Stock vs. Broth Many people brought up the difference between "stock" and "broth". According to some English language sources, "stock" is made with bones, and "broth" is made with bones and meat. I really don't care what you call it as long as you know how to get the results you want. In French, it's just called "fond". In Russian, we don't have two words for it either. Lately people have been calling the bone stuff "bone broth." If you read the chapter on stocks in Judy Rodger's Zuni Cafe cookbook, you'll get a story of how she only used bones until a french colleague asked why doesn't she add some meat too -- won't it be tastier? The recipe for chicken stock in Zuni Cafe book uses every part of chicken except for breasts. Knowing cooking terminology and knowing how to make delicious food are not the same thing. Worry less about what to call it and worry more about how to make it tasty. Raw chicken carcass vs a carcass leftover from a roasted chicken If you cut up your own chickens, you can roast the carcasses, plus a few wing tips and end up with quite good stock because raw chicken will inevitably have some meat still left on it. A roasted chicken from which you ate all the meat doesn't. Unfortunately, finding raw chicken carcasses isn't easy. You can only get them if you cut up your own chickens. This is a pain in the ass for most home cooks for a few reasons. It's silly to make stock with one carcass. You need about 4 to fill an 8 quart pot. This leaves you with an awful lot of chicken to use up all at once. You can certainly do it one chicken at a time and freeze the carcasses. But even I find it a pain. If I want to serve my family breasts, I need 3. 1 chicken is too little and 2 are too much. If I want to serve legs, I'd rather buy 8 thighs than cut up 2 chickens to end up with 4 legs. Everyone loves to talk about cutting up their own chickens. But in reality very few people do it, and I completely understand why. I have tried every single stock procedure known to man, and starting with a store bought rotisserie chicken is the fastest way to end up with restaurant quality jus de poulet with the least amount of effort. You can call it whatever you want: "broth", "stock", "jus", "chicken juice". How do you make demi-glace? Demi-glace is stock reduced 4 times. I give a procedure for it in all my chicken stock videos.
Demi deserves a full video of it's own. If not it's own series of videos. Not just how to make it, but also how to use it, and derived sauces like Chateaubriand, Espagnole...
I don't think it's silly to make stock with only 1 carcass. Even if you only boil it for 2 hours without roasting the carcass first you get enough stock that you don't have to use a cube. I even buy chicken legs sometimes and debone them because often chicken legs are cheaper than buying a whole chicken - I guess because a lot of people like chicken breasts. Give me deboned legs any day, so much more flavor.
Check with your local butcher shop, quite often they will sell chicken carcasses. Also, nice video, it filled in some gaps for me, especially the part about making a sandwich, I will stop asking how many grams of bread to use.
I'm smacking myself on the side of the head right now! My freezer has quite a few quart size containers of stock. It never dawned on me to reduce, reduce, reduce my stock so that I could use the smaller containers like you recommended! Thank you for your wonderful tips!
Same here! I've been dreading making more stock because I'm out of freezer storage room, but I cannot make myself waste the ingredients. This was a big, old light bulb above my head moment for me. I learned a lot from this video.
You can also freeze them flat in a gallon bag so they don't take up much space. Of you have a big freezer you can stand them up like books. And break off frozen pieces, to use, if you want.
So, I don't know why this channel has never been in my suggestions until now, but I'm so happy it finally popped up. Always a treat to stumble across a binge-worthy vlog. Appreciate you sharing your insight and your very comfortable presentation.
This is my favorite video, here - I've made chicken stock regularly since getting my Instant Pot, & been pleased with the result but I've always started with raw chicken. After watching this video, I roasted the chicken (and vegetables) first, then put in IP to cook down - wow, what a game changer. The flavor is incredible, and MUCH better than a blonde stock. Thank you Helen!
I also use roasted chicken, but I take the lazy way out. I use pre-cooked chicken to save myself the time and effort of cooking it myself. Unfortunately (for my wallet) I've tried the local supermarkets whole roasted chickens and been disappointed with the flavor, but I've found that Boston Market's chickens make an excellent tasting stock. That just makes it an expensive stock (around $10USD for a whole, rotisserie cooked bird from Boston Market). I boil it down and freeze it in 1oz cubes.
Thank you for being very clear about the role of fat in flavourful cooking. I hear a lot of people say "fat is flavour" when they should be saying "fat carries flavour" ... notably the fat-soluble molecules found in the aromatics we use in cooking. Of course, fat also has a role in texture and mouthfeel/roundness but that is entirely separate as well.
If you guys refuse to waste meat of the chicken: simmer everything for an hour, take out chicken, let cool down just a bit, take all the meat off the bones - return bones to pot. Shredded chicken meat can be returned to soup later to add some texture.
@@charlieandhudsonspal1312 As far as I know its fine. Especially for cats. They primarily need protein, which wont be cooked out. Its always good to ask your vet though.
5:10 while the importance of fat is explained well, it's important to note that chicken skin is only about 5 to 10 percent fat. Most of its value comes from the collagen (and thus gelatin), which makes up about 35 percent of the skin's volume.
may I ask where you got this info? I could believe that for some parts of the skin that seem thinner, but when you get a really thick piece of skin from around the thigh area it seems to be mostly fat, when you slowly render it in a pan the resulting crispy skin seems to weigh a small fraction of original weight, whereas there seems to be a heavy amount of fat in the pan
So literally collagen makes up 35 percent of the skin volume which is responsible for the fat. Does that not imply that the skin is high in fat regardless of the 5% you mentioned earlier? Just curious
My dear great grandmother was a kitchen maid in NYC in 1908 and she learned many tricks she taught my grandmother and mother later on. One thing she taught me was how to make stock from a broiled chicken, duck or goose (we didn't use turkey in the 1970's in Germany) just using the bones. And that you always use everything from the bird - neck, tail and the insides - don't throw the fatty parts away, because you always need it. We always had duck and goose grease at home to use for cooking.
My boss was an old deli owner and he kinda taught me how to cook. We made our own chicken salad. We saved every (most) vegetable piece that we used during the week. Pieces of carrots and celery mostly. We then would boil two chickens in a pot with all the veggies. When done (this part is a little dangerous) we would pour the stock through a strainer into another pot then put the contents in plastic containers and refrigerate. The fat would rise and could be scooped right off. You also pull the chicken apart and place it in containers to chill to make chicken salad the next day. Our deli was popular because the food was fairly “homemade”. Anyway we wasted nothing!
