply bone out the whole chicken, use the carcass for stock and the rest for your preperations.

I have done this for decades. I purchase my free range chickens from a local farmer(this requires money up front and freezer space as he raises in batches) and while certainly more costly than the commercial chicken, they are as good as it gets but todays commercial processors do a good job in providing a low cost (when on sale) whole chicken whose only problem is the water content. 'Smart' chickens are just too expensive for what you get.

WE do use a very good commercial product (Swanson salt free chicken stock) when we run short.-Dick

[Jaymes]

Sign me up with the "freeze the carcasses" folks. I buy a whole chicken and roast it. First night, we have roast chicken. Second night, I take off whatever meat is left that I can get off easily and chop or shred it and we have chicken enchiladas, or chicken curry, or chicken a la king or something like that. The carcass and skin and knuckles, etc., go into a freezer bag and into the freezer. When I get three or four carcasses, I spend the day making stock. I start by roasting the bones in the oven, and I also try to break whatever bones I can so that some of the marrow can flavor the stock. After I've got my stock all made and strained, I boil it way, way, way down. And I mean down about as far as possible, until it's almost like syrup. When it's been reduced enough, I pour it into an old-fashioned ice-cube tray and freeze (my ice cube tray holds about 1-2 cups liquid, so that's what I shoot for). When frozen, I transfer those cubes into a ziplock freezer bag which doesn't take up much space at all. Now, I've got little cubes of concentrated goodness to use as I wish.

Honestly, I wouldn't say that making homemade chicken stock is expensive. I'd say just the opposite. If you have chicken carcasses (and who doesn't?) and you're not making stock with them, you're throwing away money.

Edited September 2, 2012 by Jaymes (log)

[FoodyBorris]

... When it's been reduced enough, I pour it into an old-fashioned ice-cube tray and freeze (my ice cube tray holds about 1-2 cups liquid, so that's what I shoot for). When frozen, I transfer those cubes into a ziplock freezer bag which doesn't take up much space at all. Now, I've got little cubes of concentrated goodness to use as I wish.

I found that silicone ice cube trays (such as these) were much more practical.

But otherwise totally agreed

Edited September 2, 2012 by FoodyBorris (log)

[qrn]

minors chicken stockcosts about as much as a chicken and you can make a gallon or so of stock that is very good for all sorts of stuff....

you will probably have to go to a restaurant supply place to get it however..

Bud..

[heidih]

I am a saver/user of carcasses and roasted bones as well - even rescue them before they get binned at friend's homes. Something that strikes me is the seemingly current concept that chicken broth/stock is so needed in daily application. Water I think is under-rated - off to start a new topic here

Edited September 3, 2012 by heidih
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[budrichard]

I do not use bones from a chicken that has been cooked or do I roast chicken bones preferring to have a neutral blond stock that can be tailored for various preps. Using bones from a previous preperation leads to varioud flavors from seasonings and roating bnes yields a brown stock.

Simple bones left from deboning a whole chickem work the best.-Dick

[Jaymes]

I do not use bones from a chicken that has been cooked or do I roast chicken bones preferring to have a neutral blond stock that can be tailored for various preps. Using bones from a previous preperation leads to varioud flavors from seasonings and roating bnes yields a brown stock.

Simple bones left from deboning a whole chickem work the best.-Dick

Such an interesting world. So many differences. So many preferences.

Actually, the thing that you see as a drawback is a thing that I find gives me great enjoyment, and that's the fact that whatever was the original application for the chicken influences the stock made from its bones. So many times something I've made with the resulting stock was so very very good, and I try to replicate it, but can't, because it had the nuance from the original dish.

The leftover turkey soup from a few Thanksgivings back was like that. Everybody kept asking me why I never made turkey soup that tasted exactly like that ever again.

Well, it's because that year Uncle Vinnie had deep-fried a turkey that he had first injected with his special secret Cajun marinade.

I dunno. Just part of what makes cooking and eating so intriguing.

To me, anyway.

