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Roast Some Turkey Necks for Awesome Stock

October 18, 2012 By 12 Comments

Heather says:

Want to take your Thanksgiving recipes up to the next level? You can get started now by buying and roasting turkey necks to make stock. Want to get a jump on your Thanksgiving prep? Go ahead and make your roast turkey neck stock now and freeze it for your Thanksgiving recipes*. Would I go to the effort of roasting turkey necks every time I want stock? No, but for a special meal like Thanksgiving, I find the richness of this stock is well worth the extra time and effort. (I specifically made it to go in a mushroom risotto, but this stock is perfect for adding to dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, whatever calls for stock or broth in your menu.)

Thankfully, I have noticed that turkey necks are becoming much easier to find -I live in a smaller town, if we have it, you probably won’t have to search too hard. Typically the necks are next to the cut up poultry and yes, you can definitely substitute turkey wings for the necks in this recipe.

Cheesecloth really comes in handy when straining your turkey neck stock or you can use it to make  a bouquet garni if you want. I prefer to take the toss it in the pot and then strain approach, what about you?

How to Roast Turkey Necks for Awesome Stock

Roast Turkey Neck Stock

: Roast Turkey Neck Stock

: Roast turkey necks make a rich stock for Thanksgiving recipes.

  • 3 lbs turkey necks
  • cooking spray or olive oil -unless you like scrubbing a roasting pan
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed and cut into chunks
  • 2 ribs celery, washed, cut into chunks, with the leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion peeled, washed, and cut into quarters
  • Approximately 4 quarts COLD water

 Roast Turkey Neck Stock Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray or olive oil.
  • Place the necks in the roasting pan, if you want, you chop up the necks with a heavy cleaver, this will allow more gelatin to leach into the stock, but I don’t always bother and didn’t this time -obviously. And, do I need to mention you should do this on a cutting board and NOT in your roasting pan?
  • Roast at 450 for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until the necks are a rich brown and cooked through.
  • Place the necks and remaining ingredients in a 6 quart stock pot.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
  • Allow to simmer, skimming occasionally for 4 – 6 hours.
  • Strain through cheesecloth and a strainer into a bowl or pitcher. Use immediately or follow the next steps to store:
    • Set the bowl or pitcher in a cool water bath, changing the water frequently, or just add some ice cubes a handful at a time. Place the stock in the refrigerator overnight and skim off any fat.
    • Pour the stock into freezer safe containers (I use zippered freezer bags) label and freeze.
Helpful equipment:
6 quart stockpot
Roasting Pan
Skimmer
Enjoy!

*Yes, I’m working on this year’s Countdown to Turkey Day and I’m thinking about trying to bundle it all together and having it available as an ebook for those of you who want it in that format. It’s just the time factor kicking my butt, once again. Whee!

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Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe – Like Mom Used to Make

February 14, 2012 By 6 Comments

Bobbie says:

Have you ever caught a whiff of an unexpected scent that suddenly sent you back in time? Figuratively speaking, of course. The sense of smell is a huge memory trigger, and if there’s a smell that says “home” to me, it’s the comforting aroma of simmering Vegetable Beef Soup the way our mom used to make it. Packed with veggies and beefy bits, it’s a hearty full-meal soup perfect for cold winter days. Serve it alone, or paired with fresh-baked bread, it’s sure to warm the spirits as well as the tummies.

I didn’t get recipes for all the dishes my parents and grandparents used to make, but I’m thankful this is one I made certain to get written down before my chance had passed. When I asked her for the recipe, Mom said she’d give it to me next time she prepared it, because she didn’t think she’d remember everything unless she was doing it. So, she made the soup, telling me everything she did, so I could write it down. Some amounts were approximations, so I’ve had to work at it to get it to taste right. Mom always made it the day after we had a big pot roast, saving the leftover meat and all the meat juices to throw in the soup – which pretty much explains the nearly complete lack of beef gravy in family meals of our childhood. Chicken gravy? Yes. Beef? No. The meat stock always got saved for soup. But that’s okay: this soup is totally worth the trade-off.