@@sharroon7574 oh no the chicken tasted amazing. If my memory serves we cooked three to five a week in a 40 qt pot and that made enough chicken salad for a week. And enough stock for at least three soups. One of my regrets is I copied my boss’s soup recipes and lost them in a move. His butternut squash and tortilla soups would sell out.
@@sharroon7574 My guess is since they were boiling it and not making a stock it was for a short period of time and the flavor wasn't completely extracted from the meat.
I agree with Lisa. My (female) partner and I have a spare room for Helen, and I would love to delve into culinary deliciouness in the French language. "Wrong" onions, by the way??! Will there soon be "wrong" garlic? Hope not. God bless!
Helen, I so appreciate your information-packed videos. Your warm and friendly style of presenting makes me feel right at home, and I always come away feeling more confident in the kitchen. Thank you! 💕
I can't thank you enough for this video! I decided to get more serious about home cooking and to start with chicken and into stock, it seemed like the most useful and practical place to start but everyone tells you their own way. And I was desperately looking for useful information about the WHOLE process of stock from the chicken to the different applications of using the stock. This is SO HELPFUL. Thank you thank you!
I've found two ways to increase the flavor of stock made from the bones: 1) break the bones open with a pair of pliers so that the water has access to the marrow & 2) put the bones in a very hot oven for 10 minutes to produce browning via the Maillard reaction.
I thought you’re supposed to add some vinegar to the water to help soften the bones so they break open easier. I haven’t made chicken stock for a few years but I added a few tablespoons of vinegar the last time I made chicken stock.
I disagree - the video title isn’t click bait. I see the name Helen Rennie and I click immediately! That’s not bait either, I genuinely love this channel and Helen is a wonderful teacher!
There is no such thing as wasted chicken in my kitchen. Now I’m only cooking for one, so I use two legs or thighs , four or more wings with my older onion ,celery, carrots from my fridge bin in a pressure cooker. I remove the skin, bones, and my favorite cartilage from the bone ends. Use the meat in different recipes, stock ( as I call it) for soup and throw the mushy veggies away . HA, see no chicken wasted, only wilted veggies. Now, the skin and bone ends are my self indulgent treats. That may sound totally weird to most folks, but I’ve always been a little off.Lol! Helen, I’m addicted to your darling accent and humorous and utterly delicious recipes and helping points.🥰🥰❗️
Great video, love finally hearing the reasoning behind certain ideas that are simply "known" but never explained. I save all my old bones and extra chicken skin in the freezer to use for stock, whether I'm also using fresh chicken or not, it still adds to the flavour and there's no sense wasting them Roasting the bones will give them a better flavour for the stock. After freezing, or straight after pulling the cooked meat, place bones and skin on a lightly oiled pan, cover with foil and roast or broil on low. Check on them in a bit, and mix em around with a spatula and put them back in till browned (time depends on initial temp and amount of bones so just watch and wait) you want the gristle to be golden and the skin to be brown and crispy. Then, just like in this video, when it's roasted and ready to add to the pot, make sure to get all the tasty bits from the pan as well The roasting draws out flavour from the gristle, skin, and leftover meat bits, and makes the bones more brittle and easier for the marrow to come through. Cracking the bones also helps give it a richer flavour and more iron and nutrients from the marrow, which is easier to do after roasting
The flour analogy is a good one. I have always thought of backing as a science and cooking as an art. I prefer cooking because I don't like to be bothered measuring every ingredient.
No problem whatsoever with the click bait title when you give so much information, and you're always such a joy to watch! Thank you for your passion, your teaching abilities, and your simplicity!
This was fun - thank you. I keep my bits in my freezer and throw everything in a pot and boil when I can't get into my freezer any longer ... smells so good and tastes pretty good, too.
I just thought I knew how to make chicken stock. Been making frozen stock “pucks” for years. They take space and thaw slow. I’ll be making the reduced versions ASAP…several great tips in this vid. Thanks a zillion.
The onions don’t go with dogs even after cooking. Be careful! I’m sure they like it, tho! Maybe onions could be added after? I wonder! I give my chickens that kind of meat, as onions are safe for them after cooking so long but not dogs.
@@valeriesjeans I don’t give my dogs onions or garlic because I know it is not good for them but thank you for saying anyway (if I didn’t know I’d definitely want to)😜
This is so good. Thank you! I love how detailed your explanations are, especially when you talk about how recipes are typically given in a certain manner/format and WHY they are given like that. Knowing why stuff in the culinary world works the way it does is the most mysterious and confusing aspect of cooking for me. Thanks again!
I don't know how I missed this video 3 years ago, but thank you for making it! The idea of the lack of precision for making a sandwich and how you play with stock was the perfect concept to connect with me.
I only found your channel a few months ago, but I've started leaving the cartilage on the turkey carcass and the dryest parts on the meat in my bone stock and it made a HUGE difference. And as far as wasting the meat goes, I have a small dog. I'm willing to take my time and really pick out the meat from the bones when the stock is sived and use that to add some extra protein to his suppers. Nothing gets wasted when you have the time and a fussy Chihuahua who will ONLY eat meat products. 😂
I often make my own stock. I recently retrieved all the turkey parts from the holidays and made stock that those. It came out fantastic. These are great tips and I'll be using them from now on. For instance, I never thought of using my pressure cooker to speed up the cooking time. I simmered mine on the stove for 3 hours but I'll have to give this a try next time.
I use a combination of carcass and browned drumsticks and/or thighs. The meat is NEVER wasted!! I cook the drumsticks/thighs (plus veg and seasoning) for about 45 minutes. When the meat is cooked through and fall off the bone, I remove it from the stock pot, throw the bones, skins and cartilage back to the post and simmer for another hour. The meat is then made into chicken salad, or I've even used it to make a chicken pate!
I defrosted my freezer yesterday and made beef stock. I can't wait to reduce all that stock tonight, this video has a ton of useful information for soup / sauce / gravy lovers.
I always make chicken stock with a whole chicken and use the shredded chicken in curries and other meals. The stock serves as a base for my curries, goulashs and what not.
I’ve been making my stock, from bbq 🍗 chicken bones 🦴 for years now. The smoky flavors from which ever type of wood you use, mesquite, charcoal, cedar, ect ect, seem too give the stock a very distinctive type of flavor which seems unique, tasty and savory. 🍵 yummy 😋.
