In an attempt to expand my limited cooking skills, I took a shot at making some chicken stock a few days ago. Easy enough, I thought: I bought a 5 lb bag of chicken bones from the meat department at the market (backs, necks and such with quite a bit of meat still on them), washed them thoroughly and put them all in a pot. I added about 1 1/2 gal of water, a chopped up a carrot, a chopped up piece of celery, and put in half an onion, a few bay leaves, some salt and peper. I brought it to a boil, skimmed the scum, then let it simmer, lid cracked slightly open, for about 3 hours. I strained the broth, and set it in the fridge over night. (I sampled it before I set it in the fridge and it was very tasty!)
So, I took it out the next day to skim the fat off the top and… what the hell is that gelatinous glob of glistening semi-liquid that was left over? I think it would turn into a liquid if I heated it, but is this what I was supposed to get? Where did I go wrong? Do I have to throw this stuff away? I didn’t “blanch” the chicken bones first, but that’s the only obviouis shortcut I took.
It’s okay. You did good. It will turn back to liquid when it’s heated. My stock (and soups and gravies made with stock) is always Poultry Jello after refrigeration.
Chicken stock will go to a jelly-like substance if left to cool. It will also melt when you reheat it. I don’t know the chemistry behind it, just that it does. If you watch any cooking shows, you might note that on occasion they will bring out some jelly-stock and melt it down to use in their dishes.
There’s absolutely nothing to freak about. It sounds like you did everything right, so melt it and enjoy your chicken-y goodness.
Fantastic. I find that raw chicken bones (like you used) just make a lighter-colored stock, and maybe a little milder, as I like the flavor boost from roasted chicken. But it’s *supposed * to gelatinize like that; it means that you did it right. Enjoy!
Well… the way to create gelatin is to subject the bones, skin, and connective tissue of an animal to prolonged boiling. Sounds very much like the sort of thing that happens when making stock.
You know, I should know that and it sounds like what was in my head when I wrote the post, but I couldn’t be bothered looking it up to confirm it and I didn’t just want to spout some bullshit
If it tasted good before you refrigerated it, it’ll taste good when you reheat it. Gelatin sets when cold, and melts when heated, it doesn’t really undergo any other changes, the stock will only be jelled when it’s in the fridge. There’s no need to thin it out, unless it just tastes too strong.
You only need enough water to keep the solid bits covered. As long as it’s wet, you’re good.
If it looks really yucky, you can pass it through a strainer or chinois lined with damp cheesecloth. Did you skim the protein buildup as it simmered? It shouldn’t bother the flavor, but it can make your stock cloudy.
If you are at the gelatin phase, you could likely water it down a fair bit. Taste as you go along.
If you want any more stock info, I really recommend the eGCI stock course.
Gelatinized stock is a sign you did it right and have a nice, rich meaty stock.
I like to leave the cap of solid fat undisturbed on top of the refrigerated stock. It seems to preserve the stock for a longer time in the fridge, assuming you poured the stock piping hot into its refrigerator container and put it directly into the refrigerator. Maybe the fat cap is sealing out bacteria, but the broth definitely keeps fresher longer.
Depends. Warm the stock until it is liquid. Taste it. If the flavor is too strong, dilute as rquired.
Stock tip: Next time roast the bones and aromatics (onions, celery, carrots, etc.) for an hour or so at 350 F. before making the stock. Deepens the flavor. You could also add a bouqet garni, which is a bundle of herbs of your choice tied up in cheesecloth.
I always wonder about this. Sometimes I have a bowl of stock that I vaguely remember making in the Nixon administration, and I say to myself, “Well, it’s had that nice coating of schmaltz on top of it, how could any nasty germs possibly penetrate that barrier?”
Yep, I was thinking I’d roast them first next time. I know about bouqet garni, but wanted to keep it simple the first time. I will try it, though. Seems like you have to buy a whole bunch of herbs and I figured I’d have to throw most of them away-- I don’t cook that much, and hate to be wasteful (must be that Catholic upbringing still haunting me). Do you have to use cheesecloth? I’ve seen it just tied up with butcher’s string.
Sausage Creature: Yes, I did skim the scum as it started to boil. I think I got most of it.
Does no-one more knowledgeable than I want to explain how this happens? Gelatin creation has been touched upon, but the reason why is that the bones and connective tissue et al releases collagen. You know they’ve given all they can give when the bones snap in half with a bit of pressure.
God, I hate it when I have to explain things cooking, because I’m not an analytical cook. I don’t even use recipes when cooking.
