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Do anyone stir the bones in stock vigorously before straining?

6K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  mike9 
#1 ·
I stirred my chicken stock vigorously before straining it to get as much flavour from the solids. The flavour changed from mild to very chickeney but also a bit strange. It also became very brown and cloudy.

I used 1 roast chicken carcass including all bones and wings and boiled for an hour (I know it should be 3 hours but electricity/gas prices are expensive in Australia). It first seemed mild, then after stirring too strong so I added water, then made it into a Vietnamese style noodle soup the next day and it was mild again.

I've never had success with stocks.
 
#2 ·
Classically speaking you would never do that in fact if you did that in culinary school or in a professional kitchen you would get low marks or a stern warning from the chef. When you do that it causes the stocks to be cloudy. If your doing stews and braises fine but if your making sauces, clear broth soups such a consommee you need a clear broth. Here is an image of a pheasant stock I made:


There are several great articles at Cheftalk.com on making stocks.
[article="6680"]How To Make White Stock [/article][article="6687"]How To Make Brown Stock [/article][article="28103"]How To Make Pheasant Stock [/article]
If you want to get a stronger chicken flavor then I would add more bones and after you make your stock reduce it more and it will intensify the flavor.
 
#5 ·
As our good friend @boar_d_laze used to say, for good stock you steep it like tea. At the lowest setting and when you lift the lid you see steam but it never boils. I never stir the stock. Last week I made bone broth and I let it steep on the lowest setting all night long. When I woke in the morning it has been cooking for 18 hrs or so. Richest chicken stock I've ever made. You may want to look into getting a slow cooker.
 
#9 ·
Hope Op doesn't mind a quick question - is it ok to restart a stock?

I was making a beef stock today and, when we had to leave home for a couple of hours, my wife turned the heat off. When we got back home I restarted it and I've been searching the forum and my library but couldn't find anything on this yet.
 
#11 ·
A couple of hours with the lid on is fine so long as it doesn't boil on the restart.  This is where a PID controller is a good thing.  Pot on a hot plate with the PID programmed as a high end limiter.  Your stock would be at the perfect simmer for days if you wanted.
 
#12 ·
I make stock a few times a month from beef, chicken or pork bones which I get from the local Asian grocery (along with lemongrass, which I throw into every batch).

I used to do the long, slow simmer, but these days, I use the pressure cooker. To me, the pressure cooker give me a broth that's more intense & complex than the low & slow method, and more gelatin is extracted, which improves the texture. As for clarification, I guess I could use a raft but straining through muslin is enough for my purposes.

Here's an article from serious eats that compares the stock made from a long simmer, a slow cooker, or a pressure cooker:

http://seriouseats.com/2014/01/ask-...e-stock-in-a-pressure-cooker-slow-cooker.html
 
#13 ·
I avoid disturbing the bones as much as I can during stock making. The beef stock I am dipping into for various dishes for this month's challenge probably spent over 3 days all told, steeping at about 185 - 190 F.  Maybe next batch I'll put a stopwatch on it.

Have not had a pressure cooker for many years, just got a pressure canning setup this past fall for canning. Maybe I'll try making stock under pressure, see how it compares with the long steep method.

mjb.
 
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