This is my standard method for making stock. However, I generally use well-scrubbed veggie scraps and peels instead of whole vegetables, especially in the winter when I'm going through a lot of celery, carrots and onions due to regularly making soup and having plenty of scraps on hand. I reduce mine quite a lot, so that 2 cups of stock are reduced down to one space in a silicone tray. I keep the stock cubes in a freezer container divided with small silicone sheets. The 2-cup cubes make it easy to whip together single servings of soup for anyone who is sick while also simplifying math for recipes.
@@liliasoleil I actually use a silicone ice cube tray that I already had, though soup silicone trays would probably work really well since they are meant to have specific volumes! I just looked at what I had and found that the large cubes my ice cube tray made were about 1/4 cup. I reduce my stock to 1/8 the volume to suit the size of the tray I use. I've also found that chilling the reduced stock first to let the gelatin set, then popping it into the freezer to get it really solid, decreases the potential for mess.
@@mollygardens6646 Of course! Isn't that why turkeys (and chickens, and cows, and sheep...) have bones? My gran was Scots, lived through the Great Depression. At 82, I'm still using some of her old kitchen utensils she gave me to furnish my first apartment. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
Re-roasting is a nice idea. I've been using leftover cooked bones all along. I also have some wings (They were the cheap wing you buy for parties, and I find them lacking in all respects, so I use them for stock. Lots of collagen in them) that I add. I also roast the onions and carrots. That brings out the sweetness in the veggies.
I always used the bones from my roasted chickens. I thought that was just how it was typically done. I am not wasting good chicken meat by throwing it away. If I want more gelatin, I just toss in some cheap chicken feet with my leftover bones.
Dear Helen thank you for all your awesome video’s! I tried to make chicken stock this week and I failed. I should have done some research with you first :) but thanks to this video a lot of my problems make sense. (Didn’t roast, didn’t cook long enough, didn’r have carrots). Thank you ❤
I would save the bones from my families plates, and probably close friends from casual dinners. But I don't think I would save the bones from peoples plates if it was after a dinner party or something like that with people I don't know super closely. Only because I don't want to weird anyone out .
Bones on the plate: depends on my dinner companion. I know at least one person who will eat every last scrap of meat, cartilage, skin, marrow, and tendons off a meat bone and leave it museum-clean on the plate. No point trying to make stock with those bones! You'd just end up with water!
@@DavidMFChapman Ah, gotcha. I’m definitely excited about trying this technique. If I remember correctly, Chef Jean Pierre uses this method in his Stock videos.
That's common wisdom, but I disagree. Pouring in stock into little compartments and then balancing that tray to get it into the fridge and stacking a several of these trays is a hassle. The only reason to use a tray is because of the assumption that once the stock is frozen it will be hard to cut. But it's not! It's very easy to cut in frozen state because of the huge amount of gelatin. I prefer to freeze in large portions and then cut with a knife into cubes.
@@helenrennie My ice cube trays have pop-on lids, so no risk of spillage. Once frozen, I just dump them into a big six liter freezer bag which then unceremoniously gets tossed into my chest freezer To be honest, though, a big part of why I prefer doing it this way is that the contents of said freezer are anything but ordered - a bag of ice cubes will adapt its shape to whatever is besides or below it and if it doesn't quite fit I can always push the contents around a bit until it does. Beats playing Tupperware-Tetris.
Okay but how do you get the liquid into the trays and then the trays into the freezer without making a big mess? I like to do this with things like lemon juice, but it’s a huge pain.
@@derimmerlugt3032you must be tidier than I am. My trays also have lids and I pour with a gooseneck pitcher, but while filling the trays and pressing the lids on, my counter gets covered in liquid
Not squeamish at all! The high heat kills germs just like I don’t care about the cook tasting what they are cooking with the same spoon over and over. Common sense has flown out the window why should a busy mom dirty five spoons tasting her spaghetti sauce while getting g her flavors right. She is smart enough not to do it if sick because her family is her main priority. All these germaphobic’s on YT should not watch cooking shows 😂 same with the plastic gloves just wash your hands and enjoy the cooking journey. 💖💞
I've always made stock from re-roasted bones since watching Julia Child make beef stock from roasted bones years (and years) ago. I applied that method to chicken and turkey. Delish! But I got the reduction-then-freeze method from you, Helen. That was a significant quality of life enhancement -- thank you!
Not squeamish about using bones from plates at all! Plus, there’s no need to advertise to your guests/family that you are doing it! I think it’s a great way to stretch your budget and get a high quality product. Ive done this with beef bones for years! I’ve even taken peoples leftover prime rib bones home from the restaurant, in a doggie bag! They make the absolute best soup stock! Thanks for another wonderful lesson.
when I started creating my own stock a couple years back, the difference was amazing. I collect bones from raw or cooked carcasses and freeze but was throwing the prime rib bones out as standard. After realizing the temps would kill anything I started collecting bones from plates after people left. I just don't tell anyone. I also do a lot of layering -Sunday sauces get rolled into braciola, which may get rolled into ragu's which may get rolled into pasta sauces. At each level its brought up to boil. the layering enhances deep profiling that I can't reproduce. But the reduced stock is a light version of demi-glace, which is the role model of flavor enhancement. Your episodes are great....your carmelized onions are really good.
Early in the video, when you showed a shot of "used" bones, I knew what you were going to do. I thought "Poor Helen, the safety police are going to lynch her." Personally, the concept makes perfect sense as far as I'm concerned. Cheers!
If I still ate meat, I think I'd be okay saving the bones from my immediate family but more squeamish about friends' and non-nuclear family members' plates.
I always hard roast leftover bones (chicken, pork, beef) and butchers offcuts for stock. I add carrots, onion, celery and bay leaves. First class stock! If you want more gelatin, throw in a few chicken feet.
@@docjoesweeney I always thought leftover bones were what most people made stick from. Maybe that's one of the differences in home cooking and being taught to cook in a professional kitchen.