To allow for room to stir and also to reduce the chance of boil-overs, I would suggest a 6 to 8 quart pot with a heavy bottom*. Thin bottomed pots will cook unevenly and are more likely to scorch and ruin your soup. (I make the mistakes so you don’t have to – just a public service I provide. Oh, and don’t try to pass off the burned soup as “Smokey Vegetable Beef Soup” – that doesn’t work, either.)  I prepare this in my 8 quart Tramontina stock pot, which I use for practically everything. Crockpot directions are also given, but if your slow cooker won’t hold at least 4 1/2 quarts, you’ll need to make a smaller batch.

When I was working to standardize this recipe, so it could be made as a standalone, rather than as a follow-up meal after pot roast, I decided to use beef shank cross-cuts, because I could obtain them at a fair price, and they’re great at yielding a lot of flavor, if you cook them right. Some stores label these “soup bones.” Feel free to use whatever cut of beef is cheapest – the long, slow cooking of soup-making is a great use for tough cuts of meat.

: Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

: Traditional Vegetable Beef Soup for the Stove or Slow Cooker

  • 2 to 2.5 pounds beef shank cross-cuts, or any cheap cut of beef, preferably something with marrow bones
  • 2 quarts cold water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 large can whole, peeled tomatoes (about 4 cups worth)
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon whole celery seed
  • 2 tablespoons pearled barley (not quick-cooking barley)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
  • 16 ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables (the one I used had green beans, peas, corn, carrots and lima beans – 4 cups worth. Use fresh veggies, if you prefer.)

 Vegetable Beef Soup Instructions

    • Set your soup pot over medium heat.

    • Once it’s hot, add the meat, turning to brown it really well on all sides.


    • Add the water, bay leaves, salt & pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Be sure you’re just simmering, not boiling. Long cooking at a slow simmer helps to break down the collagen and tenderize the meat, while boiling can make the meat tough.
    • Remove the meat to a plate. When it’s cool enough to handle, cut it off the bones and either chop it up or pull it apart into bits. Discard gristle. Skim fat from the liquid, if desired. (I don’t usually, unless the meat was particularly fatty.)
    • Return meat to the pot. (I usually put any large bones back in as well, so that more of the minerals in the bones – calcium, postassium, phosphorus - can end up in the stock. Adding an acid, such as the tomatoes, helps this happen. Hmm. Maybe next time I’ll add the tomatoes before simmering the meat & bones. Never occurred to me until just now…Small bones are too hard to find again, amongst all the meat and veggies, so toss those out. )
    • Do not drain the tomatoes – add the whole can. Use a large fork or wooden spoon to smash up the tomatoes against the side of the pot.
    • Now, add everything else. If needed, add water to bring the volume up to 4 quarts. Stir to mix well, then turn the heat to medium-high to bring to a boil quickly. Reduce the heat to low and put the lid on. I always tilt the lid slightly. (Because I’m paranoid about boil-overs, even on very low heat. Don’t mind me. Move along.)

Vegetable Beef Soup - This is gonna be gooooooood

    • Simmer for at least one hour. Two is better, in my opinion, so the veggies are quite tender, and the flavors can mingle and have a chance to get to know each other. Remember to remove bay leaves and bones before serving. This recipe makes 4 quarts of soup: enough for dinner with some left for the freezer. Make plenty and freeze a bunch for easy meals later on.
    • To prepare in a slow cooker, brown the meat as described, then put everything in the slow cooker and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. The meat and vegetables should be tender. Remove meat to a plate. (Put the lid back on the slow cooker keep the heat in.) When cool enough to handle, cut meat from bones. Discard bones and gristle. Chop up the meat and return it to the slow cooker. Cover and cook at least one more hour. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Culinary tradition: USA (Traditional)

  Bobbie Laughman is a leaf on the wind. Watch how she soars. Or, just send her an email at Bobbie@Home-Ec101.com

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Cooking Homemade Frozen Foods

January 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I’d like to make some thing to keep in our freezer to help us avoid the convenience foods at the hectic dinner hour.  Do you have a rule of thumb for what freezes well without losing much quality/texture?  What’s the best way to thaw and bake things that have been frozen?