I like your analogy of bread to stock - it's so individual. But so IS flour! I "mess" with flour all the time! I try out substituting oat flour for wheat flour, and almond flour, etc. And I ALWAYS use whole grain flour no matter what the recipe says. As for verbiage, stock is something you cook with and broth is something serve or eat. Happy cooking!
Helen you have heard this a million times, you have great videos and your voice, the way your so natural and composed is like listening to ones favorite classical music. Your the kind of teacher I want to wake up in the morning and get to class on time, unlike others I have had in the past. (you know those types of teachers that show up to class 5 minutes late telling the students someone cut them off on a bridge, and in your mind you wonder why they just did not run them off the bridge)
I just found you. I'm a relatively decent home cook (and gardener). Jumping around your videos based on topic. Omigoodness - great stuff, you are filling in so many "gaps" for me. Thank you!
Thank you for so many good tips. I have been making my own for several years now (I raise meat chickens) and some of these tricks I had learned by trial and error. But you have taught me a lot more. One thing I like to do (I usually make a blond stock from raw backbones, skin and bits) is add the dark outer peel of a yellow onion. Gives the stock a nice color.
Well said. My mother taught me to cut up the large bones to release the marrow into the stock. She always made sure there was plenty of meat and skin left on the carcass (or added to the pot) for flavor and fat. She also taught me to not add salt until I was using it for cooking, because she used it for many purposes.
If you accidentally already ate the chicken meat (Like i tend to do, every time) you could roast the veggies thoroughly before adding them to the pot to get that same caramelisation. Not quite like broth from meat and fresh veggies but much tastier than simple bone broth. Great and informative video Helen!
ive been freezing containers of unreduced stock (I drink the broth like hot tea / thin soup). I’m gonna go get myself some icecube trays immediately so i can just use a cube and avoid the freezer jenga
I always add leftover corncobs to my chicken stock. It moderates the chickeny flavor. Any leftover butter on them might help too. I put a large handful of red grapes in the pot once as a lark. The stock came out pink but pleasingly tasty.
This is the best discussion of stock I have ever heard. Thank you so much for readjusting my perspective--and giving me a couple of laughs. It's like you have been spying on me in my kitchen...
Valid tips, I have never used already cooked animal parts for stock or broth. Great advice and I will use it. Thank you. When I prepare vegetables for cooking I save everything that I would discard, like greens, roots, skins... Then I put these into a pot with water and make vegetable stock. Just like you do with your chicken left-overs I put it in the freezer until I have enough of it. I use the same principle: I have paid it, I could eat it raw, but some of it I would not want in an elegant dish.
My Grandmother was Russian and for some reason I failed to recognize your accent... not that it matters - Your wonderful content transcends all accents :) I love this stock video. Thank You for this.
Made stock from one rotisserie carcus + skin and some meat. Left to cool overnight in fridge. Today there's a distinct gelatinous wobble. Thanks Helen.
A couple of things that I might have added to this great explanation is the use of tomato paste to coat the chicken and veg and then roast it to build umami, and adding bay leaves.
In my opinion, chicken thighs make the best stock. With skin on. Plus, they are also the least expensive cut of chicken. They have ample fat and their dark meat has much more flavor than white meat. I won't cut up a chicken as I have a fear (phobia?) of spreading salmonella while cutting up the chicken. I buy them in bulk and then individually bag them in sandwich bags which I freeze. I put those in a reused bread bag which I can tie off and leave in the deep freeze. When I want some stock, I give it a few hours head start and just throw two or three in a crock pot while still frozen with three or four cups of water (enough to comfortably cover them). I believe it is much easier to clean up and sanitize my work area this way. After four hours or so, I have my stock plus the meat will fall off the bones. The dogs get the rubbery skin as a treat. I usually end up using the meat in a green salad, put into the dish, or make chicken salad for sandwiches. The dried bones and cartilage get crushed and recycled into the compost. The only thing going in the garbage is the packaging.
When I go to the local “club” store I usually buy several rotisserie chickens. I debone the chickens and use the meat for soups, casseroles, chicken salad or whatever. I take the skin and bones, cover them with water, add spices and simmer for a couple of hours very low. Once done, I strain and freeze the stock. It’s wonderful to have when making soup.
Yes, the 'click bait' worked instantaneously for me. But valuable information after one click is hardly 'click bait.' I was knee-deep in work when your notification popped up- "Squirrel!" This still prompted me to use the half of rotisserie chicken sitting idle in my fridge. These were very good subtle tips! Thank you.
You seem to hit every single point and question that arises after watching a million "expert" videos that throw theories out there. Your content is unbelievably good, pls keep it up.
Thank you for another great video Helen. Not sure if you're going to see my questions (and I apologize in advance if they sounds silly) but here we go: 1 - When you use cicken bones "left overs" do you actually use the bones that people left on their plates after eating? 2 - I only buy frozen whole chickens, can I dethaw it, separate the carcass from the rest and the chicken and freeze the carcass again in order to accumulate enough carcasses for a batch of stock? Obviously my main concern with both questions is food contamination and poisoning.
I like her logic. Really good fundamentals. I like the gelatin trick. Didn't learn that at culinary school, but figured it out after reading On Cooking and learning the chemistry. I'll have to try the pressure cooker way to make stock. At school we only learned the long way to make it. Unless you have a huge pressure cooker at a restaurant, it's not practical to do it that way. It might work in a pinch at home, but I like to make a lot of stock and freeze it so I don't have to make it everyday in a pressure cooker.
I use chicken thighs cooked in stock, to make a rich base for homemade chicken soup. I use about 2/3 the meat from 4 thighs in the soup, and the other 3rd goes to give the dog a little healthy, freshly made protein - I store her chicken in the fridge and dole it out a little at a time over the next several days. When I occasionally bring home a freshly roasted chicken from the store, I make sure to save all the lovely juices from the chicken in the bottom of the tray and freeze them for times I need to make gravy or up the flavor of soup or some such thing.
Thank you so much. I am a great believer in common sense and experience and that everything will not always come out well, but that doesnt mena to stop trying
I worked at a gas station deli for several years. We would boil a whole chicken, save the broth for use in other recipes, debone the meat to bake in cornbread dressing or make a chicken taco casserole.
I make stock the old fashioned way most of the time, and it’s great. But I have to say, Williams-Sonoma sells excellent demi glace. It’s true demi glace - which means it’s expensive (~$25 for 8-10 ounces). But when you consider the cost of ingredients, time required to make your own, and the volume of reconstituted stock you can get from demi glace, it’s a good option if it’s in your budget. It keeps in the refrigerator for months, or indefinitely in the freezer. Love your videos, Helen! You’re one of the best cooking channels on UA-cam. #realcomment
yes, there are definitely some good store bought options for demi-glace which is basically what I am making with my stock. bonewerks' makes and excellent one too. But there are also horrible store bought options that taste like tomato paste with a hint of meat.