When I make chicken stock, raw bones I cook for 36 hours. Rotisserie chicken bones I cook for six hours. I like the idea of re-roasting the bones again, I will be doing that.
@@bobbiek2960 I suggest investing in a pressure cooker or instantpot with a pressure cooker feature. It saves time and lowers total energy consumption.
Taste loss -- probably not. aroma loss -- possibly. I haven't done any side by side testing. Any prolonged boiling or simmering will lead to some aroma loss. But the point of this stock is aroma. it's primarily gelatin (for viscosity), umami, acidity, bitterness, and sweetness (the tastes developed by roasting). There is plenty of aroma left, but if a little is lost, it's not a big deal.
My mom and I both save both vege scraps and meat/bones. We keep any meat in separate bags, beef or chicken, and when that bag gets full, we make stock. We add some or all of our saved vege scraps to round out the flavor. I have definitely re-roasted bones before and the stock turned out wonderful. This weekend I actually made vege broth. I still need to reduce it, do a second strain, and then pack it for the freezer. Happy days! Regards from California.
I save all bones, also in gallon bags. When the bag is full, I roast them, and sometimes add carrots, onions, celery, and big peppers toward end of roasting as well. I add the spices and herbs to the big pot. I then make the stock. I strain, defat, and then pressure can4 pints if I have small amount, and up to 7 qt, maybe a few pints when I have a lot of bones to make broth. If I am making more than one kind, I use the qt size deli containers to store in fridge after cooling, until I have enough made to process a full canner of broth. I then reheat all of the same kind in one pot, then dispense into the canning jars, and close them up, and set them in the canner, as I finish all of the different kinds. Then I process as recommended. I let pot cool over night, remove rings, wash and dry jars before storage. I then label and put in pantry. Has saved a lot of money over the years. I start the whole process on a Friday afternoon, get the canner going on Sat. Then cool off by Sunday to have all put away by Sunday afternoon.😃
I'd have no problem with the "used" bones on this application but I know many people who would. Since I prefer to separate the meat before serving my bones would hardly ever touch someone's plate (or cutlery) anyways, plus I get a bit extra meat to cook when making the stock and I have no remorse for leaving the hardest to detach meat on the bones to be processed later. I made "canja de galinha" with roasted chicken leftovers this week (no oven at my mother's to re-roast them, I am visiting family overseas in Brazil) and it turned out pretty good and I also used a good percentage of the meat in the soup (good way to recover meat for overroasted / dry chicken). Thanks for another video on the topic! I am curious to try a random mix of bones and meat leftovers at some point in the future (I rarely buy meat with bones in, unless I am buying something specially to make stock or soup, I have some bone marrow waiting for me back home to make your winter borscht, it was by far the best soup I ever made, or had, served with crème fraiche as I didn't have sour cream, it was such a decadent treat!). Have a lovely pumpkin spice season 🎃(can we prepare a savory dish with it as a focal point? I could not resist sharing my unusual idea, sorry 😁)!
@@helenrennie Happy you liked it! I'll look forward one of those in person classes if/when I fly to Boston in the future. About the pumpkin spice, I think it would be interesting to have a savory entreé featuring those spices, since we usually see desserts and beverages, instead. I don't recall ever seeing a pumpkin spice leg of lamb roast or a pumpkin spice risotto. I don't know... I feel that pumpkin spice can give us interesting results but I never tried. Have a lovely week!
I don't have an instant pot or anything that cooks under pressure, but I often consider buying one only for the purpose of cooking bones. I think it would really help with the cooking time and the whole fuss of making a good stock. My only problem is that I am not really sure about the taste. Would quicker cooking spoil anything? Why nobody uses it for making stocks? Helen spends hours caring about it, roasting, boiling, straining, re-boiling.. this process has to have some sense.
I do approximately the same thing. I'll save bones from my own family's plates, but not from the plates of guests. Heat may kill any unwanted microorganisms, but it does not remove cooties. The leftover solids go to cats or dogs. I'll usually make curly (raman-type) noodles in the stock, and put scallions and sriracha sauce on the table for people to add to their own bowls.
I do the bones alone thing and don't bother with the roasting, and I'm not gonna lie, my phillistine palate doesn't notice. Half the time I don't even bother with vegetables, and when I do it's usually like, stems and scraps. Borderline compost material. To be fair, I'll try the roasting thing in the future though - I'm thinking about how getting that extra maillard flavor would help a lot when using that stock in braised dishes. flavor on flavor on flavor
Thank you! This video was great but when you clarified your position about taking bones from people's plates it became excelsis! I'm just a home cook, going by instinct (with a bit of scientific background) so to see your take on the matter was very reassuring. I realize you're not the USDA, by the way and won't follow up with any writs.
Love learning from you, thank you! I recently roasted two large chickens and saved the drippings which separated in the fridge. How would you recommend I use/store? Many thanks for any suggestions!
I make a preliminary stock using re-roasted bones from rotisserie chickens (I roast the bones, then pressure cook them with water for an hour). Then I use that for the "water" in the ATK 12-hour crock pot chicken-wing broth. So I guess it's a "double" stock? At any rate, it's so good. I use it mostly for soups and quick "stews."
If I recall, Julia Child would start a stock roasting both bones and veggies. Only time I make stock is from the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving, yes, the stock is priceless the next day. Not squeamish.
OMG! *HELEN - THANK-YOU!!!* You have just freed me from the shame of using the bones from our plates for stock! I started doing it just for myself and when I told my little secret to my husband he said we share saliva anyway and I'm boiling the heck out of it so he was perfectly fine with it! It's kicked up my broth making to a whole new level and we have since then enjoyed the tastiest healthiest soups and ramen noodle dishes and I love the frugality too. A tip I learned from a soup cookbook years ago is to REBOIL the bones and use THAT stock as a basis for vegetable soups. The logic was that there was residual nutrition in that second stock and it was better than plain water. That second broth is usually surprisingly tasty with noticeable gelatine which is so good for health. The Japanese use this "second stock" technique when making dashi from scratch, so everything has been done before somewhere, it's just now with the internet that we know so much. Thanks again and cheers from Oz!!