Signed,
Chilled in Chi-Town


Heather says:

In the past here on Home-Ec 101 we have talked about how to freeze food. We have also talked about how to thaw food safely, ad nauseum I’m sure, but here we go.

Thaw food in the refrigerator or a water bath. If you are absolutely in a time crunch, use your microwave. Do not thaw food on your kitchen counter. Bacteria multiplies quickly at “room temperature” in fact the entire range from 41°F to 140°F (4°C – 60°C) is known as the danger zone. (Who else now has images of Top Gun zipping through their imagination, raise your hand)

So now that we have safety covered, let’s talk about preserving the quality or frozen foods.

It all comes down to texture, surface area, and water content.

The prepared food companies have amazing freezers that can flash freeze much faster than we can at home. Unless you’re my friend Aliza who lives in Tok, AK. All she has to do is put it on her back porch (Aliza, I’m not suggesting you actually do this, just noting it’s possible). The faster a food goes from cool to frozen the better the quality of the final product, it has to do with how much damage the expanding water molecules can wreak.

If food is supposed to be mushy, do what you want as long as it follows the safety guidelines we have discussed. If it’s soupy, stirring gently during the cooking process will speed things up.

If you have a giant pan of lasagna thawing overnight will speed up the cooking process.

Do not cook roasts or turkeys from frozen *unless it has been specifically created for that purpose, I know Butterball has a pre-stuffed turkey that can be cooked from the frozen state* In general, the outside will be overcooked long before the heat can be transferred to the center of the food.

With individual frozen things like homemade chicken fingers / nuggets, egg rolls, lentil patties, calzones, pizza etc go ahead and cook from the frozen state. These items are all small enough that the surface area to volume ratio doesn’t matter. In fact most of these may become soggy and unappetizing if allowed to thaw prior to cooking.

Here’s the easiest way to decide whether to thaw or cook from frozen:

Take a quick trip to the grocery store and walk down the frozen food aisle. Look for the food you want to make and read the package directions. Whatever they recommend will work for your homemade version.

In general with baked goods (these are doughy products not meaty foods with a coating) I tend to prefer a par-baked product, especially with calzones. I want the dough set but not all the way browned, I let the final run through the oven do the last browning. With pizzas, I find par-baking the crust helps prevent sogginess.

What about you Home-Eccers, how do you handle cooking homemade foods?

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

 

 

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Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

October 23, 2011 By 10 Comments

Heather says:

My inner twelve-year-old is having a field day as I try to describe this spaghetti sauce without sounding like a pervert. In fact, I give completely up, snicker away, it’s a thick and meaty sauce that is perfect over spaghetti noodles or sauteed vegetables for the gluten free and low carb crowd. Personally, I prefer zucchini and yellow squash with garlic rather than spaghetti squash.

I frequently double this recipe, just remember you’ll need a large pot. Freeze the leftovers flat in zippered freezer bags or in freezer safe mason jars.

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

Printable Grocery List

: Spaghetti Sauce

: Thick and Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

  • 1 lb hot or mild bulk Italian sausage
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 onion, diced 
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 6oz can tomato paste
  • 2 6.5oz can tomato sauce (or just use one 15oz one, it’s not critical)
  • 2 TBSP white sugar (cuts the acidity of the sauce, omit if you use seasoned tomatoes as they frequently already contain sugar)
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried basil (or use 2 – 3x as much fresh
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

 Spaghetti Sauce Directions:

  • In a large, heavy pot brown the beef and sausage over medium heat, drain and set aside. I set the meat on paper towels to soak up any remaining grease. Do not wash the pot, all of the browned bits from the beef and sausage add flavor to the final sauce.
  • Place the pot back on the burner over medium heat and add the diced onion, diced bell pepper, dried basil (wait if you are using fresh), Italian seasoning, fennel, salt, and pepper. Once the onion begins to soften, add the minced garlic.
  • To the onions, garlic, and seasoning add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar and if you choose, fresh basil. Return the meat to the pot, stir until well combined and lower the heat to low.
  • Cover and simmer for 1 – 1.5 hours. Alternately, place all the ingredients in a large crockpot and cook on low all day.