I roast chickens, and Turkey stuffed with mirepoix. It makes the bird delicious, and then the drippings make a great stock. (Also, very flavorful gravy, what have you) Honestly, mirepoix chicken is pretty much the only way I cook a whole chicken any more. If you insist on making dressing, you can use the drippings from that to cook it in, but you don't dry out the bird by packing it full of bread. You keep it moist by packing it full of succulent veg, and they (1/2 celery, 1/4 each onion, and carrots, in stew chunks) flavor the meat nicely. The "Secret" is the herbs, and spices I season it with.
After watching this, I know we can be best friends! My lazy stock is to use the legs, wings and carcass of 2-3 Costco rotisserie chickens in a crockpot along with carrots, onion, celery, bay leaf, handful of peppercorns, and any herb stems on hand. Cook on low all night long. It extracts so much collagen/gelatin. Strain out and reduce. Gives a silky body to every thing from soups to gumbo. People are always surprised when they ask what my “secret” ingredient is and I tell them it is just my crockpot stock.
Question: Talk about the uses of a remouillage from chicken. Can or should it be reduced or just used straight? Is it likely to be as strong as, say, a reconstituted brown stock for a soup?
I understand people dislike the idea of wasting meat on stock. Cooking good food means you are putting extra effort to get something that is more than what is strictly needed to survive. That extra effort might be additional work or additional expense. That saffron is definitely not absolutely necessary but you buy it because you want, not because you need it. If you absolutely have to cook for the least amount of money you can -- don't do stock. Stock is expensive both in preparation and in the ingredients. As an alternative, you can throw in the meat with the bones and then eat meat off the bones or throw in meat and bones separately, then fish out bones to discard them. This is perfectly acceptable to get good range of delicious, nutritious soups.
I've made stock from leftover bones that was wonderful. I did NOT use a pressure cooker, and spent at least fours on the endeavor. I also cracked the large bones to expose the marrow.
I really like this. I have been cooking for 35 years or so, and as much as I wanted, I never really understood stock. And it seems all that time, no one really bothered to want to show me. And although I've asked these questions in my head 1000x times, I never thought to ask them. I have to say though, I was very nearly put off by the clickbait title.
Asian cooking techniques in making stock will often briefly blanch and rinse the bones/parts first to reduce the "gaminess" or to produce a "cleaner" stock, including washing the pot and dumping all the original blanching water. In my experience it makes a difference to include this extra step when making blond stock but not with brown stock, and I think this is more necessary when making beef stock than it is when making chicken stock, but I'm curious to know your thoughts on this. Also since I've been frequenting Asian grocery stores I have been using raw chicken feet sold there to make my stock and I have to say it produces the most gelatin per volume of water, so for me that means less reducing and less time to achieve the same level of gelatin-i-ness, but I admit the flavor is maybe not quite as deep as you could get when including more meaty parts like wings and legs. Chicken feet at my local Asian market are between $1.99/lb and $2.39/lb, which is pretty cheap and worth every penny, IMO. If you can get over the macabre appearance of the feet, I highly recommend their use in making stock.
Stock vs. Broth
Many people brought up the difference between "stock" and "broth". According to some English language sources, "stock" is made with bones, and "broth" is made with bones and meat. I really don't care what you call it as long as you know how to get the results you want. In French, it's just called "fond". In Russian, we don't have two words for it either. Lately people have been calling the bone stuff "bone broth." If you read the chapter on stocks in Judy Rodger's Zuni Cafe cookbook, you'll get a story of how she only used bones until a french colleague asked why doesn't she add some meat too -- won't it be tastier? The recipe for chicken stock in Zuni Cafe book uses every part of chicken except for breasts. Knowing cooking terminology and knowing how to make delicious food are not the same thing. Worry less about what to call it and worry more about how to make it tasty.
Raw chicken carcass vs a carcass leftover from a roasted chicken
If you cut up your own chickens, you can roast the carcasses, plus a few wing tips and end up with quite good stock because raw chicken will inevitably have some meat still left on it. A roasted chicken from which you ate all the meat doesn't. Unfortunately, finding raw chicken carcasses isn't easy. You can only get them if you cut up your own chickens. This is a pain in the ass for most home cooks for a few reasons. It's silly to make stock with one carcass. You need about 4 to fill an 8 quart pot. This leaves you with an awful lot of chicken to use up all at once. You can certainly do it one chicken at a time and freeze the carcasses. But even I find it a pain. If I want to serve my family breasts, I need 3. 1 chicken is too little and 2 are too much. If I want to serve legs, I'd rather buy 8 thighs than cut up 2 chickens to end up with 4 legs. Everyone loves to talk about cutting up their own chickens. But in reality very few people do it, and I completely understand why. I have tried every single stock procedure known to man, and starting with a store bought rotisserie chicken is the fastest way to end up with restaurant quality jus de poulet with the least amount of effort. You can call it whatever you want: "broth", "stock", "jus", "chicken juice".
How do you make demi-glace?
Demi-glace is stock reduced 4 times. I give a procedure for it in all my chicken stock videos.
Demi deserves a full video of it's own. If not it's own series of videos. Not just how to make it, but also how to use it, and derived sauces like Chateaubriand, Espagnole...
I don't think it's silly to make stock with only 1 carcass. Even if you only boil it for 2 hours without roasting the carcass first you get enough stock that you don't have to use a cube. I even buy chicken legs sometimes and debone them because often chicken legs are cheaper than buying a whole chicken - I guess because a lot of people like chicken breasts. Give me deboned legs any day, so much more flavor.
Some Chinese supermarkets have raw chicken carcasses for sale.
Check with your local butcher shop, quite often they will sell chicken carcasses. Also, nice video, it filled in some gaps for me, especially the part about making a sandwich, I will stop asking how many grams of bread to use.
U should realy watch escoffier's version , he was the master of it all.
I'm smacking myself on the side of the head right now! My freezer has quite a few quart size containers of stock. It never dawned on me to reduce, reduce, reduce my stock so that I could use the smaller containers like you recommended! Thank you for your wonderful tips!
Hey, careful of the carbon footprint!