I've been making my own stock for years. And have always felt pleased, and just a bit smug about it. Helen, you give me a new twist on almost every concept I've held dear. Concentrate your stock!?!? Reroast roasted bones? But, like many of your suggestions, given a minute of thinking they make sense, you know, common cooking sense. But! Excuse me, I've got a roasted chicken carcass in the fridge, I was durn close to throwing it out. Thank You!
I would quibble over Helen's contrast of brown chicken stock made with bones and "blond chicken stock" made mostly from meat. I would call anything made from simmering large quantities of meat a "broth" not a "stock". White stock certainly does exist, it is made just like the brown stock except the bones are not roasted. It is generally used not so much for its flavor but to give body to sauces. White stock by itself would generally not be used as the basis of a soup, unlike a good white chicken broth.
Thanks I make stock two or three times a year. I will try roasting them. Good tip on amt of heat . I think my stock is muddy because I boiled it too high with the bones in.😊
Really fabulous if not free as the cost of energy to roast, make the stock and reduce it, and energy have some cost. I'm using this method, like my granny taught me, for more than 45 years and I strongly recommend it. Roasting/dehydrating the bones over a wood/charcoal fire, if/when available, add a delicious smoky flavor.
Oh I just love to make stock. I've roasted my collected bones on occasion; I'll pick that up next time, including the tomato paste. Love, love, love your videos!!!!
If it's a bone that came out of the chicken, no matter who was eating the 'finger licking good chicken', the bones, carcass, any hard to find left over meat on a plate. It all goes into the stock pot. Those are the rules, she who must be obeyed made those rules. Thanks mom for rules that work. Never a complaint so far. If anyone did, I'd pull their name and put them on the "To squeamish to invite for dinner again" list. Also a "mom's" rule. Cheers.
Excellent video Helen. I have been saving chicken and beef bones from roasts for years. I also freeze excess chicken skin and beef fat. Bones from people's plates are fair game for me as they will be simmering for 5 hours or so and I have never had a food safety issue. When I make stock I generally make a large stockpot worth, about 20 quarts, strain, let sit in fridge until the following morning, discard the fat, portion out and freeze.
I've always made stock from left over roast chicken bones. It seems a waste not to. I never thought of re-roasting them but I'm going to try that, it's a nice idea.
I’m not squeamish about that in the least… although sensitive to others so I just don’t mention. I think of it this way: nobody in my circle would dream of eating raw chicken with all the quadrillion bacteria on it until it’s cooked - a bone from a plate (or maybe a soup left out in the pot overnight) might have a few million new germs which all get cooked/ killed for the second use.
I do this ( but I’ve never re-roasted) and I’m not squeamish at all, but I won’t Bragg about it lol, of course after a delicious meal I rarely get asked about the origins of my stock 😉
Thank you Helen. What a brilliant idea. I've been using leftover chicken bones to make stock for years. I've found that I have to add bullion to boost the flavor. I never thought to roast them first.
I'm Canadian, and we had a quite famous author, commentator, newsman a few decades ago who wrote in one of his books that his wife made chicken soup from the remains of a military man's take out fried chicken, and it didn't bother them if one of the kids had some friends over for dinner. It wouldn't bother me one bit to use bones from other peoples plates. On the other hand, after the last few years, there have been fewer guests for dinner. My biggest problem is that I love broth/stock, and what the heck do I do with all the meat? Luckily, an asian market near me is selling chicken carcasses, sometimes I can get 3 for $2. What has always astounded me is how much even a little bit of tomato can add such richness to any broth. Thanks for your posting. Makes me want to buy another freezer just to store bones.
While the ideas in this vid are not new (America's Test Kitchen has recommended using rotisserie chicken carcasses for a least the last few years), I think this is a very well thought out system. Thanks, Helen!
just did this yesterday for our soup! i usually add the tomato paste when making chicken noodle soup, not the broth part, but i can't eat tomatoes anymore. so instead i tossed my veggies in a miso/water/oil mixture (i learned this from a bon appetit video) and i did cheat and start with low sodium chicken broth and it turned out amazing! edit: i had a bunch of rotisserie carcasses and some scraps from deboning chicken thighs saved up in the freezer!
I've been doing this for a year or two minus the roasting of the bones. I'll try that next time. I find the stock I get is way better than bouillon cubes and makes great chicken noodle soup
I am cool with it. I personally do it myself and never thought much of it. Specially since I make my stocks in a pressure cooker, but not I'll be sure to re roast those bones as well. More flavor.
Im totally ok to save the bones from the family or friends dinner and cook for myself or family, but you are coming on the thin ice if we are talking about f&b business. People are superstitious, and luck of education or understanding of processes what is going inside food during cooking will make your restaurant close very soon...
I save the bones from my Costco rotisserie chickens in the freezer. When I have 2 carcasses, I chuck them into the crockpot with water and run it overnight. I freeze the stock for easy use.
Whenever we buy a roast duck from the Chinese market, we always save the bones after we've eaten the meat off. Bones go in the instant pot with some water and the next day have broth for duck soup.
I worked in the merchant navy and the cook saved all the bones from meats and left over once a month we were would brown the bones or burn then as he would say we did this and then boiled them for the stock render it down and we would strain it and it produced the best stock we would freeze it and then use it as gravy starter that was fifty years ago and I still use this method today and every one says I make the best gravy around all because of the very good cooks I learned from every cook no matter how bad he was could make a few dishes really good I’m now 76and I still love cooking and am always free on advice
I've been doing this for years. I even keep the giblets and neck to throw in the stock. After I roast a chicken, I store the leftovers in the freezer until I have enough to make soup.