Serve over sauteed vegetables for a gluten free option. Toss with cooked elbow noodles, ziti, or rigatoni, cover with cheese and bake until bubbly for a simple variation.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour(s) 30 minute(s)

Culinary tradition: USA (General)

Enjoy!

Submitted to Mouthwatering Monday and Tasty Tuesday

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Albondigas Soup

November 30, 2010 By 14 Comments

Heather says:

This is my family’s version of the spicy Mexican meatball soup often called Albondigas. The recipe came from my mother, who I think got it from her sister or mother.

The meatballs are a little tedious to make, but if you crank the radio or bribe your kids, spouse, or a friend into assisting it goes quickly.

Warning: if you don’t like cilantro, albondigas is not the soup for you.

When I first adopted this recipe for albondigas I used to bring the soup to a roiling boil and drop in the meatballs, but this made the soup rather greasy. Baking the meatballs completely fixed the problem.

As with many meals, this one is even better the next day. The meatballs absorb more of the broth’s flavor and of course there’s no prep time for leftovers.

Double or triple this recipe, it freezes very well and goes well with margaritas (virgin if alcohol isn’t your thing). This is a meal people frequently request for the pot lucks I attend. (Pot lucks sound lame, but they fit the budget).

Here’s a printable shopping list for the ingredients.

Albondigas Meatball Ingredients:

albondigas.jpg

  • 2lbs lean ground beef
  • 1 small can diced green chilies
  • 1/2 bunch green onions – chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic – minced or pressed
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro – chopped
  • 1/4 cup rice
  • 1 egg
  • salt
  • pepper
  • Tabasco or Chalula to taste

Albondigas Meatball Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400˚F. Combine all ingredients by hand and roll into 1″ meatballs, bake on a cookie sheet for 10 – 12 minutes. Place on a papertowel to absorb grease. Set aside.

Albondigas Broth Ingredients:

  • 1 qt water
  • 1 qt beef stock (or substitute an equivalent amount of beef broth, base or bouillon)
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 small can diced green chilies
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes (feel free to use fresh, in season)
  • 1/2 bunch green onions -chopped
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro – chopped
  • 1/4 cup rice
  • salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste

Albondigas Broth Instructions

Bring water, beef base, garlic, chilies, and tomatoes to a roiling boil. Add meatballs and rice. Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is soft. Add cilantro, green onions, and season to taste, simmering for an additional 10 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Longer is better, but I usually can’t wait.

Serve hot with fresh, warm flour tortillas.

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How to Choose Freezer Friendly Recipes

October 6, 2010 By 19 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101:

My totally awesome, yet annoyingly prepared sister-in-law has just begun her 7th month of her first pregnancy and is in major nesting mode.  She emailed me last week looking for recipes that she can make now, freeze, and just reheat after the baby comes or as she puts it, ‘I won’t have time to make my normal 3 hour dinners and need something that hubby can just reheat’.  Do you have any suggestions for her?  Or any other baby-prep advice?

Signed,

The unprepared sister

Heather says:

Three hour dinners? Holy cow, she’s right, there won’t be that kind of time for a while or maybe ever. My youngest just turned 3 and it was only recently that dinner prep became easier. Of course, I took the back-to-back-to-back kid route. While I am a huge advocate of bringing children into the kitchen, it doesn’t have to be for every meal. I’m not quite the glutton for punishment some assume.

The trouble with a blog format is sometimes it’s hard to find topics that have been addressed in the past, so I’m very glad you sent in your question. I am working hard to improve the navigation on this site to make topics such as this more accessible for casual readers.

To start, check out this post on great meals to freeze ahead. Be sure to read the comments, as usual the Home Ec 101 community has some fabulous suggestions.

To that list I would add:

When choosing recipes to freeze, keep these things in mind:

In general, avoid cream sauces, they tend to separate unless flash frozen and most of us without commercial equipment tend to not be able to replicate the store-bought results. That said, alfredo sauce is pretty easy to make in just a few minutes, file that one for an I need something quick night.