Same here! I've been dreading making more stock because I'm out of freezer storage room, but I cannot make myself waste the ingredients. This was a big, old light bulb above my head moment for me. I learned a lot from this video.
@@jerrytang3146 I do worry about that. Reducing stock can use a lot of gas.
Ofetn I use older stock in freezer to make 2nd "generation" stock with more bones.
You can also freeze them flat in a gallon bag so they don't take up much space. Of you have a big freezer you can stand them up like books. And break off frozen pieces, to use, if you want.
So, I don't know why this channel has never been in my suggestions until now, but I'm so happy it finally popped up. Always a treat to stumble across a binge-worthy vlog. Appreciate you sharing your insight and your very comfortable presentation.
Same here! I'm in love with Helen and her channel.
This is my favorite video, here - I've made chicken stock regularly since getting my Instant Pot, & been pleased with the result but I've always started with raw chicken. After watching this video, I roasted the chicken (and vegetables) first, then put in IP to cook down - wow, what a game changer. The flavor is incredible, and MUCH better than a blonde stock. Thank you Helen!
I also use roasted chicken, but I take the lazy way out. I use pre-cooked chicken to save myself the time and effort of cooking it myself. Unfortunately (for my wallet) I've tried the local supermarkets whole roasted chickens and been disappointed with the flavor, but I've found that Boston Market's chickens make an excellent tasting stock. That just makes it an expensive stock (around $10USD for a whole, rotisserie cooked bird from Boston Market). I boil it down and freeze it in 1oz cubes.
Joke's on you, Helen. I would have clicked whatever the title.
Same!
Without question! 👍
Truth.
Yep I agree
Fact.
Gamestop and AMC stocks in the news, Helen being cheeky and puts out a video on "stock". Coincidence? I think not.
Time to invest in Helen’s stock.
time to increase my BRoth IRA.
@@dannybrown5889 "I like this stock, that's all."
@@dubiousprime2021 good one!
@@Jotakumon "her"stock
Thank you for being very clear about the role of fat in flavourful cooking. I hear a lot of people say "fat is flavour" when they should be saying "fat carries flavour" ... notably the fat-soluble molecules found in the aromatics we use in cooking. Of course, fat also has a role in texture and mouthfeel/roundness but that is entirely separate as well.
If you guys refuse to waste meat of the chicken: simmer everything for an hour, take out chicken, let cool down just a bit, take all the meat off the bones - return bones to pot. Shredded chicken meat can be returned to soup later to add some texture.
It makes for healthier food for pets too that ultimately saves money as well
@@SuWoopSparrow I was thinking about that. If you leave the meat in for the whole process are the nutrients cooked out?
@@charlieandhudsonspal1312 As far as I know its fine. Especially for cats. They primarily need protein, which wont be cooked out. Its always good to ask your vet though.
@@SuWoopSparrow Yep, that’s what we do. The meat bits go to make a ‘topper’ for the dog’s kibble. He loves it.
Also great for chicken salad or any situation where you need some plain cooked chicken
5:10 while the importance of fat is explained well, it's important to note that chicken skin is only about 5 to 10 percent fat. Most of its value comes from the collagen (and thus gelatin), which makes up about 35 percent of the skin's volume.
great point!
may I ask where you got this info? I could believe that for some parts of the skin that seem thinner, but when you get a really thick piece of skin from around the thigh area it seems to be mostly fat, when you slowly render it in a pan the resulting crispy skin seems to weigh a small fraction of original weight, whereas there seems to be a heavy amount of fat in the pan
So literally collagen makes up 35 percent of the skin volume which is responsible for the fat. Does that not imply that the skin is high in fat regardless of the 5% you mentioned earlier? Just curious
@@austindenny7094 About two thirds of skin is water, so you also need to take that into account.
@Harry Taylor Collagen is a protein not a fat.
@@valvenator thank you
My dear great grandmother was a kitchen maid in NYC in 1908 and she learned many tricks she taught my grandmother and mother later on. One thing she taught me was how to make stock from a broiled chicken, duck or goose (we didn't use turkey in the 1970's in Germany) just using the bones. And that you always use everything from the bird - neck, tail and the insides - don't throw the fatty parts away, because you always need it. We always had duck and goose grease at home to use for cooking.
My boss was an old deli owner and he kinda taught me how to cook. We made our own chicken salad. We saved every (most) vegetable piece that we used during the week. Pieces of carrots and celery mostly. We then would boil two chickens in a pot with all the veggies. When done (this part is a little dangerous) we would pour the stock through a strainer into another pot then put the contents in plastic containers and refrigerate. The fat would rise and could be scooped right off. You also pull the chicken apart and place it in containers to chill to make chicken salad the next day. Our deli was popular because the food was fairly “homemade”. Anyway we wasted nothing!
I'm surprised the chicken was edible after making stock with it.
@@sharroon7574 oh no the chicken tasted amazing. If my memory serves we cooked three to five a week in a 40 qt pot and that made enough chicken salad for a week. And enough stock for at least three soups. One of my regrets is I copied my boss’s soup recipes and lost them in a move. His butternut squash and tortilla soups would sell out.
@@sharroon7574 My guess is since they were boiling it and not making a stock it was for a short period of time and the flavor wasn't completely extracted from the meat.
@@anullhandle , and the texture not compromised.
That’s how I was taught Pennsylvania cooking
That was a “Master Class” on stock! Wonderful info! Thank you, Helen!
I agree with Lisa. My (female) partner and I have a spare room for Helen, and I would love to delve into culinary deliciouness in the French language. "Wrong" onions, by the way??! Will there soon be "wrong" garlic? Hope not. God bless!
Helen, I so appreciate your information-packed videos. Your warm and friendly style of presenting makes me feel right at home, and I always come away feeling more confident in the kitchen. Thank you! 💕
I can't thank you enough for this video! I decided to get more serious about home cooking and to start with chicken and into stock, it seemed like the most useful and practical place to start but everyone tells you their own way. And I was desperately looking for useful information about the WHOLE process of stock from the chicken to the different applications of using the stock. This is SO HELPFUL. Thank you thank you!
I've found two ways to increase the flavor of stock made from the bones: 1) break the bones open with a pair of pliers so that the water has access to the marrow & 2) put the bones in a very hot oven for 10 minutes to produce browning via the Maillard reaction.
This is absolutely correct. Roasting the bones a second time is great and breaking open the bones is a big deal.
Shhhhhhhh,..... That's the stock secret we're not supposed to tell anyone, especially Helen!