When you coat the bones with the tomato puree before placing the bones in the oven, it will take away the tart and sour flavor of the puree through the caramelization.
Adding bones to the freezer bag was my regular dinner chore as a child. Edited to add that my parents never served meat on the bone and neither do I - those bones are for the future, not for the plate.
i make stock in an instant pot. one small chicken carcass is all it can take. plenty of gelatine happening. i might try the second roasting. the current process definitely creates a very blonde stock.
i have saved bones in the past when i have time to make stock within a week or two, else it takes too much room in my freezer for too long, but no issue with using bones from peoples plates since it's heated in the roasting and boiling again at high temps
Hi Helen. Thank you for all your expertise and hard work. Quick question. When we are reducing stock, are we reducing only the water content (which we can add back later ) or are we also reducing flavour compounds so that we when we re add just water to reconstitute, the flavour is actually not added back? Thank you from Australia 😊
We are reducing the aroma some, but if the stock is intended for a sauce, earlier or later you are going to boil the hack out of it, so why not do it in bulk.
Hmm I will have to try roasting. I have been making chicken stock with bones only, after cutting down whole chickens. There is definitely plenty of raw meat on the back frame and wing tips and neck for a flavorful blond stock. I have been using an extra large Instant Pot twice in a row with 2 carcasses each, so 4 chickens total, and then reducing slowly over the stove until I get about 7 quarts, which is what it takes to fill up the 7 quart jars that go in my pressure canner. It's chicken only, no veg, no salt but that works great for most things I want to use it for. I don't really like having everything in the freezer because then I can never find anything, but I can see the value of having a very reduced stock (demi-glace?) on hand. I am not squeamish about bones that people have been chewing on. Then again, there are some people, probably people I wouldn''t want at my table anyway (!) where I would feel squeamish. How petty is that! It makes me think of the quote that goes something like this: If you don't like someone, the way they hold their spoon makes you furious. If you really like someone, they could drop their plate in your lap and you would burst out laughing.
I’ve been doing this since forever. I usually make mixed stock, chicken duck pork beef, I only make note if using lamb/goat bones, because they can take the flavour in a very different direction.
No squeamishness about using others' leftover bones here. This is a brilliant idea. An "Upside-down, squeezable ketchup bottle idea" (that term means it's something we should have been using all along - those who remember glass ketchup bottles that you had to hit will like the term).
I actually already save bones from plates! Or at least I request them and leave it to the diner's discretion. I also keep other scraps such as onion skins and carrot trimmings frozen in a bag for stock. I'd never considered roasting my roast chicken bones, but I'll definitely give it a try! I should also really start reducing my stocks. They take up so much space right now that I have to keep some containers in my friends' and family's freezers haha!
Never thought about re-roasting the bones but will from now on. Crock pot for 24 hrs, pour off stock and reduce. Bones go to the dogs…after 24 hrs they basically are mush and the dogs love them
Doesn't bother me one bit. All that boiling takes care of any greeblies and should anyone turn up with green slime dripping off their teeth they will not be getting their knees under my table.
I was thought that from my grandmother already 50 years ago... I am just greatful of that and thank you to give me back that memory lively. But I use that method myself now and then...
One of the many beautiful things about living in the north and heating with wood is the almost perpetual use of the stove for cooking. Stocks can slow simmer for many hours and they fill the home with the smell of love.
Not squeamish at all. Bones are gold. Give me the bones from your plate!
Agreed! I just don't have the time to do this wonderful process of stock making, so I have to buy from the local butcher.
i love that this process is not PRECIOUS. the bag of bones in the freezer can be added to as slowly or quickly as your circumstances allow.
I love that you still reassess ways to do things
I take everybody’s bones. I even take their lobster shells! Hard to make me squeamish 😂
This is my standard method for making stock. However, I generally use well-scrubbed veggie scraps and peels instead of whole vegetables, especially in the winter when I'm going through a lot of celery, carrots and onions due to regularly making soup and having plenty of scraps on hand.
I reduce mine quite a lot, so that 2 cups of stock are reduced down to one space in a silicone tray. I keep the stock cubes in a freezer container divided with small silicone sheets. The 2-cup cubes make it easy to whip together single servings of soup for anyone who is sick while also simplifying math for recipes.
are you using those soup silicone trays?
@@liliasoleil I actually use a silicone ice cube tray that I already had, though soup silicone trays would probably work really well since they are meant to have specific volumes!
I just looked at what I had and found that the large cubes my ice cube tray made were about 1/4 cup. I reduce my stock to 1/8 the volume to suit the size of the tray I use. I've also found that chilling the reduced stock first to let the gelatin set, then popping it into the freezer to get it really solid, decreases the potential for mess.
@@featheredskyblue oh cool!!
I usually discard my chicken bones but I'll start trying this out, thanks! I'm a novice in the kitchen but your channel has helped me. Looks delish!
That collagen is sooo good for your joints and belly. Try it. We detect less joint pain as we age, I’m 69.
I've been saving bones for years - when you're raised by a woman from Yorkshire you never throw out anything. They taught the Scots to be frugal! 🤣
My Texas grandmother may have had Yorkshire ancestors. She insisted on using the turkey carcass for stock. It was delicious!
@@mollygardens6646 Of course! Isn't that why turkeys (and chickens, and cows, and sheep...) have bones? My gran was Scots, lived through the Great Depression. At 82, I'm still using some of her old kitchen utensils she gave me to furnish my first apartment. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
Re-roasting is a nice idea. I've been using leftover cooked bones all along. I also have some wings (They were the cheap wing you buy for parties, and I find them lacking in all respects, so I use them for stock. Lots of collagen in them) that I add.
I also roast the onions and carrots. That brings out the sweetness in the veggies.
@@meershaum Roasting the onions and carrots is a good idea. I think I will try it next time.
I always make my stock from bones. It’s delicious!