Potatoes are another key ingredient to avoid. . . most of the time. Potatoes have a high water content that may alter the texture of a dish considerably. That said, I have had excellent luck freezing beef stew and shepherd’s pie. For best results, keep the potato cubes small and don’t make the mashed potato layer very thick in shepherd’s pie.

If your sister plans to breastfeed, she may want to read a few articles on diet and breastfeeding before she plans her menu. It’ll help her modify recipes (things like reducing the garlic) to help with that journey.

Remember, how you freeze a meal has nearly as much effect on the results as the actual recipe.

For best results follow the guidelines in these posts: A Freezer How To and How to Freeze Food, Part Two.

I usually get my foil pans for freezing from the restaurant supply store or my favorite close-out store Big Lots. These two sources can be significantly cheaper than grocery or big box stores like Wal-mart or Target.

Freezing is a great plan, but it’s also a good idea to build up an emergency pantry. As a rule I typically recommend whole, fresh foods, but you never know when weather, germs, or colic are going to conspire to make leaving the house far too burdensome to even consider. I don’t know what I would have done if it weren’t for cereal and peanut butter toast with my first child. Throw in an ill-timed blackout and that’s a recipe for misery, at least for the unprepared. In addition to the well-stocked freezer, I highly suggest having plenty of shelf-stable food on hand.

Ok Home Eccers, what do you have to add? I would love to hear your advice in the comments.

Best wishes to your sister.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com or leave a message at 843-608-9708 where it may be answered on the Home Ec 101 Podcast. (The first episode comes out on Friday)

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The Frozen Free Range Chicken Dilemma

September 17, 2010 By 6 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I’m moving to Virginia in about a month, and in my visits I discovered a wonderful little farm nearby that sells free-range, organic chickens. But, the only way to buy them is whole and frozen.  Generally, that’s wonderful!  I love cooking with whole chicken.  But, there are only going to be two of us to cook for, so I’d really like to be able to save pieces that I might want to use again later to cook with (for example, the tenderloins for frying).  I’d need to go through a few chickens before I had enough to cook with, but I know that thawing and then re-freezing is a big no no.  Is there any way to get around this rule, or am I truly required to eat all of that chicken within a short time frame?

Signed,

Pieces Parts

Heather says:

You’re right, thawing and refreezing raw meat is a bad idea. The more bacteria hanging around, the higher your chance of cross-contaminating, it’s just a food safety mess you don’t want to be involved in.

Have you ever heard of once a month or batch cooking?

What you’re looking at is spending one afternoon making several meals, but once you’re done, you’ve got a few dinners ready to go.

If I were in your position, where 3 or 4 chickens could make quite a few meals, I’d make as much room in the freezer as possible and block out a Sunday (or other free) afternoon once the weather is cooler and get a few meals going. Unless you have a vacuum sealer already, grab a few of those foil pans and a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil. They stack nicely.

Make sure you have a bag or two of ice to avoid overwhelming your freezer with hot foods.

Start out by cutting up your whole chickens and separating them by parts.

Filleting the chicken breasts is just a matter of cutting the breast meat away from the ribs, which you can then use to make chicken stock (along with any other bones and the necks, gizzard, and hearts).

If you need recipes for dark meat, try one of these:

How to Make Stewed ChickenStewed chicken

or how about?

Garlic, Honey, and Soy Chicken Thighs

Chicken, Peppers, and Mushrooms

Chicken with Caramelized Garlic and Brown Sugar

And then all of the miscellaneous parts can be used in chicken bog.

Cook, cool, wrap, label, and freeze. Take the meal out of the freezer the night before and heat through in the oven or toaster oven that evening.

Good luck and let me know how your first session goes.

Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Freezing, A How To, Part Two

September 8, 2010 By 7 Comments

Heather says:

Yesterday’s post on How to Freeze Food inspired a few more questions. Rather than extend an already long article, this is the second installment on freezer tips.

Can you do a post on freezing leftovers? I’m a single gal, and while I do cut down most recipes, sometimes I have a couple stuffed chicken breasts or some steak left over. Do you just put it in the freezer in a tupperware container? Is there a better way – even if it’s gooey (like my stuffed chicken breast)? Any help would be super-appreciated!