Now she's going to go blab it all over the internet!
I thought you’re supposed to add some vinegar to the water to help soften the bones so they break open easier. I haven’t made chicken stock for a few years but I added a few tablespoons of vinegar the last time I made chicken stock.
@@michaelg.294 😂😂😂👏👏
@@michaelg.294 : LOL Thanks for the chuckle ! 😄
I disagree - the video title isn’t click bait. I see the name Helen Rennie and I click immediately! That’s not bait either, I genuinely love this channel and Helen is a wonderful teacher!
There is no such thing as wasted chicken in my kitchen. Now I’m only cooking for one, so I use two legs or thighs , four or more wings with my older onion ,celery, carrots from my fridge bin in a pressure cooker. I remove the skin, bones, and my favorite cartilage from the bone ends. Use the meat in different recipes, stock ( as I call it) for soup and throw the mushy veggies away . HA, see no chicken wasted, only wilted veggies. Now, the skin and bone ends are my self indulgent treats. That may sound totally weird to most folks, but I’ve always been a little off.Lol! Helen, I’m addicted to your darling accent and humorous and utterly delicious recipes and helping points.🥰🥰❗️
Great video, love finally hearing the reasoning behind certain ideas that are simply "known" but never explained.
I save all my old bones and extra chicken skin in the freezer to use for stock, whether I'm also using fresh chicken or not, it still adds to the flavour and there's no sense wasting them
Roasting the bones will give them a better flavour for the stock. After freezing, or straight after pulling the cooked meat, place bones and skin on a lightly oiled pan, cover with foil and roast or broil on low.
Check on them in a bit, and mix em around with a spatula and put them back in till browned (time depends on initial temp and amount of bones so just watch and wait) you want the gristle to be golden and the skin to be brown and crispy.
Then, just like in this video, when it's roasted and ready to add to the pot, make sure to get all the tasty bits from the pan as well
The roasting draws out flavour from the gristle, skin, and leftover meat bits, and makes the bones more brittle and easier for the marrow to come through. Cracking the bones also helps give it a richer flavour and more iron and nutrients from the marrow, which is easier to do after roasting
Damn you’re right. I just emailed Gordon Ramsay asking for stock secrets... no answer.
Buy GME
The flour analogy is a good one. I have always thought of backing as a science and cooking as an art. I prefer cooking because I don't like to be bothered measuring every ingredient.
Those wings looked good. I would have to start another batch after eating half of them.
No problem whatsoever with the click bait title when you give so much information, and you're always such a joy to watch! Thank you for your passion, your teaching abilities, and your simplicity!
This was fun - thank you.
I keep my bits in my freezer and throw everything in a pot and boil when I can't get into my freezer any longer ... smells so good and tastes pretty good, too.
Great tip
I just thought I knew how to make chicken stock. Been making frozen stock “pucks” for years. They take space and thaw slow. I’ll be making the reduced versions ASAP…several great tips in this vid. Thanks a zillion.
Well I just give the “waste” meat to my dog who loses her mind with delight at the special treat so not wasted after all😜
The onions don’t go with dogs even after cooking. Be careful! I’m sure they like it, tho! Maybe onions could be added after? I wonder! I give my chickens that kind of meat, as onions are safe for them after cooking so long but not dogs.
@@valeriesjeans I don’t give my dogs onions or garlic because I know it is not good for them but thank you for saying anyway (if I didn’t know I’d definitely want to)😜
That feeling when you were already doing stock stuff exactly the way Helen Rennie does.
I'm grateful that the algorithm brought me here. What a wealth of knowledge! Thank you, Helen.
The meat from the stock is perfectly fine to use in all kinds of preparations (stir-frys, sandwiches, soups etc') I never throw it away.
I use it in the chicken soup I'm making, and to feed the dog and the cats a treat.
@@tracygoode3037 Haha yeah my cats absolutely love leftover stock meat … especially ham hocks. lol
"You don't mess with flour!" ahah, I need that as a poster in my kitchen.
This is so good. Thank you! I love how detailed your explanations are, especially when you talk about how recipes are typically given in a certain manner/format and WHY they are given like that. Knowing why stuff in the culinary world works the way it does is the most mysterious and confusing aspect of cooking for me. Thanks again!
I made a stock from the fried turkey carcass after Thanksgiving. It was the best stock I’ve ever made!
I don't know how I missed this video 3 years ago, but thank you for making it! The idea of the lack of precision for making a sandwich and how you play with stock was the perfect concept to connect with me.
Delightful to listen to someone on UA-cam who actually knows their subject.
I only found your channel a few months ago, but I've started leaving the cartilage on the turkey carcass and the dryest parts on the meat in my bone stock and it made a HUGE difference. And as far as wasting the meat goes, I have a small dog. I'm willing to take my time and really pick out the meat from the bones when the stock is sived and use that to add some extra protein to his suppers. Nothing gets wasted when you have the time and a fussy Chihuahua who will ONLY eat meat products. 😂
I often make my own stock. I recently retrieved all the turkey parts from the holidays and made stock that those. It came out fantastic. These are great tips and I'll be using them from now on. For instance, I never thought of using my pressure cooker to speed up the cooking time. I simmered mine on the stove for 3 hours but I'll have to give this a try next time.
My friend used to (re)roast the bones before making stock. It turned out good.
I use a combination of carcass and browned drumsticks and/or thighs. The meat is NEVER wasted!! I cook the drumsticks/thighs (plus veg and seasoning) for about 45 minutes. When the meat is cooked through and fall off the bone, I remove it from the stock pot, throw the bones, skins and cartilage back to the post and simmer for another hour. The meat is then made into chicken salad, or I've even used it to make a chicken pate!
I defrosted my freezer yesterday and made beef stock. I can't wait to reduce all that stock tonight, this video has a ton of useful information for soup / sauce / gravy lovers.
You’re the sole person to actually talk about stuff like this on UA-cam
I always make chicken stock with a whole chicken and use the shredded chicken in curries and other meals. The stock serves as a base for my curries, goulashs and what not.
I’ve been making my stock, from bbq 🍗 chicken bones 🦴 for years now. The smoky flavors from which ever type of wood you use, mesquite, charcoal, cedar, ect ect, seem too give the stock a very distinctive type of flavor which seems unique, tasty and savory. 🍵 yummy 😋.
