Never made stock and need a substitute.

[Jock]

Canned chicken broth is OK to use and some, like Swansons make a low salt variety. Canned beef broth I find almost inedible. Trader Joe's beef broth is pretty good though. I look at the ingredients list and I don't see anything I wouldn't put in my own.
You can reduce the salt in a store bought broth by adding a peeled potato and simmering for 10 - 15 minutes. The potato will absorb a lot of the salt.

Jock

[ShawtyCat]

Actually, my problem with trying to make stock at home is that my son thinks he's the cook. He's 17 months old and I've tried everything from giving him empty pots and pans to letting him stir a little bit of water in a pot. He, on the other hand, wants to cook. I just can't get him out of the kitchen if I'm cooking. He won't stay in the high chair (almost tipped the thing over) or play with his older sister. Do you have any tips on keeping him busy while I start the stock? I make homemade pasta and was thinking of teaching him when he's 2 1/2 - 3 years old. He's not old enough yet and doesn't even know how to talk all that well.

I'd like to cook in peace.

[Chef Nosko]

Hi ShawtyCat:

Why not give him a project?????

Create his own little work station, where he can sit in a chair next to a small table. Buy some type of floor covering so you do not have a major clean up problem later.

Of course....no knives, or anything else sharp.

Have him snap green beans. Small amount of beans....large bowl.

Or......if he will sit still.......put some type of food in front of him, and have him draw it on a piece of paper with crayons. Tell him he is helping Mommy.

Also, if you are worried about him reaching up on top of the stove and burning himself......you can make a stock in the oven.

Another idea.......

When he goes to bed at night.......do your Mis en Place (prep work) at that time. Then just put everything into a pot, and let it simmer......skimming occasionally.

Good Luck,

Chef Nosko
Boston, MA

[shroomgirl]

my babies were cooking early, by 2 my youngest could get down the ingrediants for chocolate chip cookies, by 4 he was making apple strudel with fillo, by 6 he was chopping onions, peppers filling a pepper half separating eggs beating the whites til they were stiff, running the pepper through flour, then the whites getting out a skillet and asking me to cook his pepper....
WE spent an enormous amount of time in the kitchen. They had their own sets of equipment early on....
Stock is fairly easy to throw together....carrots, onion, celery, black pepper corns, bay leaf, garlic pod, hens, chicken backs and water, I put parsley in later, crank up the heat skim then simmer...

[ShawtyCat]

Thanks shroomgirl. It's nice to hear this from another mom. Im happy to know that I shouldn't be that worried about the babies in the kitchen. (They already know not to touch the stove right now). I guess I should focus on building a respect for the kitchen and all the equipment instead of saying "sit here and try not to move too much". I was taking advice from my mom who thinks that kids that young shouldn't be in the kitchen and that we were not letting them be kids. You've lifted a lot of worry from my shoulders. I'm not a bad mommy for letting my 1 yr and 4 yr old help cook. They actually like it.

Thanks

[Jock]

You guys are lucky that your kids take such an interest in cooking. My daughter is 14 and she has dabbled in it a little but really has no interest.
She is a great food critic though. Really, she can point to what's right or wrong with most things I cook and I rely on her honest opinion a lot.
I can't stand picky eaters and although my kid doesn't have the interest yours do, she has grown up with a lot of variety. There is not much she won't eat, like your's probably.

Jock

[Nick.Shu]

you can go halfway with booster powders, i have found that the saltiness tends to drop off a little bit if you add a mirepoix to boiling water and not as much powder. Also a touch of black peppercorns and bayleaves sooths the taste a little as well.

not that i would do such a thing (ahem).

[momoreg]

As Suzanne mentioned, Kitchen Basics makes a decent ready-to-use stock (not broth) in a yellow carton. They sell it in the local supermarket, and I think Wild Oats sells it too. It's far better than canned broth.

[-d-]

With regards to prepackaged broths, Cook's Illustrated recommends the carton variety vs. the canned versions. They say that the carton broths have better flavor since they can use lower heat to pasteurize the product. Haven't done a personal taste test myself, but wanted to pass along the information anyhow.

[spikezoe]

Add my vote in for Kitchen Basics . Lazy cook that I am, I use their product enough to notice differences in the batches...but it is somewhat comforting to know that their stocks do have a slight variation in them.

Their website a page dedicated to silly customer reviews --
"GREAT." G.W. from Waddy, KY
but some of the recipes I've tried off of the page have been decent or at least decent starting points.

http://www.kitchenbasics.net/

[Plum]

Have fun with it, ShawtyCat! Your children might be responding to what happens and the way you are in the kitchen, and want in on it.

Kids love nothing more than doing something for real. One point of advice I would give in case it's helpful: if you delegate, really delegate and don't try to watch their every move (at least once they've understood the task). Then they'll be able to enjoy the responsibility and take pride in getting better at it. Even now that I'm 30 with my own household my mother's still hovering when I do a task in her kitchen. I guess I need to train her better!

It sounds like you have the perfect set-up there, well done.
Have fun!
Plum.

[Kimmie]

Knorr has stocks heavily reduced into the consistency of a paste, and NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE CUBES. It is sold in plastic "yogurt" style containers and must be refrigerated. One teaspoon per cup of liquid does the trick. Available stocks are:

Chicken
Beef
Clam
Lobster


The product is absolutely marvellous and very fresh tasting.

[Suzanne]

Sounds great, and I'd love to try them. But I haven't seen anything like that in NYC. Kimmie, do you have a website, online, or other reference?

[Kimmie]

Hi Suzanne,

Here's a link for you

KNORR US

email: letters.knorrus@unilever.com. If you need immediate assistance or would like to speak with a Unilever Bestfoods Representative call 1-800-338-8831,
Monday - Friday, 8:30a.m. - 6:00p.m. EST

I hope it helps.

[marmalady]

Suzanne, I haven't seen the Knorr concentrate in the stores, but check with Sysco (SP?); we had them at one of the places I worked, and I'm pretty sure Sysco carries them. They're not bad - a little salty.

Have you used the Aramont line? Saw them at the Fancy Food Show two years ago, ordered samples, and they're wonderful!!! Wegman's is starting to carry them retail, too, which is great - at the show, they were only available in bulk.

Another good one is 'More than Gourmet'; comes in small and large sizes, and has several varieties. King's has it, and you can order it online from CMC - www.thecmccompany.com