I always used the bones from my roasted chickens. I thought that was just how it was typically done. I am not wasting good chicken meat by throwing it away. If I want more gelatin, I just toss in some cheap chicken feet with my leftover bones.
Dear Helen thank you for all your awesome video’s! I tried to make chicken stock this week and I failed. I should have done some research with you first :) but thanks to this video a lot of my problems make sense. (Didn’t roast, didn’t cook long enough, didn’r have carrots). Thank you ❤
This is how I have been making mine stock for years. Normally right after thanksgiving when I easily get 4 turkeys worth of cooked bones
I would save the bones from my families plates, and probably close friends from casual dinners. But I don't think I would save the bones from peoples plates if it was after a dinner party or something like that with people I don't know super closely. Only because I don't want to weird anyone out .
Bones on the plate: depends on my dinner companion. I know at least one person who will eat every last scrap of meat, cartilage, skin, marrow, and tendons off a meat bone and leave it museum-clean on the plate. No point trying to make stock with those bones! You'd just end up with water!
I’ve been doing this for years with chicken and turkey frames. I might try roasting the bones first, although it seems to be a lot of extra work!
Well, wasn’t your chicken and turkey frames already roasted?
@@markcummings6856the flesh was, but not the bones. Helen was roasting the bones after.
@@DavidMFChapman Ah, gotcha.
I’m definitely excited about trying this technique. If I remember correctly, Chef Jean Pierre uses this method in his Stock videos.
When freezing stock (or most liquids, really) I prefer using ice cube trays. Makes storage and portioning much less of a hassle.
That's common wisdom, but I disagree. Pouring in stock into little compartments and then balancing that tray to get it into the fridge and stacking a several of these trays is a hassle. The only reason to use a tray is because of the assumption that once the stock is frozen it will be hard to cut. But it's not! It's very easy to cut in frozen state because of the huge amount of gelatin. I prefer to freeze in large portions and then cut with a knife into cubes.
@@helenrennie My ice cube trays have pop-on lids, so no risk of spillage. Once frozen, I just dump them into a big six liter freezer bag which then unceremoniously gets tossed into my chest freezer
To be honest, though, a big part of why I prefer doing it this way is that the contents of said freezer are anything but ordered - a bag of ice cubes will adapt its shape to whatever is besides or below it and if it doesn't quite fit I can always push the contents around a bit until it does. Beats playing Tupperware-Tetris.
Okay but how do you get the liquid into the trays and then the trays into the freezer without making a big mess? I like to do this with things like lemon juice, but it’s a huge pain.
@@joyfulgirl91 As I said, my trays have lids. I just ladle in the broth, pop on the lid and put them in the freezer.
@@derimmerlugt3032you must be tidier than I am. My trays also have lids and I pour with a gooseneck pitcher, but while filling the trays and pressing the lids on, my counter gets covered in liquid
Not squeamish at all! The high heat kills germs just like I don’t care about the cook tasting what they are cooking with the same spoon over and over. Common sense has flown out the window why should a busy mom dirty five spoons tasting her spaghetti sauce while getting g her flavors right. She is smart enough not to do it if sick because her family is her main priority. All these germaphobic’s on YT should not watch cooking shows 😂 same with the plastic gloves just wash your hands and enjoy the cooking journey. 💖💞
I'll use them. Especially my son leaves too much on them. Boiling or using the PC is going to kill everything, though I'll skip you if you're sick.
I've always made stock from re-roasted bones since watching Julia Child make beef stock from roasted bones years (and years) ago. I applied that method to chicken and turkey. Delish! But I got the reduction-then-freeze method from you, Helen. That was a significant quality of life enhancement -- thank you!
Not squeamish about using bones from plates at all! Plus, there’s no need to advertise to your guests/family that you are doing it! I think it’s a great way to stretch your budget and get a high quality product. Ive done this with beef bones for years! I’ve even taken peoples leftover prime rib bones home from the restaurant, in a doggie bag! They make the absolute best soup stock! Thanks for another wonderful lesson.
when I started creating my own stock a couple years back, the difference was amazing. I collect bones from raw or cooked carcasses and freeze but was throwing the prime rib bones out as standard. After realizing the temps would kill anything I started collecting bones from plates after people left. I just don't tell anyone. I also do a lot of layering -Sunday sauces get rolled into braciola, which may get rolled into ragu's which may get rolled into pasta sauces. At each level its brought up to boil. the layering enhances deep profiling that I can't reproduce. But the reduced stock is a light version of demi-glace, which is the role model of flavor enhancement. Your episodes are great....your carmelized onions are really good.
Early in the video, when you showed a shot of "used" bones, I knew what you were going to do. I thought "Poor Helen, the safety police are going to lynch her." Personally, the concept makes perfect sense as far as I'm concerned. Cheers!
If I still ate meat, I think I'd be okay saving the bones from my immediate family but more squeamish about friends' and non-nuclear family members' plates.
Eating with cutlery and dissecting your meat from the bone and placing said bones discreetly in individual bowls, which can be whisked away...
I always hard roast leftover bones (chicken, pork, beef) and butchers offcuts for stock. I add carrots, onion, celery and bay leaves. First class stock! If you want more gelatin, throw in a few chicken feet.
@@docjoesweeney I always thought leftover bones were what most people made stick from. Maybe that's one of the differences in home cooking and being taught to cook in a professional kitchen.
@@maxpowers9129I am a very novice cook…even at 75! ☺️ What in the world is stick? Did you mean to type “stock?”
@@maxpowers9129 you cut the bones from the meat prior to serving, naturally!
This is amazing! I will save ALL of the chicken bones from now on and make this stock. Thank you!
When I make chicken stock, raw bones I cook for 36 hours. Rotisserie chicken bones I cook for six hours. I like the idea of re-roasting the bones again, I will be doing that.
@@bobbiek2960 I suggest investing in a pressure cooker or instantpot with a pressure cooker feature. It saves time and lowers total energy consumption.
