Q&A -- Straining, defatting and reducing Unit 3

[UnConundrum]

I store my stocks two ways. I usually keep containers of a quart, or two, in regular plastic storage containers (in the freezer) for use in soups. If it sits a while, yes, I get ice crystals, but I try to keep a fat cap on the stock, and usually just ignore the crystals. For use in soup, I've never noticed a problem.

I also store stock for sauces in vacuum bags. I'll do half and full cup portions per bag, so I have either size, depending on my need. I freeze the bags of stock on a sheet pan so they lay flat, and are really easy to store being so flat. Never saw any ice crystals in the bags.

[Shalmanese]

Why do you care about the ice crystals? It's just water from the stock thats sublimated then refroze. It's not going to affect the taste of the stock one bit once it's fully thawed.

[fifi]

The few times I did try the ice cubes and tried to use some that were pretty much encased in ice crystals, they had a really rubbery exterior that I had a hard time incorportating into a quick pan sauce. But then, I did say I tend to keep these things around for a while so that cubes can get pretty dehydrated. I really don't worry about a few ice crystals but severe dehydration has been a problem for me.

(Now don't anyone say anything about that bag of cubes that got lost in the back of the freezer for a few months that I tried to use. )

[Marlene]

I like to have some cubes of reduced stock as they really finish off a sauce or a gravy nicely. However, I think my nex batch will try the i cup in a ziplock bag method.

Now for my next stupid stock question. I had turkey stock on the stove last night that I was starting to reduce. I had to turn it off as we needed to out. I woke up this morning and realized that I forgot to put it back in the fridge.

So is this stock contaminated now? Should I throw it out, or, if I start boiling it again will all potential bacteria die?

[mrbigjas]

did you put a lid on it?

i've done this in the past and strained and reboiled, and i'm not dead yet. that said, biologists use stock as a medium to grow bacterial cultures and whatnot, because it's so damn good at it.

i think the lid would be the key difference for me. who knows what might have fallen in it otherwise?

[Rachel Perlow]

I'd reboil it, and make sure to quick cool it afterwards. Also, in future, if you have to go out, just turn your flame down as low as it will go to maintain a safe heat, but not boil your pot dry.

[Shalmanese]

I like to have some cubes of reduced stock as they really finish off a sauce or a gravy nicely.  However, I think my nex batch will try the i cup in a ziplock bag method.

Now for my next stupid stock question.  I had turkey stock on the stove last night that I was starting to reduce.  I had to turn it off as we needed to out.  I woke up this morning and realized that I forgot to put it back in the fridge.

So is this stock contaminated now?  Should I throw it out, or, if I start boiling it again will all potential bacteria die?

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It's winter, at night time, in Canada. It should be fine. Just reboil it and all the buggies will die. After reboiling, if it has a sour taste to it, then it's off and you probably should chuck it. I doubt it could spoil overnight though.

[Marlene]

There is no way to prevent ice crystal formation in regular plastic bags. The conditions in a self defrosting freezer makes the problem worse. The moisture in the product stored sublimes into ice crystals. All of these regular bags are permeable to some extent so moisture is lost as well. The zip bags sold as "freezer" type are just thicker, still not the best for long term storage.

The exception is the vacuum sealing bags. They are made of a different plastic that has a much lower perm rating than the regular zip bags. Removing the air also gives sublimation "nowhere to go," so to speak.

I tend to store stock and reductions for a pretty long time so the ice cube trick doesn't work for me. I don't have the vacuum sealer thing and the thought of sealing individual cubes, so you don't have to drag the thing out to reseal, is just too fiddly to me. I use the smallest canning jars for the reductions, I think they are 4 ounces. If I just use half of that in some veggies for instance, the remainder will keep long enough in the fridge that I will use it up.

I have stored reductions in the little jars for months and they will have a few ice crystals on the surface at the most. If you fill them hot and a "vacuum" develops, even better.

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I've never tried to vacumn seal a bag of liquid before, but I've got some stock now that I'm going to try this with. I'll seal in one cup and 2 cup quantities I think.

[mrbigjas]

if you're going to vacuum seal a liquid, just freeze it first in your 1 and 2 cup portions, and then vacuum seal the the frozen blocks.

[Marlene]

Aha! That makes perfect sense.

[jmolinari]

Made some stock last night. I can't believe i've never thought about reducing it way way way down to make storage easier. That is frikkin' brilliant!!

Anyhow, anyone know how long the reduced chicken stock will last in the fridge? Are we talking weeks or months?

thanks

jason

[Rachel Perlow]

Days/Weeks. Technically you can reboil stock every few days to keep it from spoiling. But it is easier to just store it in small packages (1 or 1/2 cup in baggies or ice cube them) in the freezer.