I highly recommend freezing for singles and couples as in the long run it requires a little bit of planning to ensure food doesn’t go to waste, but it can be a more efficient use of time and labor. Say you make a pot of chili. Use the freezing soup method I outlined in yesterday’s post on freezing. But, when you do it freeze it do so in both meal size and topping size portions. Why? Chili isn’t just great as a meal, it’s awesome on: baked potatoes, omelets, cheeseburgers, or even hashbrowns. You’ve just expanded your future menu possibilities.

Instead of labeling leftovers with the date it is added to the freezer, consider labeling it with a USE BY DATE.

Many leftovers can be frozen, some will not retain the quality they had, others are hardly affected at all.

As with all foods, freeze as quickly as possible and try to ensure it has as little contact with air as possible. Use freezer-safe containers, foil, freezer paper, or freezer zipper bags.

The biggest factor in texture deterioration has to do with water and fat content. If the ice crystals in some sauces, cheeses, and even starches, like mashed potatoes, form too slowly the crystals become too large and break the existing food structure. This is why mashed potatoes can become watery, cheese texture changes, and cream sauces often break. Sometimes this doesn’t matter and sometimes it can be quite disappointing. So, before tripling your favorite recipe, experiment freezing a small portion. Do you like the results? Great, go ahead and freeze it more in the future.

Is the 3 months or so a rule that works for everything? Or are there guidelines depending on the item? ie. can fish be stored as long as a soup or casserole? Also, can you use inexpensive plastic containers to freeze in or even small CorningWare dishes?

Three months or ninety days is a pretty standard rule of thumb for “short term freezing,” but as commenter Tinkerschnitzel pointed out the USDA has a handy chart for quality of frozen foods. Other factors include how often your freezer is opened. If the door is opened frequently it may rise about the freezing point causing the outermost parts of food to thaw and refreeze which can significantly and adversely affect the texture of your foods.

For longterm freezing in a deepfreeze the guidelines are not safety but quality. If the temperature stays at 0°F microbes cannot grow. The worst that will happen is the food will dry out and become susceptible to freezer burn which isn’t a safety issue, merely a quality issue.

Only freeze in containers labelled freezer-safe. If the containers aren’t labelled they may become brittle and shatter.

Freezer safe plastic containers are fine for freezer storage, if they are filled properly. If there is a lot of air, the quality won’t be the same and if they are filled too full, they may crack or the lid may pop off. Ever cleaned plastic shards and food out of your freezer? It’s not quite as fun as an exploded soda can, but close.

CorningWare™ advertises or it use to, that it could go straight from the freezer to the oven. So, the answer is yes. Just make sure that the food is tightly covered. If you only have one or two CorningWare dishes, line it with foil before cooking, freeze, then pop the food out, wrap, and store. Then you have a dish sized meal ready to go.

Usually when I buy meat, I freeze it in indiviudal portions so I don’t end up defrosting 4 lbs of ground meat to make 2 burgers. But sometimes, especially with steaks since they usually come 1 or 2 to a package, I just freeze in the container, but I still put it in a freezer bag first. Is that ok, or should I take the meat out of the packaging, wrap in saran wrap, and then freeze in the bags?

As long as you remove as much as as possible from the zippered freezer bag, your method is fine. The styrofoam tray won’t hurt anything, the issue is the thin plastic overwrap. It is very susceptible to punctures and tears and may allow air to come in contact with the meat. Again, it’s not a safety, but a quality issue.

Good luck!

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Questions About Making Homemade Chicken Stock

July 30, 2010 By 20 Comments

Q: How do you make chicken stock? Is there a basic recipe for making chicken stock?

A: I have two, one is based on the French method and the other on an Asian method of stock making. The ratios for chicken or turkey parts to water and vegetables is similar in both. While the methods are different both versions have specific steps for removing impurities, rendering a higher quality stock. Other methods of stock making are not wrong the stock making methods in the tables are written to yield consistent, good results.

