I’ve been buying the “cheap chicken” at work, i.e. what’s on special or lowest cost or both, which frequently has bones in it. Saved up a big pile chicken bones with shreds of meaty bits and stuff. Piled a bunch in the crockpot, set it on low, and went to bed.
This morning - big pot o’ stock.
Put it in the refrigerator and will de-fat it later (I’m saving that sort of thing to make schmaltz with. Schmaltz is not made in a crockpot so any discussion of that will be in another thread).
So much easier than baby-sitting a bubbling cauldron on a gas or electric stove.
Will be making a pot o’ chicken stew in the near future.
Also have enough additional bones with meaty bits to make another entire pot, tucked away in the freezer.
Also, have to laugh at all those TV chefs who have recently “discovered” bone broth. Really? Been doing it that way for, oh, about 40 years now. Of course, now that they’re trying to make it trendy all those cheap throw-away bits like bones poor folks used to get for next to nothing (or sometimes actual nothing) at the butchers will now go up in price.
My crockpot experience has always been flavorless fall apart mush except for the time I went ‘off label’ and cooked on the keep warm setting. The food never got to a safe temperature but it was very good taste and texture wise. Something about the modern ones cook at too high a temperature and perhaps getting a older one would produce better results.
I save bones from any meal (even takeaway chinese ribs or KFC family buckets) in the freezer. When I have enough - usually on a Sunday- I put them in the slow cooker, cover with boiling water and leave it simmering all day. Then in the evening I make a big paella or risotto or something, using the stock. Totally different taste and texture when made with real stock vs a cube.
I tend not to do this overnight or the cooking smell keeps me awake.
Broomstick, do you add herbs and veg to your stockpot? I usually throw in at least a clove of garlic and some bay leaves.
Either that, or don’t cook it as long as directed.
It IS possible to overcook food in a crockpot. It took me a few episodes of “mush” to figure that out.
I usually just cook the straight chicken parts, no additives. Then, when I have the plain stock I’ll add various things depending on where I intend to take it or how I intend to use it. If I’m heading towards something Asian that calls for something different than my more European potato soup, as just two examples. That’s just the way I do it, your method is great, too, and sometimes I’ll go with that but usually it’s just plain, plain, plain - I usually don’t even add salt at the stock stage.
This is a dumb question I know but can you just save bones like you get from your rotisserie chicken? Maybe throw them in the freezer until you’re ready for a pot of stock, then boil away? I don’t eat tons of chicken with the bone in so I’d probably want to save up a bit before making. mmm, real chicken stock.
I do that all the time. Whenever we have a rotisserie or roasted chicken all the leftover bits ho into the freezer for later. I prefer the pressure cooker to the crock pot for easy stock. Tastes fresher to me.
I haven’t seen any celebrity chefs acting like they discovered “bone broth”. Most have been recommending making your own stock forever. I think the term is just new and trendy, but TV cooks talking about making stock is hardly new.
I make stock all the time and keep it in my freezer for soups, gravies, stir fries, and other cooking. Here’s my method; all ingredients to taste and depend on the size of your crockpot. Don’t overdo the clove or bay, though; even with a very large crockpot 3-4 bay leaves and 4-5 cloves seems to be enough.
Turkey or chicken bones
Celery stalk (or dried celery from Penzey’s)
Carrot
Onion cut in half (no need to peel as long as it’s clean)
garlic cut in half (again no need to peel)
Celery seed
Whole black peppercorns
bay leaf
cloves
splash of lemon juice or vinegar
splash of wine
water to cover all
If the bones are meaty and you want to use the meat bits, cook on high for a while (1-2 hours) to tenderize, then remove bones from the liquid and pick off the meat bits (if you cook the meat for hours and then retrieve it, it tends to be flavorless).
Return bones to crockpot and let cook for 8-12 hours on low. Strain, measure into containers, and freeze until needed. (You can let it cool in the fridge for a day and then skim the fat off before measuring and freezing, but I don’t.)
The long cooking extracts the collagen from the bones and makes a very rich broth that is gelatinous in the fridge. It is a wonderful base for pureed vegetable soup (just sweat the veggies in olive oil until soft, then puree in the blender with the broth, add a bit of evaporated milk and salt/pepper/herbs of your choice). I also make “Dutch gravy” (actually Pennsylvania Dutch) which is essentially a roux to which you add broth and a dab of cream, then thicken with a beaten egg yolk.
I also use rotisserie chicken bones and bits all the time. Pre-seasoned and nicely flavored stock is the result.
Back in the day when I made stock on the stovetop, I’d freeze veggie “tops and tails” and peelings (potatoes, mostly) and throw those in the stock as well, but I never have been able to make them work in the crock pot.
It’s less of a “cooking aficionado” trend and more of a “foodie” trend, as in, it’s a talked-about * thing * among people who are trendy about – and talk about how trendy they are about – the food they eat and not so much how they make it.
That I’ve seen- foodies treating it like it’s the next big hidden secret. The idea that celebrity chefs are just discovering it and presenting it on their shows doesn’t jive with my experience. I remember Alton Brown doing a whole episode on making stock in the pressure cooker years ago and Ina Garten doing one of her cooking basics shows on stock.
I may have confused “foodie” and “chef” - I don’t watch enough TV to keep up with the fine distinctions between all the “celebrities” I’ve either barely or never heard of.