I suppose if I ever want to be sure I have some "neutral blond" chicken stock, I can always make it, to have it available as well, but that still would never cause me to even consider tossing away chicken carcasses from other preps.

What on earth possible negatives could come from having both a neutral blonde stock and an interesting brown stock on hand?

Because I can't think of a single one.

And I can think of many advantages.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Jaymes (log)

[gdenby]

I don't think I have come across a recipe that calls for a whole chicken for stock. I have come across recipes that stipulate using first bones, and then meat scraps.

At any rate,here's a small tip. Take a whole chicken and cram it onto a slow cooker. Maybe sprinkle on some herbs and a bit of salt. Go away for about 8 hours. At 8 hours, you will most likely find a chicken ready to fall apart, sitting in a bath of its own juices, with a small amount of browned stuff around the edges where the once dry ceramic crisped the renderings. De-fatted, that juice will make the most amazing rich stock.

The down side is that it is hard to catch the breast meat before it becomes over cooked, and turns to mush. Not really a loss, as that is well suited for chicken salad.

Then, after stripping the carcass, make stock from the bones, and add that to the reserved pot liquid. Reduce some. Great stuff. And put a bit of vinegar into the bones when making the stock. It will cloud up, but the vinegar melts a little of the bone, and gives a really good mineral boost to the stock.

I don't use better than bullion any more.

Here's my ethical note. I can't afford organic chicken all the time, either (and I've nopt been 26 for some time). But I suppose that when I do buy commodity chicken, if i save and render the fat, and reduce the bones and connective tissue to stock, I have at least wasted as little of the animal as possible.

[Rover]

Any chicken purchase I make is free-range and part of my reason, apart from quality/flavour/ethics is that I use every single aspect of it. I do eat a lot of chicken, so knowing that nothing goes to waste is important. I read a Nigella Lawson remark where she declared that she even scraped the bones from the plates of dinner guests to stash away in the freezer for stock. I've been doing that and more for a long time.

For me, it's actually an economy, not an expense. I get great chicken and fantastic stock, no waste and I'm happy with those choices. In addition, my office is one of those where there's always a bunch of catering deliveries going on. The leftovers are massive and I always scoop up the carrots, celery, etc., from the discarded veggie trays and they form the nucleus of my stock making. I always save onion trimmings, etc. from my routine food prep and, like others here, I have the makings of great stock in the freezer at a moment's notice.

[TheCulinaryLibrary]

In April this year I did a blog posting where I reviewed all liquid, powder and cubed commercial stock available on the Australian market. One of the interesting finds, to me, was the most expensive liquid stock retailed at $24/L! or the equivalent of spending $100 on ingredients for the home stock pot (assuming around 5L of end product!). Obviously home cooks can't bulk/buy food like restaurants to save costs on stock making but sometimes your local Asian market or China Town is just as cheap. Organic and freerange are often available( or just ask the suppliers to order you some), as are various cuts/carcassses/feet etc all at great prices and much cheaper than super or local markets.

[mskerr]

At any rate,here's a small tip. Take a whole chicken and cram it onto a slow cooker. Maybe sprinkle on some herbs and a bit of salt. Go away for about 8 hours. At 8 hours, you will most likely find a chicken ready to fall apart, sitting in a bath of its own juices, with a small amount of browned stuff around the edges where the once dry ceramic crisped the renderings. De-fatted, that juice will make the most amazing rich stock..

Then, after stripping the carcass, make stock from the bones, and add that to the reserved pot liquid. Reduce some. Great stuff. And put a bit of vinegar into the bones when making the stock. It will cloud up, but the vinegar melts a little of the bone, and gives a really good mineral boost to the stock.

Cheers for the tips! Funny, I just posted on another thread about how one of my favorite meals ever was a simple crock-pot chicken made by a friend when I was backpacking. Have been craving it lately.

[qrn]

I gave up on makeing the stuff my self and went to the restaurant supply place and buy Minors chicken base, stuff works wonders for all sorts of stuff ,including soups,Its great ,and you canbuy lots cause it does not spoil,in the reeferig

Bud