I've learnt more in this 16 min video than I learnt in 5yrs of cookery lessons in school!! Thank you!!! xx
I like your analogy of bread to stock - it's so individual. But so IS flour! I "mess" with flour all the time! I try out substituting oat flour for wheat flour, and almond flour, etc. And I ALWAYS use whole grain flour no matter what the recipe says. As for verbiage, stock is something you cook with and broth is something serve or eat. Happy cooking!
I'm roasting a small chicken currently to make a stock for the very first time! What wonderful timing :)
A burger pattie in a baguette is delicious! We do it in France, and the contrast between a crunchy crust and the tender meat really is great.
Wow! This has to be the bible of all stock-making videos! Thanks.
Helen you have heard this a million times, you have great videos and your voice, the way your so natural and composed is like listening to ones favorite classical music. Your the kind of teacher I want to wake up in the morning and get to class on time, unlike others I have had in the past. (you know those types of teachers that show up to class 5 minutes late telling the students someone cut them off on a bridge, and in your mind you wonder why they just did not run them off the bridge)
I just found you. I'm a relatively decent home cook (and gardener). Jumping around your videos based on topic. Omigoodness - great stuff, you are filling in so many "gaps" for me. Thank you!
Thank you for so many good tips. I have been making my own for several years now (I raise meat chickens) and some of these tricks I had learned by trial and error. But you have taught me a lot more.
One thing I like to do (I usually make a blond stock from raw backbones, skin and bits) is add the dark outer peel of a yellow onion. Gives the stock a nice color.
Yes I was expecting this. Also a good colour to a vege stock.
Well said. My mother taught me to cut up the large bones to release the marrow into the stock. She always made sure there was plenty of meat and skin left on the carcass (or added to the pot) for flavor and fat. She also taught me to not add salt until I was using it for cooking, because she used it for many purposes.
Helen Rennie: You are an amazing teacher! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge gained from years of experience. You are so very kind. X
If you accidentally already ate the chicken meat (Like i tend to do, every time) you could roast the veggies thoroughly before adding them to the pot to get that same caramelisation. Not quite like broth from meat and fresh veggies but much tastier than simple bone broth.
Great and informative video Helen!
Your thumbnail got me. And your personality won me over. I subscribed as I know I will enjoy your videos. You are amazing, well done!
Made turkey stock yesterday, and came here for a refresher. Learned quite a bit more. Thanks, Helen!
ive been freezing containers of unreduced stock (I drink the broth like hot tea / thin soup). I’m gonna go get myself some icecube trays immediately so i can just use a cube and avoid the freezer jenga
I always add leftover corncobs to my chicken stock. It moderates the chickeny flavor. Any leftover butter on them might help too.
I put a large handful of red grapes in the pot once as a lark. The stock came out pink but pleasingly tasty.
Where have you been all my life? I make my own stock but now it will be even better. THANK YOU! ❤️
Me again. Just wanted to say you are brilliant now maybe my stock will be.
One of the best and most comprehensive explanation about stock and so beautifully and clearly explained. Thank you.
This is the best discussion of stock I have ever heard. Thank you so much for readjusting my perspective--and giving me a couple of laughs. It's like you have been spying on me in my kitchen...
Valid tips, I have never used already cooked animal parts for stock or broth. Great advice and I will use it. Thank you.
When I prepare vegetables for cooking I save everything that I would discard, like greens, roots, skins... Then I put these into a pot with water and make vegetable stock. Just like you do with your chicken left-overs I put it in the freezer until I have enough of it. I use the same principle: I have paid it, I could eat it raw, but some of it I would not want in an elegant dish.
Thank you Helen! I learned a bunch and keep telling my wife we need to make our own. I do most of the cooking since I retired and farm full time now..
I got a stock trading ad on this. I think youtube misunderstood the title
🤯🤣
Don’t tell them. Those ads pay the creator bank. If I was a good tuber I would have a new stock video every couple of months.
My Grandmother was Russian and for some reason I failed to recognize your accent... not that it matters - Your wonderful content transcends all accents :) I love this stock video. Thank You for this.
Made stock from one rotisserie carcus + skin and some meat. Left to cool overnight in fridge. Today there's a distinct gelatinous wobble. Thanks Helen.
great job :)
A couple of things that I might have added to this great explanation is the use of tomato paste to coat the chicken and veg and then roast it to build umami, and adding bay leaves.
You didn't just convince me to stay until the end, but also to subscribe! Loved this video so much.
In my opinion, chicken thighs make the best stock. With skin on. Plus, they are also the least expensive cut of chicken. They have ample fat and their dark meat has much more flavor than white meat.
I won't cut up a chicken as I have a fear (phobia?) of spreading salmonella while cutting up the chicken. I buy them in bulk and then individually bag them in sandwich bags which I freeze. I put those in a reused bread bag which I can tie off and leave in the deep freeze. When I want some stock, I give it a few hours head start and just throw two or three in a crock pot while still frozen with three or four cups of water (enough to comfortably cover them). I believe it is much easier to clean up and sanitize my work area this way.
After four hours or so, I have my stock plus the meat will fall off the bones. The dogs get the rubbery skin as a treat. I usually end up using the meat in a green salad, put into the dish, or make chicken salad for sandwiches. The dried bones and cartilage get crushed and recycled into the compost. The only thing going in the garbage is the packaging.
Fantastic video! I'm embarrassed to admit that I've been doing it wrong forever. Thanks for straightening me out.
When I go to the local “club” store I usually buy several rotisserie chickens. I debone the chickens and use the meat for soups, casseroles, chicken salad or whatever. I take the skin and bones, cover them with water, add spices and simmer for a couple of hours very low. Once done, I strain and freeze the stock. It’s wonderful to have when making soup.
Yes, the 'click bait' worked instantaneously for me. But valuable information after one click is hardly 'click bait.' I was knee-deep in work when your notification popped up- "Squirrel!" This still prompted me to use the half of rotisserie chicken sitting idle in my fridge. These were very good subtle tips! Thank you.
I freeze stock in ice cube trays for easy access to the perfect amount.
You seem to hit every single point and question that arises after watching a million "expert" videos that throw theories out there. Your content is unbelievably good, pls keep it up.
Thank you for another great video Helen. Not sure if you're going to see my questions (and I apologize in advance if they sounds silly) but here we go: 1 - When you use cicken bones "left overs" do you actually use the bones that people left on their plates after eating? 2 - I only buy frozen whole chickens, can I dethaw it, separate the carcass from the rest and the chicken and freeze the carcass again in order to accumulate enough carcasses for a batch of stock? Obviously my main concern with both questions is food contamination and poisoning.