Professional chefs often follow a more rigid method, carefully cooling the stock pot in a water bath before storing. This additional step yields a clearer stock, but is often awkward in most basic kitchen set ups.

Notice that neither recipe calls for salt.

Chicken stock is not chicken soup.

Stock is an ingredient that will be altered further in recipes, with the addition of salt and spices. When tasting your stock, if it seems bland, it’s because you’re expecting a different flavor the stock should provide. Commercially prepared stocks are often made to taste like soups and contain a lot of sodium. Just be aware that what you are making here will not taste like a bouillon cube or chicken broth from a can. It will have a very mild flavor. Do not underestimate its performance in your recipes.

Asian Chicken Stock Method French Chicken Stock Method
Ingredients:

  • 1 – 1.5 lbs chicken chicken bones / scraps
  • 2 carrots scrubbed and cut in half
  • 2 ribs of celery scrubbed and cut in half
  • 1 onion quartered (keep the papery layers, too)
  • 3 cloves of garlic cut in half
  • 8 – 10 peppercorns*
  • thyme (a handful of fresh or a generous TBSP dried)
  • 8 cups cold water + 6 cups cold water
 Ingredients:

  • 1- 1.5 lbs chicken bones / pieces or 1 turkey neck
  • contents of the giblet bag, except the liver (that’s the slimy squishy one), optional
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed and cut into chunks
  • 2 ribs celery, washed, cut into chunks, with the leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 onion peeled, washed, and cut into quarters
  • 6 cups of COLD water
Method:

  1. Bring 8 cups of water to a full boil. Add the chicken bones and boil for 5 minutes, it may be very foamy.
  2. Drain, reserving the chicken, discarding the liquid.
  3. Place the chicken parts and all of the remaining ingredients in the pot and cover with the 6 cups of cold water (use more if necessary)
  4. Bring just to a boil, reduce immediately to a simmer. Cook partially covered for two hours, uncovered for 1 hour, this should reduce the liquid volume by about 1/2. Add more water if any bones are exposed.
  5. Strain, cool, and store for later use.
 Method:

  1. Place all ingredients in a stock pot, cover with the 6 cups cold water
  2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat immediately to bring the stock down to a simmer.
  3. Carefully skim off all of the foam, this will need to be done several times. Simmer 1 hour.
  4. Strain the stock, preferably through several layers of cheese cloth, carefully into a clean pot.
  5. Bring just to a boil, immediately reduce to a simmer and cook until the volume has been reduced by half, usually about 2 hours.
  6. Cool and store promptly. Some fat may collect on the top after cooling, this can be scooped off with a knife or spoon

Q: How long will my homemade chicken stock last in the refrigerator?
A: Properly refrigerated -at or below 40°F- stock will last 2 – 3 days in the refrigerator.

Q: Can I freeze my homemade stock?
A: Yes.

 Divide the stock into into frequently used portions (1 cup, 2 cups, or 1 quart). Stock can be frozen in freezer safe containers or freezer bags.

Q: I made stock last night and this morning it was like Jell-O®. Is this normal? Is this safe?
A: Congratulations, you have made a very high quality stock.  Gelatin is a protein found in the connective tissue and cartilage of animals. Sure it’s kind of scary looking, but your soups and sauces will have a richer flavor and feel to them, and rank a little higher on the nutrition scale.

Q: Why is my homemade chicken stock cloudy?
A: There are several possible reasons: too much fat on the bones and scraps, the stock was not skimmed enough during cooking, or the stock reached a vigorous boil breaking up fats and proteins. The Asian method uses blanching, the quick boil, to remove many of the proteins that can create a cloudy stock. The French method relies on careful skimming and straining.

Don’t worry, cloudy stock is perfectly safe.

Q: Can I add other vegetables to my chicken stock?
A: Sure, but remember your stock is not a garbage disposal and be aware that strongly flavored vegetables like cabbage will create a strongly flavored stock. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes also yield cloudy stocks.

Q: This sounds really time consuming, does it really need three hours of cooking?
A: Yes, stocks are not fast food, but they are not labor intensive. Except for the actually draining, skimming, and occasional stir, the stock can work quietly all by itself. It doesn’t need much attention. Leave it alone.