@@maxpowers9129 I have both. I don’t mind making 30+ quarts at a time with my big cooker.
Helen, doesn't rigorous boiling while reducing lead to flavour loss?
Taste loss -- probably not. aroma loss -- possibly. I haven't done any side by side testing. Any prolonged boiling or simmering will lead to some aroma loss. But the point of this stock is aroma. it's primarily gelatin (for viscosity), umami, acidity, bitterness, and sweetness (the tastes developed by roasting). There is plenty of aroma left, but if a little is lost, it's not a big deal.
I also save the bones from everyone's😁 plate, LOL! I get LOTS of bones, especially after a big BBQ!
My mom and I both save both vege scraps and meat/bones. We keep any meat in separate bags, beef or chicken, and when that bag gets full, we make stock. We add some or all of our saved vege scraps to round out the flavor. I have definitely re-roasted bones before and the stock turned out wonderful. This weekend I actually made vege broth. I still need to reduce it, do a second strain, and then pack it for the freezer. Happy days! Regards from California.
I save all bones, also in gallon bags. When the bag is full, I roast them, and sometimes add carrots, onions, celery, and big peppers toward end of roasting as well. I add the spices and herbs to the big pot. I then make the stock. I strain, defat, and then pressure can4 pints if I have small amount, and up to 7 qt, maybe a few pints when I have a lot of bones to make broth. If I am making more than one kind, I use the qt size deli containers to store in fridge after cooling, until I have enough made to process a full canner of broth. I then reheat all of the same kind in one pot, then dispense into the canning jars, and close them up, and set them in the canner, as I finish all of the different kinds. Then I process as recommended. I let pot cool over night, remove rings, wash and dry jars before storage. I then label and put in pantry. Has saved a lot of money over the years. I start the whole process on a Friday afternoon, get the canner going on Sat. Then cool off by Sunday to have all put away by Sunday afternoon.😃
I'd have no problem with the "used" bones on this application but I know many people who would. Since I prefer to separate the meat before serving my bones would hardly ever touch someone's plate (or cutlery) anyways, plus I get a bit extra meat to cook when making the stock and I have no remorse for leaving the hardest to detach meat on the bones to be processed later. I made "canja de galinha" with roasted chicken leftovers this week (no oven at my mother's to re-roast them, I am visiting family overseas in Brazil) and it turned out pretty good and I also used a good percentage of the meat in the soup (good way to recover meat for overroasted / dry chicken).
Thanks for another video on the topic! I am curious to try a random mix of bones and meat leftovers at some point in the future (I rarely buy meat with bones in, unless I am buying something specially to make stock or soup, I have some bone marrow waiting for me back home to make your winter borscht, it was by far the best soup I ever made, or had, served with crème fraiche as I didn't have sour cream, it was such a decadent treat!).
Have a lovely pumpkin spice season 🎃(can we prepare a savory dish with it as a focal point? I could not resist sharing my unusual idea, sorry 😁)!
Thanks for the idea to re-roast the bones :) Hmm -- pumpkin. I'll give it some thought.
@@helenrennie Happy you liked it! I'll look forward one of those in person classes if/when I fly to Boston in the future.
About the pumpkin spice, I think it would be interesting to have a savory entreé featuring those spices, since we usually see desserts and beverages, instead.
I don't recall ever seeing a pumpkin spice leg of lamb roast or a pumpkin spice risotto. I don't know... I feel that pumpkin spice can give us interesting results but I never tried.
Have a lovely week!
I'm not squeamish about making stock from "used" bones, but my husband is grossed out by the very thought. Maybe I'll try again. Thanks, Helen!
FINALLY!!! Thank you! I have been wondering how to do this. We love your content!!!
When you roasting bone, throw in couple of chicken feet. It will increase the gelatinous and flavor.
I always ask for everyone's bones. Even if I'm at someone else's house!
"They're for my dog."
"Wait, you got a dog?"
"......... yes?"
I don't have an instant pot or anything that cooks under pressure, but I often consider buying one only for the purpose of cooking bones. I think it would really help with the cooking time and the whole fuss of making a good stock. My only problem is that I am not really sure about the taste. Would quicker cooking spoil anything? Why nobody uses it for making stocks? Helen spends hours caring about it, roasting, boiling, straining, re-boiling.. this process has to have some sense.
I do approximately the same thing. I'll save bones from my own family's plates, but not from the plates of guests. Heat may kill any unwanted microorganisms, but it does not remove cooties. The leftover solids go to cats or dogs. I'll usually make curly (raman-type) noodles in the stock, and put scallions and sriracha sauce on the table for people to add to their own bowls.
I take everyone's bones! I've only used precooked bones for my broth, but I've never REDUCED it! I will now. Thank you!
I do the bones alone thing and don't bother with the roasting, and I'm not gonna lie, my phillistine palate doesn't notice. Half the time I don't even bother with vegetables, and when I do it's usually like, stems and scraps. Borderline compost material. To be fair, I'll try the roasting thing in the future though - I'm thinking about how getting that extra maillard flavor would help a lot when using that stock in braised dishes. flavor on flavor on flavor
Thank you! This video was great but when you clarified your position about taking bones from people's plates it became excelsis! I'm just a home cook, going by instinct (with a bit of scientific background) so to see your take on the matter was very reassuring. I realize you're not the USDA, by the way and won't follow up with any writs.
Love learning from you, thank you! I recently roasted two large chickens and saved the drippings which separated in the fridge. How would you recommend I use/store? Many thanks for any suggestions!
I make a preliminary stock using re-roasted bones from rotisserie chickens (I roast the bones, then pressure cook them with water for an hour). Then I use that for the "water" in the ATK 12-hour crock pot chicken-wing broth. So I guess it's a "double" stock? At any rate, it's so good. I use it mostly for soups and quick "stews."
