....to gather up the bones?

[marvik]

Spin-off from another thread.

I buy whole free range chickens which I either roast and carve - or joint for casseroles. When the meal is over I've always gathered up the bones from people's plates to add to the carcass which is then boiled up for stock. The stock is used for soup or risotto.

Was baffled to learn - on another thread - that many people feel this is 'rank', 'disgusting' etc.

I think it's about good cooking and good household economy.

(In the old days the cat used to get the left over boiled chicken from the stock pot too..)

Your thoughts please?

That and it's fun trying to work out whether the food you are about to drop into the bin could have a second shot at hitting your plate instead
We have a completely different idea as to what fun is

Making your own stock sounds good but uses so much energy to boil it all up, that I consider it a huge waste of energy. Grim using cast offs from plates, fine whole bird carcass if you must do this.

I think making your own stock sounds great in theory, but its a lot of boiling and the result isn't worth the effort. I don't think germs are an issue as its boiled, but I'll stick with OXO.

you lot are batshit. I make mine with the slow cooker, all odds and ends go in it, costs about 30p for 24 hours and homemade stock is so good for you!

Homemade stock is great. On an induction hob in a pressure cooker, the energy use is minimal.

The fat skimmed off the top can be used in pastry, by the way

This is insane. OP I do this weekly, I leave the bones in the fridge until such time as I see fit to make the stock with the gnawed bones and the last of the carcass, which I use for the gravy for next week’s roast dinner. I can’t believe how prissy people are, just because something is a bit icky doesn’t actually mean it’s wrong. I also boil up the giblets in the stock, gnaw the meat off the neck and fry up the liver while I’m doing the potatoes- chef’s perks 👍🏼

I could technically use my stainless steel stock pot to have a shit in if the toilet wasn’t working, right? And since stainless steel can be sterilised, a good clean inside and out and a good swill of boiling water or even a run through the dishwasher means I’d be all set , hygiene-wise, right? Then you can come over and I’ll make us a nice soup in my stock pot. I mean it’s no different than eating something made from boiled bones that several different people have gnawed on.

I don’t eat meat (pre-chewed or otherwise) but I do make veg stock from onion ends and peels, potato peels, carrot ends, celery ends, basically anything that isn’t cruciferous like broccoli or cabbage (makes it bitter). For those of you killing your gas bill with hours on the stove top- get a pressure cooker. Perfect stock in an hour or less.

Yep, all the bones go in stock here. Including if we have takeaway chicken am not in U.K. so this would usually be a grilled half chicken per person.

I also save all veg trimmings (big box in the freezer) to add to biggest pan as soon as there are bones available.

It boils for an hour & makes delicious stock which goes in everything.

We do tend to pick apart with fingers rather than gnaw, but I'm not sure it matters. Suspect even hands washed for table are a bit germy.

It's boiled up for an hour, then frozen, then used in dishes like bolognese that have additional simmering. Really can't imagine any nasties from picked over bones surviving all that...

I would hope it's not generational! I'm 30 and I always book the bones for stock!

Who on earth is licking and chewing bones that have been on their plate?

Have you people never heard of a knife and fork?

I don't do it myself OP but I can't see anything wrong with it.

Yep I do, and as loldie99 says any wine left in glasses (although I admit that is rare with my guests)

To those saying you use a knife and fork, saliva is on your fork presumably?
I feel like I'm in another world. You don't reuse food items someone else has gnawed at. I can't believe I have to say that.

I suppose it's an example of the way the food industry has convinced us that a not very nutritious product is cheap and clean and convenient - while something else that we can prepare relatively easily and which is genuinely flavourful is 'skanky' and 'disgusting' and 'grim.'

Has anyone actually said that homemade stock is skanky? It's just the part about using pre-sucked bones people object to.

No one is saying home made broth is bad. What's not nice is taking food off peoples plates and putting it in the broth, then expecting other people to eat it again.

You wouldn't take guests leftover soup and chuck it all in a pot and reheat it. You could make a stock just as well with the left over carcass.

Chucking in bones that have been sitting on plates and eaten off doesn't make you a keen cook.

Do you all buy brand new knives and forks for every meal? what is the difference?

I seem to remember an episode where Nigella Lawson takes home so the bones at the end of a dinner party and freezes then for stock, she also froze the dregs of her guest's wine glasses to add to cooking at a later date.

Roast the bones. This will sterilise any bacteria. Make stock with them, better flavour. Ask any kitchen worker what goes into the stockpot and prepare to be amazed.

"Whackaguacamole

Do you all buy brand new knives and forks for every meal? confused what is the difference?"
We wash them in between. And we don't make stock from the washing up water.

Not rtft but I’ve Just been reading a couple of threads about awful partners - saw this thread title and rather hoped someone had taken ltb one step,further! Deeply disappointed!

Smiley face

Actually what little waste there was was never thrown away, it was given to my aunt and uncle to feed their pigs Which is now illegal. You can't feed kitchen waste to pigs or chickens any more.

And a few people on early pages did say they used stock cubes by preference as homemade is tasteless, Kallo cubes etc were mooted!

And yes to those saying it doesn't take hours of boilng to make. Sloco, pressure cooker or on the hob on a very slow roil for about an hour.
I'm a bit that so many posters can't get their heads round re-usng bones, veg ends to make stock / soup. Such a waste!

I don't think anyone has said that have they? Using bones and veg to make stock, fine. Using bones someone has gnawed, or veg someone has chewed and rejected, not fine.

We usually have a roast chicken on Sunday then I make a soup for DW to take to work in a flask for lunch in the week.

I only use the carcass, though. I wouldn't add bones from the plate. Thinking about it, I suppose it'd be ok as I boil the soup for ages, so that'd kill off any bugs.

I hardly know any more Stealth

• Some have said they only use cubes as homemeade stock is tastless
• Others have said they boil the bum off their stock... or is that just what Non Stockists have said?
• Some have likened resuing all bones to shitting in a pan before using it to make said stick
• Some have pointed out the sterilsation of boiling, the only reason to bring any stock to a boil in the iirst place
• but the 'shit in a pan' type comment returns.

I just find it sad that stock makers seem to be outnumbered. Especially given how nice homemeade chicken broth with noodles, prawns, spring onions and bit of Thai spicing is!

@StealthPolarBear, equally I don’t think anyone has said they’re using veg that has been “chewed and rejected”. That implies it’s been masticated and spat out, which would indeed be disgusting.

I think there’s some pretty emotive language going on on this thread which makes things sound worse than they are! Gnawed makes it sound like people have been chewing on and salivating over these bones for hours...