What else would you like to know about making your own chicken stock?

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Home Preservation and Pressure Canning

July 26, 2010 By 16 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101:

I’m taking your advice about building an emergency food supply seriously. I’d like to do some of it by canning and preserving foods from my own garden. Besides pickles, jams and jellies, (which are yummy, but don’t exactly fill a belly) what kinds of foods should I be growing so that I can fill my emergency pantry with home-grown goodness?

Signed,

Mary Mary Quite Contrary

Heather says:

Pickles, jams, and jellies are great, but you’re right they have limited usefulness in a pantry. Although, If I were in a true emergency and biscuits and bread became a much larger portion of my diet, I think I’d be pretty grateful for those jams and jellies.

Home preservation is a valuable skill, but it isn’t limited to water bath canning. Freezing, dehydrating, and pressure canning all give additional means to preserve your garden harvest.

What to plant has a lot to do with your climate, the size of your garden, the length of your growing season and your skill as a gardener. I would really like to hear what Home Ec 101′s avid gardener’s suggest.

Personally, I would like to address additional methods of preserving your harvest.

Freezing works well for many vegetables, although some like green beans, peas, and broccoli, require blanching -that’s just a quick boil- for best results. If you have the freezer space, after blanching, spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and quick freeze before packing into quart size freezer bags. This method helps keep many vegetables from turning into a solid mystery lump and preserves many nutrients.

Dehydrating fruits and vegetables is easier in some climates than others. The cost of electric food dehydrators has dropped over the past few years, but I have yet to make the investment.

This is an affiliate link.With pickles, jams, jellies, and some salsas a water bath is all that is needed to process the jars, this is due to the preservative nature of sugar or the natural acidity of the recipe. Once you have mastered water bath canning, it’s time to invest in a pressure canner.  I bought the a Presto 16 Quart Pressure Cooker / Canner last year and have been slowly practicing with their provided recipes. This isn’t the exact model I have, mine did not come with a gauge, but mine seems to have been replaced with this model.

I’m just dipping my toe into the water of home preservation, but there are many other models to choose from:

This is an affiliate linkI have heard good things about the All American line of pressure cookers, such as this 21 1/2 quart pressure cooker / canner, but as a beginner I couldn’t justify the investment.

With a pressure canner your ability to preserve foods increases dramatically. All of the safety precautions you learned with water bath canning still apply. You must use sterile jars and new lids. The bands should still be finger tight. The pressure canner itself brings another set of safety concerns, always check the seal for wear and make sure the vents are clear.

Remember canning soups, vegetables, and meat does have its drawbacks:

  1. Foods lose some nutrients through processing.
  2. Jars are bulky.
  3. It’s time and labor intensive -this is especially true for new canners- after doing it a few times it’s easier to find the rhythm of work.

That said there are also some great benefits to canning your own vegetables, soups, and meat.

  1. After the initial investment has been recouped (this can take a couple of seasons) canning becomes an inexpensive preservation method.
  2. You gain complete control over what is in your food.
  3. There is some concern over the BPA levels of canned tomatoes. By canning your own tomatoes you virtually eliminate this risk.

Unless power outages are a frequent concern in your area, if I had a plentiful harvest from my garden, I would freeze produce first and can the remainder.

Here are some useful resources to help you get a safe start with pressure canning. Presto has a great list of pressure canner recipes and references. The National Center for Home Preservation is a useful website and they are trying to update. Your county’s cooperative extension may offer classes in home preservation for free or for very low cost. It’s worth looking them up and giving them a call to see what is offered in your area. This program may be one of our most under-utilized assets. When trying new recipes for pressure canning, it’s very important to ensure it meets the guidelines for safe preservation. Variations in seasonings are usually not an issue, watch for processing times that vary widely from standard recipes for the particular ingredients.

Good luck!

Christmas in July? Why not? Check out the Holiday Bake, Craft, and Sew Along to see what some of your favorite bloggers will be creating.

Also, my peppermint bark is featured at A Southern Fairytale’s Mouthwatering Monday.

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