If I recall, Julia Child would start a stock roasting both bones and veggies. Only time I make stock is from the turkey carcass on Thanksgiving, yes, the stock is priceless the next day. Not squeamish.
OMG! *HELEN - THANK-YOU!!!* You have just freed me from the shame of using the bones from our plates for stock! I started doing it just for myself and when I told my little secret to my husband he said we share saliva anyway and I'm boiling the heck out of it so he was perfectly fine with it! It's kicked up my broth making to a whole new level and we have since then enjoyed the tastiest healthiest soups and ramen noodle dishes and I love the frugality too. A tip I learned from a soup cookbook years ago is to REBOIL the bones and use THAT stock as a basis for vegetable soups. The logic was that there was residual nutrition in that second stock and it was better than plain water. That second broth is usually surprisingly tasty with noticeable gelatine which is so good for health. The Japanese use this "second stock" technique when making dashi from scratch, so everything has been done before somewhere, it's just now with the internet that we know so much. Thanks again and cheers from Oz!!
This video is absolute platinum content! So brilliant of you to actually test it versus defending your opinion. Bravo Helen ! ❤
I've been making my own stock for years. And have always felt pleased, and just a bit smug about it. Helen, you give me a new twist on almost every concept I've held dear. Concentrate your stock!?!? Reroast roasted bones? But, like many of your suggestions, given a minute of thinking they make sense, you know, common cooking sense. But! Excuse me, I've got a roasted chicken carcass in the fridge, I was durn close to throwing it out. Thank You!
I would quibble over Helen's contrast of brown chicken stock made with bones and "blond chicken stock" made mostly from meat. I would call anything made from simmering large quantities of meat a "broth" not a "stock". White stock certainly does exist, it is made just like the brown stock except the bones are not roasted. It is generally used not so much for its flavor but to give body to sauces. White stock by itself would generally not be used as the basis of a soup, unlike a good white chicken broth.
Thanks I make stock two or three times a year. I will try roasting them. Good tip on amt of heat . I think my stock is muddy because I boiled it too high with the bones in.😊
Really fabulous if not free as the cost of energy to roast, make the stock and reduce it, and energy have some cost.
I'm using this method, like my granny taught me, for more than 45 years and I strongly recommend it. Roasting/dehydrating the bones over a wood/charcoal fire, if/when available, add a delicious smoky flavor.
Oh I just love to make stock. I've roasted my collected bones on occasion; I'll pick that up next time, including the tomato paste. Love, love, love your videos!!!!
If it's a bone that came out of the chicken, no matter who was eating the 'finger licking good chicken', the bones, carcass, any hard to find left over meat on a plate. It all goes into the stock pot. Those are the rules, she who must be obeyed made those rules. Thanks mom for rules that work. Never a complaint so far. If anyone did, I'd pull their name and put them on the "To squeamish to invite for dinner again" list. Also a "mom's" rule. Cheers.
Excellent video Helen. I have been saving chicken and beef bones from roasts for years. I also freeze excess chicken skin and beef fat. Bones from people's plates are fair game for me as they will be simmering for 5 hours or so and I have never had a food safety issue. When I make stock I generally make a large stockpot worth, about 20 quarts, strain, let sit in fridge until the following morning, discard the fat, portion out and freeze.
I've always made stock from left over roast chicken bones. It seems a waste not to. I never thought of re-roasting them but I'm going to try that, it's a nice idea.
I’m not squeamish about that in the least… although sensitive to others so I just don’t mention. I think of it this way: nobody in my circle would dream of eating raw chicken with all the quadrillion bacteria on it until it’s cooked - a bone from a plate (or maybe a soup left out in the pot overnight) might have a few million new germs which all get cooked/ killed for the second use.
I do this ( but I’ve never re-roasted) and I’m not squeamish at all, but I won’t Bragg about it lol, of course after a delicious meal I rarely get asked about the origins of my stock 😉
Thank you Helen. What a brilliant idea. I've been using leftover chicken bones to make stock for years. I've found that I have to add bullion to boost the flavor. I never thought to roast them first.
I'm Canadian, and we had a quite famous author, commentator, newsman a few decades ago who wrote in one of his books that his wife made chicken soup from the remains of a military man's take out fried chicken, and it didn't bother them if one of the kids had some friends over for dinner. It wouldn't bother me one bit to use bones from other peoples plates. On the other hand, after the last few years, there have been fewer guests for dinner. My biggest problem is that I love broth/stock, and what the heck do I do with all the meat? Luckily, an asian market near me is selling chicken carcasses, sometimes I can get 3 for $2. What has always astounded me is how much even a little bit of tomato can add such richness to any broth. Thanks for your posting. Makes me want to buy another freezer just to store bones.
While the ideas in this vid are not new (America's Test Kitchen has recommended using rotisserie chicken carcasses for a least the last few years), I think this is a very well thought out system. Thanks, Helen!
just did this yesterday for our soup! i usually add the tomato paste when making chicken noodle soup, not the broth part, but i can't eat tomatoes anymore. so instead i tossed my veggies in a miso/water/oil mixture (i learned this from a bon appetit video) and i did cheat and start with low sodium chicken broth and it turned out amazing! edit: i had a bunch of rotisserie carcasses and some scraps from deboning chicken thighs saved up in the freezer!
I've been doing this for a year or two minus the roasting of the bones. I'll try that next time.
I find the stock I get is way better than bouillon cubes and makes great chicken noodle soup
I am cool with it. I personally do it myself and never thought much of it. Specially since I make my stocks in a pressure cooker, but not I'll be sure to re roast those bones as well. More flavor.
Very cool technics!
Would we loose more nutrients when doing the rolling boil reducing? That would be my only concern.
Im totally ok to save the bones from the family or friends dinner and cook for myself or family, but you are coming on the thin ice if we are talking about f&b business. People are superstitious, and luck of education or understanding of processes what is going inside food during cooking will make your restaurant close very soon...
