Please can you tell me how to make chicken stock?

[Longtallsally]

Yes, I am a stock virgin. Tried to make it once, but couldn't work out what to do!

Had roast chicken tonight so have a carcass. Do I have to boil it in a large saucepan? It takes a lot of water to boil up a chicken carcass - do you use it all? When you use it to cook, I assume that whatever you have cooked (risotto this week) needs to be used up in 24 hrs . . . .

Any advice much appreciated.

Very easy, just put the carcass in a large saucepan and put enough water to come half way up the carcass. Add a bayleaf, a sliced onion and some peppercorns. Bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid half on for about 2 hours. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly. Strain off the stock and put in a container. Allow to cool down and then put in the fridge overnight. All the fat will rise to the top and you can skim off and throw away. You will be left with a stock which now like a jelly. You can either use it straight away or pour in to a thick plastic bag and freeze.

I normally break the carcass down as much as I can, put a bay leaf, whole peppercorns, an onion (chopped into about 4 pieces) and any other bits and bobs of veg that need using up into a big pan of simmering water with the lid on and leave on a very low heat on the hob for at least 2 hours before draining with a sieve. If you have any spare it freezes really well in plastic pots. Just don't do what I did the first time I made it and drain the stock down the sink, saving the manky veg and chicken!

More or less the same, only I would bring up to the boil and then turn off heat.

lol -I may have done that last time too, Minimum

Just one final question or two - how much stock does one chicken make, and how much of the stock would I then put in to, say, make a risotto for 4 people?

Thank you, ladies!

If you can be bothered to roast the carcass first you get a much better flavour (and a browner stock). I don't very often do one at a time. I freeze until I have 2 or 3 in a box in the freezer gruesomely labelled OLD BONES.

Just buy Knorr stock pots (little tiny tubs of jelly).

They are much nicer than stock cubes.

Ahh - good idea Barbarian - y'see that's why I need Mn

Thankyou! (So how much of my pot of home made stock goes into my risotto??)

Adding some onion chunks with the skins still on makes it browner and tastier too.

All of it and a good glass of wine. But you don't need to cover the whole carcass in water because it will disintegrate and so be much smaller/lower you know what I mean.
Minimum is utterly correct about being careful not to drain down sink. Done that.

The way I do it is to put the carcass in my stock pot (is it posh to have a stock pot?), cover it with water, throw in a few peppercorns, a generous pinch of salt, a couple of bay leaves, a split carrot and an onion cut into quarters. I also throw in any fresh herbs (parsley and thyme, mostly, though tarragon works well too) that are at the point of wilting and being thrown out. I bring it all to a boil, stick a lid on it and simmer for 4 or 5 hours, then strain. This gives a fairly weak stock, so I tend to boil the resulting liquid down until it's reduced by a half (lid off). After that, I let it cool, then pour it into freezer bags (the ones with a locking seal) in 250ml - roughly - amounts, and bung them in the freezer until needed.

Thankyou! (Errr - but how much of my pot of home made stock goes into my risotto??)

You need about a litre of liquid for 400g risotto rice BUT you can use however much you have and add water/wine or something like mushroom soaking water if you used dried mushrooms. If the stock is very concentrated - takes up less space for storage - it will need to be diluted.

I often reduce stock down quite a lot then pour it into ice cube bags and freeze. Makes it easy to use much as you need, though do label it before you put it in the freezer, all looks the same once it's ice!

I can't really answer the 'how much stock' question (so I'm glad 21meals did!) because all I can say is 'enough' - it depends on the type of rice you're using, whether you've got other liquids involved and so on. I tend to use one 250ml bag per risotto for 2 - if it turns out to be not enough, I add water, and if there's more than I need, I stick the leftover part in the fridge and add it to something the following day. Sorry not to be more exact, but that's just the way I cook!

I like to add a couple of carrots, onions, celery sticks, bay leaves parsley and peppercorns. I might cut the veg in half but not make it any smaller.

Stock will keep fine in the fridge for a few days btw or you can freeze it.

Your question about the risotto is a bit of a how long is a piece of string type question...