A mystery in my stock pot

[scott123]

It's all about the veggies. If you'll pardon the pun, carrots are the root of your problem, and, to a small extent, the onions.

Heat + time = vegetable disintegration

The issue back in November was high heat. A rolling boil for 12 hours will annihilate a carrot. Even though you were nowhere near that temp on this occasion, the extended time had the same result.

By breaking down the veggies to this extent, you create particulate matter, which, in turn, settles on the bottom of the refrigerated stock and creates cloudiness. That's part of the problem. The other part stems from:

Dissolved starch + water + fat = emulsification

These dissolved veggies, specifically the starch containing carrot, are emulsifying some of the fat. This emulsified fat is lending additional cloudiness to the refrigerated stock.

This all being said, I'm not that certain regarding the consequentiality of the 'problem.' In fact, it may not even be a problem at all, depending on what you are using the stock for. I, personally, am not hung up on aesthetics. I don't serve consommé to my clientele nor do I require crystal clear stock for any other dish. Emulsified fat is also not a big no no for me, as almost all my applications involve some form of emulsification anyway. That's just me, though. If fat free crystal clear stock is your goal, then I'd either nix the veggies or add them quite a bit later in the cooking process.

[MarketStEl]

Thanks for the explanation, Scott.

I use the stock mainly as a gravy or soup base. As such, the vegetable flavor is not really a big issue for soup, which is likely to have veggies in it anyway. As a gravy base, it probably should taste more like turkey.

Edited to add: In gravies, the emulsified fat is not really a problem; in soup, it turns the soup gelatinous when I store it.

So next time: Into the Crock-Pot on Low for no more than 8-10 hours, I guess.

Edited January 16, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

Edited to add: In gravies, the emulsified fat is not really a problem; in soup, it turns the soup gelatinous when I store it.

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The collegan dissolved in the stock is what makes it gelatinous when you store it, not emulsified fat. Well made, perfectly clear and defatted stock should be gelatinous when chilled.

[MarketStEl]

Edited to add: In gravies, the emulsified fat is not really a problem; in soup, it turns the soup gelatinous when I store it.

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The collegan dissolved in the stock is what makes it gelatinous when you store it, not emulsified fat. Well made, perfectly clear and defatted stock should be gelatinous when chilled.

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Hmmm. This stuff's still liquid.

So once again, I have to wonder just what was in those solids.

[scott123]

Those solids are veggie particles and emulsified fat.

Take a carrot, put it in a blender and then add it to a gallon of water- the visual effect will be the same. A rising cloud.

Instead of blending the carrots, you cooked them to the same pulverized state.