And big thanks for all tips what I shaved from your channel, great content, operator and editing job
This is definitely not intended for restaurant use or any other commercial operation.
I save the bones from my Costco rotisserie chickens in the freezer. When I have 2 carcasses, I chuck them into the crockpot with water and run it overnight. I freeze the stock for easy use.
Whenever we buy a roast duck from the Chinese market, we always save the bones after we've eaten the meat off. Bones go in the instant pot with some water and the next day have broth for duck soup.
I worked in the merchant navy and the cook saved all the bones from meats and left over once a month we were would brown the bones or burn then as he would say we did this and then boiled them for the stock render it down and we would strain it and it produced the best stock we would freeze it and then use it as gravy starter that was fifty years ago and I still use this method today and every one says I make the best gravy around all because of the very good cooks I learned from every cook no matter how bad he was could make a few dishes really good I’m now 76and I still love cooking and am always free on advice
I've been doing this for years. I even keep the giblets and neck to throw in the stock. After I roast a chicken, I store the leftovers in the freezer until I have enough to make soup.
If people are squeamish, I don’t tell them what goes into my food. If you enjoy sausage don’t ask how it’s made …
When you coat the bones with the tomato puree before placing the bones in the oven, it will take away the tart and sour flavor of the puree through the caramelization.
After dinner bones from plates go straight into a freezer bag. It never made me squeamish since they get cooked forever.
Adding bones to the freezer bag was my regular dinner chore as a child. Edited to add that my parents never served meat on the bone and neither do I - those bones are for the future, not for the plate.
i make stock in an instant pot. one small chicken carcass is all it can take. plenty of gelatine happening. i might try the second roasting. the current process definitely creates a very blonde stock.
I surreptitiously store the bones! No point throwing the out. But don't tell my family!
i have saved bones in the past when i have time to make stock within a week or two, else it takes too much room in my freezer for too long, but no issue with using bones from peoples plates since it's heated in the roasting and boiling again at high temps
Bones from other people's plates wouldn't trouble me at all. Bones is bones and we're going to boil the heck out of them for ages.
Awesome! Reduce, reuse, recycle...and enjoy the flavors while you do!
I found that leaving the grease in helps forming a seal on top of the stock in the jar. You can fish out and discard prior to use.
I've even gone as far to save the bones from fried chicken. They work too. I always give them a rinse to prevent any grease
roasted bones are the way to go, but I never use bones that have touched someone's lips.
I've always made my stock this way. I wasn't aware it was controversial.
It does take me mental effort to use scrap bones from peoples plates. I have done it but not very comfortably.
I have made stock out of leftover bones for decades. Thought that was normal.
I’m not squeamish but when I first thought or heard of it I was.
Thank you for these tips on making bone gole.
This was an excellent video on your behalf
Hi Helen. Thank you for all your expertise and hard work. Quick question. When we are reducing stock, are we reducing only the water content (which we can add back later ) or are we also reducing flavour compounds so that we when we re add just water to reconstitute, the flavour is actually not added back? Thank you from Australia 😊
We are reducing the aroma some, but if the stock is intended for a sauce, earlier or later you are going to boil the hack out of it, so why not do it in bulk.
So, it comes down to; do you prefer a blond or a dark!
Imagine a restaurant that takes customers' plates and collects the bones for their stock pot. The health department would shut them down so quickly. 🤢
Hmm I will have to try roasting. I have been making chicken stock with bones only, after cutting down whole chickens. There is definitely plenty of raw meat on the back frame and wing tips and neck for a flavorful blond stock. I have been using an extra large Instant Pot twice in a row with 2 carcasses each, so 4 chickens total, and then reducing slowly over the stove until I get about 7 quarts, which is what it takes to fill up the 7 quart jars that go in my pressure canner. It's chicken only, no veg, no salt but that works great for most things I want to use it for. I don't really like having everything in the freezer because then I can never find anything, but I can see the value of having a very reduced stock (demi-glace?) on hand.
I am not squeamish about bones that people have been chewing on. Then again, there are some people, probably people I wouldn''t want at my table anyway (!) where I would feel squeamish. How petty is that! It makes me think of the quote that goes something like this: If you don't like someone, the way they hold their spoon makes you furious. If you really like someone, they could drop their plate in your lap and you would burst out laughing.
I’ve been doing this since forever.
I usually make mixed stock, chicken duck pork beef, I only make note if using lamb/goat bones, because they can take the flavour in a very different direction.
No squeamishness about using others' leftover bones here. This is a brilliant idea. An "Upside-down, squeezable ketchup bottle idea" (that term means it's something we should have been using all along - those who remember glass ketchup bottles that you had to hit will like the term).
I actually already save bones from plates! Or at least I request them and leave it to the diner's discretion. I also keep other scraps such as onion skins and carrot trimmings frozen in a bag for stock.
I'd never considered roasting my roast chicken bones, but I'll definitely give it a try! I should also really start reducing my stocks. They take up so much space right now that I have to keep some containers in my friends' and family's freezers haha!
Never thought about re-roasting the bones but will from now on. Crock pot for 24 hrs, pour off stock and reduce. Bones go to the dogs…after 24 hrs they basically are mush and the dogs love them
Good, but not free. Energy to run stove $$$$
Bones from your guests plates? Even if they chewed on them? Not hygienic. Beurk.
Doesn't bother me one bit. All that boiling takes care of any greeblies and should anyone turn up with green slime dripping off their teeth they will not be getting their knees under my table.
I was thought that from my grandmother already 50 years ago... I am just greatful of that and thank you to give me back that memory lively. But I use that method myself now and then...
My concern is this would taste like a chicken that's been reheated multiple times. I hate that taste
You know, the taste that happens when you do something out of yesterdays chicken meat from the stock
One of the many beautiful things about living in the north and heating with wood is the almost perpetual use of the stove for cooking. Stocks can slow simmer for many hours and they fill the home with the smell of love.
Not squeamish at all. Great idea.