I've found making my own stock is the cheapest & best way to get the flavours I'm looking for while also using up things that might have ended up in the trash. I can also regulate how much salt is used. I understand using the cubes of 'chicken' dust or the mostly water stock in the container when you're in a hurry but if I can avoid it, I usually do. Sorry, Rachel Ray. What kind of stock do you guys use? If you make it yourself share the recipe. I always like to try new things.
I try to keep it simple, because it's very easy for the costs to make a pot of fresh stock to skyrocket if you go out and buy all fresh ingredients solely for the purpose of making it. I can easily blow over $20 or more if I'm buying packs of fresh chicken, fresh celery, carrots, onions, and parsley, tomatoes, wine, peppercorns, and whatever else I may use in it. Instead, I keep a large bag in my freezer of vegetable scraps from the above listed veggies, and only use those, along with the bones and skin that I reserve when I get home from the store with packs of fresh chicken and I'm portioning them off into individual freezer bags of their own. My most basic recipe though is: The raw skin and bones from at least 10-12 chicken thighs One whole onion peeled and quartered About 6-8 large(ish) cloves of garlic, smashed Up to 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and about 1/2 tsp of whole peppercorns A handful of fresh parsley A few quarts of water, I think 6 since my pressure cooker can only hold 8 Pressure cook it all on high for 1 1/2 hours, then strain through cheese cloth into mason jars and store in fridge. I like to leave the fat in it when storing because it forms a seal in the jar and keeps the broth more air tight so it stays fresher longer. I only discard most (but not all, I like some fat in my soup for richness) just when I'm about to use. it. I think a little bit of fat at the top of the soup shows it was really home made. As for the carrots and celery, and any other veggies, I used to think they were required, but when a recipe I saw online said to not bother using them, I gave it a try and was impressed that the stock tasted just fine, if not a bit "cleaner". So I don't use any of them if I don't have scraps on hand. Same thing goes for the wine or tomato - some say to add them as an acid, which helps draw more flavor out of the bones, but I don't really notice much of a difference when I leave them out. Plus I'm cooking the heck out of the bones anyhow in the pressure cooker.
I agree with the above comment. I watched a video on how Jamie Oliver makes his stock, by boiling down the chicken bones with leek carrot and any beg you want to add and leaving it for an hour. This works really well especially if you plan on using it another day, I just freeze it and use it when I want to then, it saves using them awful stock cubes, they have no flavor!
I use the parts of the chicken we don't eat to boil down as the stock. If there are left over veggies that get too soggy I will freeze them to be added to the stock later and the whole batch is frozen.
Once or twice a month I like to prepare a rich fish stock made with fish heads and bones which I put in a pot to simmer between two to three hours. I like to use this type of stock to make a strong, nourishing soup with vegetables and herbs. It always vitalizes me when I feel run down and in need of some extra energy.
As everything I eat has to be made from scratch with totally natural ingredients - as I can't eat processed foods or commercially made products - I've always made my own stock and although many people think it time consuming - I actually find it quite the opposite - especially as its quick to prepare and usually simmers away on the stove whilst I'm doing other things. As others have already said - home-made stock is really easy to make and doesn't cost much either and can in fact cost almost nothing - as although carrots, onions, celery, parsley, tomato paste, mushrooms and or garlic make a very good base - you can literally use any vegetables or herbs that you currently have available or better still - as ohiotom76 has mentioned - save all your left over vegetable scraps - carrot, celery, tomato or pepper ends, spinach and broccoli stems, the green parts of leeks as well as the scraps and stems of fresh herbs - in a container in the freezer - which is what I do - as that way you always have the inexpensive makings of a tasty vegetable stock on hand without the need to buy any ingredients. For those that haven't yet tried making their own stock - as the ingredients of a good stock are not set in stone and all you need is a good base to which you can add your own choice of extra ingredients - here is a simple but tasty basic vegetable stock recipe that you might like to tryLog InLog In You may also enjoy this one - which although a little more involved is well worth the extra little bit of effort - as not only does it make a good quantity of excellent stock but is really economical - as it gives you a tasty soup too.Log InLog In - nearly forgot - once you've made your stock - you aren't restricted to using it just in soups or stews - as you can pop your home-made frozen stock cubes - into any almost any recipe that requires a touch of extra flavor
I try to stock up albeit on a small scale, there is something that drives me to value hard cash at the expense of goods, I think its the flexibility one has as you can buy anything. One period which I stock up with conviction is towards the rainy reason because being outdoors roses a challenge though mostly in cash rather than in kind.
We always have a “stock” in the freezer mostly for vegetable dishes. If you know chop suey, it is a Chinese dish with vegetables as the main ingredients – cabbage, carrots, celery, and any other green that you prefer. With garlic and onion, sautee it with a dash of salt then add the stock. When boiling, that’s the time to add the chopped vegetables. Easy eh? The stock I use is usually the leftover stock when boiling pork, chicken or beef. It’s also okay to mix the stocks that you have – pork and chicken is a nice combination. When there are vegetables in our backyard, you can guess that we cook a purely vegetable dish with the help of the stock in the freezer.