I like her logic. Really good fundamentals. I like the gelatin trick. Didn't learn that at culinary school, but figured it out after reading On Cooking and learning the chemistry. I'll have to try the pressure cooker way to make stock. At school we only learned the long way to make it. Unless you have a huge pressure cooker at a restaurant, it's not practical to do it that way. It might work in a pinch at home, but I like to make a lot of stock and freeze it so I don't have to make it everyday in a pressure cooker.
Dear Helen, you are such an excellent cooking teacher . Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I use chicken thighs cooked in stock, to make a rich base for homemade chicken soup. I use about 2/3 the meat from 4 thighs in the soup, and the other 3rd goes to give the dog a little healthy, freshly made protein - I store her chicken in the fridge and dole it out a little at a time over the next several days. When I occasionally bring home a freshly roasted chicken from the store, I make sure to save all the lovely juices from the chicken in the bottom of the tray and freeze them for times I need to make gravy or up the flavor of soup or some such thing.
Quite a timely video for all those newly learning about stocks.
I learn so much from your channel. It’s comparable to college level cooking courses. Excellent.
Thank you so much. I am a great believer in common sense and experience and that everything will not always come out well, but that doesnt mena to stop trying
You are brilliant!!! Love your style of communication! Thank you for what you do!
I’m surprised at how much I learned from this video. It answered a lot of question.
this is so helpful I wanted to make soup dumplings but i was scared of making stock but after this i am not scared anymore
Masterclass. This is good. I make stock all the time as a professional chef. She's great, and free Ukraine.
I worked at a gas station deli for several years. We would boil a whole chicken, save the broth for use in other recipes, debone the meat to bake in cornbread dressing or make a chicken taco casserole.
Fat=Flavor. This is absolutely wonderful I formation! Thank You so Much❤
I make stock the old fashioned way most of the time, and it’s great. But I have to say, Williams-Sonoma sells excellent demi glace. It’s true demi glace - which means it’s expensive (~$25 for 8-10 ounces). But when you consider the cost of ingredients, time required to make your own, and the volume of reconstituted stock you can get from demi glace, it’s a good option if it’s in your budget. It keeps in the refrigerator for months, or indefinitely in the freezer.
Love your videos, Helen! You’re one of the best cooking channels on UA-cam. #realcomment
yes, there are definitely some good store bought options for demi-glace which is basically what I am making with my stock. bonewerks' makes and excellent one too. But there are also horrible store bought options that taste like tomato paste with a hint of meat.
I roast chickens, and Turkey stuffed with mirepoix. It makes the bird delicious, and then the drippings make a great stock. (Also, very flavorful gravy, what have you) Honestly, mirepoix chicken is pretty much the only way I cook a whole chicken any more. If you insist on making dressing, you can use the drippings from that to cook it in, but you don't dry out the bird by packing it full of bread. You keep it moist by packing it full of succulent veg, and they (1/2 celery, 1/4 each onion, and carrots, in stew chunks) flavor the meat nicely. The "Secret" is the herbs, and spices I season it with.
Wow! More useful info per minute than any cooking vid I can recall. Nicely done.
Thanks, Aunt Helen :) I won't forget your stock advice on my culinary journey.
Breath of fresh air... Very informative indeed. [ Lochness Scottish highlands }
After watching this, I know we can be best friends! My lazy stock is to use the legs, wings and carcass of 2-3 Costco rotisserie chickens in a crockpot along with carrots, onion, celery, bay leaf, handful of peppercorns, and any herb stems on hand. Cook on low all night long. It extracts so much collagen/gelatin. Strain out and reduce. Gives a silky body to every thing from soups to gumbo. People are always surprised when they ask what my “secret” ingredient is and I tell them it is just my crockpot stock.
Question: Talk about the uses of a remouillage from chicken. Can or should it be reduced or just used straight? Is it likely to be as strong as, say, a reconstituted brown stock for a soup?
You are amazing! Its like you are here in my kitchen. I make all these mistakes. Thank you!
Absolutely fantastic masterclass on stock... So useful!! Very grateful. A very big thank you for your expertise and time.
This was not only interesting, but really wonderfully presented. Plenty of personality but never at the expense of information. Subbed!
I understand people dislike the idea of wasting meat on stock.
Cooking good food means you are putting extra effort to get something that is more than what is strictly needed to survive. That extra effort might be additional work or additional expense. That saffron is definitely not absolutely necessary but you buy it because you want, not because you need it.
If you absolutely have to cook for the least amount of money you can -- don't do stock. Stock is expensive both in preparation and in the ingredients. As an alternative, you can throw in the meat with the bones and then eat meat off the bones or throw in meat and bones separately, then fish out bones to discard them. This is perfectly acceptable to get good range of delicious, nutritious soups.
Where has this channel been hiding?! Wonderful!!
I've made stock from leftover bones that was wonderful. I did NOT use a pressure cooker, and spent at least fours on the endeavor. I also cracked the large bones to expose the marrow.
I really like this.
I have been cooking for 35 years or so, and as much as I wanted, I never really understood stock. And it seems all that time, no one really bothered to want to show me. And although I've asked these questions in my head 1000x times, I never thought to ask them.
I have to say though, I was very nearly put off by the clickbait title.
Asian cooking techniques in making stock will often briefly blanch and rinse the bones/parts first to reduce the "gaminess" or to produce a "cleaner" stock, including washing the pot and dumping all the original blanching water. In my experience it makes a difference to include this extra step when making blond stock but not with brown stock, and I think this is more necessary when making beef stock than it is when making chicken stock, but I'm curious to know your thoughts on this.
Also since I've been frequenting Asian grocery stores I have been using raw chicken feet sold there to make my stock and I have to say it produces the most gelatin per volume of water, so for me that means less reducing and less time to achieve the same level of gelatin-i-ness, but I admit the flavor is maybe not quite as deep as you could get when including more meaty parts like wings and legs. Chicken feet at my local Asian market are between $1.99/lb and $2.39/lb, which is pretty cheap and worth every penny, IMO. If you can get over the macabre appearance of the feet, I highly recommend their use in making stock.
I just read your comment! I just gave my ideas on chicken feet!
Unless you’ve roasted your bones
French, too.
I took a class with the chef at my favorite restaurant (Persimmon in Providence - amazing soups!!!), and he used chicken feet for just that reason!
the bones are rinsed to get a more clear stock. it's primarily esthetics.