How do I get the bones and bits out of my soup?

[radiobedhead]

I cooked a magic Mumsnet chicken last night and had a roast. It was chicken caeser salad tonight and I'm now cooking chicken soup for tomorrow.

I've put the whole chicken carcass, bones, bits - everything - in. Now, how do I get the crap bits out?! Obviously I can fish out the big bits of circus and large bones easily but do I need to go through the whole bloody thing to get the scrappy bits out? Should I never have put them in in the first place?!

I've made chicken soup loads of times and I can't for the life of me remember HOW.

Big bits of circus?! Carcass!

I sieve my stock.

You just need a colander and/or a sieve

Big bowl and colander over, tip the lot in the colander, then, making sure there are no bits left in the pan, put the sieve over the pan and tip all the stock back through the sieve and into the pan. If your colander is fine then you'll not need the sieve :o

I pick over the carcass and drop any meaty bits back into the stock and then chuck the bones.

Do not strain your soup through a colander over the sink, only to watch your lovely delicious soup gurgle away down the plug hole, like I did! Remember to put a bowl underneath!!

Ok, thanks! I was hoping for an amazing magic trick but I will sieve and sieve again! I chucked some veg in too so I'll keep that and the bits of chicken in.

Might put noodles in to avoid the temptation of loads of bread slathered in butter.... (Am calorie counting, boo)

Another time, turn the stripped carcass and vegetables into stock and then strain... first. Use the strained stock, reserved chicken bits and some more veggies to make the finished soup.

Sieve it