Cannot stand handling a chicken - help!

[Bobsmum]

I really want ds (9 months) to have some more nice homecooked meals, but I really gag at the thought of handling a chicken carcass to make Ms Karmel's unsalted chicken stock.
Firstly, has anyone ever seen unsalted chicken stock on sale pre-prepared?
Secondly, if that's not an option, does anyone have a recipe which I could use so that a squeamish Bobsmum can get back to kitchen where she belongs?

Yes.

Sainsburys used to do a tub (250ml) of unsalted fresh stocks (chicken, vegetable and beef as far as I remember). This was about a year ago but I imagine they still do them. They weren't particularly a cheap option, but at least they did the job without fuss. I switched to using Knorr stock cubes as soon as ds was past 1 year.

Use water, with some herbs and perhaps a garlic clove.

My basic cassorole that my kids lived one for the first year of their lives was onion and garlic softened in oil, added turkey/chicken cubes to brown. Tbsp flour and cook for a minute (looks foul) added water to cover, herbs and veggies (carrots, potato etc) and cook for ages (about an hour). Whizz up in food processor until the right consistancy. Freeze in dollops in food bags!

GeorginaA! - that's exactly what i wanted to hear!
I'm always looking for an excuse to shop at Sainsburys - can't really afford it and tend to stick to Asda - but this could be the escape route I'm looking for

and crunchie too - will print you out - ta!

lol bobsmum ... oh no, what have I done!!

Just an update - trawled round my local Sainsburys tonight and couldn't find any unsalted chicken stock - tragedy!
found every other type of stock under the sun including organic vegetable boullion (hello?) but no luck
any other suggestions?

Bobsmum I tend to not have chiocken carcasses to hand very often, so make a chicken stock by poachingchiken thigh portions. Leave them simmering for an hour or 2 along with veggies and herbs. When you then strain the stock off, you canpick the meat off the thighs and use it in other things

Oh no, bobsmum That's awful - I was so relieved when I found that when cooking for ds!

Confessions of a bad mum, DD had our food all along, so that meant stock cubes, she's suffered no ill effects....I think that so long as you don't add any more salt and generally use non-processed foods using stock cubes won't hurt, it's noot like you're giving it to him whole.

Alternatively get your DH to make stock, I'm abit squeamish about meat, (had to shut my eyes to get giblets out of last night's duck) but DH will happily touch the mankiest of things.

Okay. Been doing some research. Kallo do a low salt vegetable stock cube and I'm pretty sure I've seen Kallo in the supermarket (our tescos for one) but I'm not sure if they stock the low salt variety.

I also don't know if there's a chicken version - but you could sub veg stock for chicken stock without too much destruction of the recipe I would have thought.

Of course, low salt isn't as good as no salt, but better than the normal ones I suppose. Will keep looking.

thank you so much GeorginaA - defintitely saw Kallo in Sbrys - will have to have another wander. what a shame

Wouldn't it be worth our while for all of us to email the various big name supermarkets about this? I mean, there must be a market for it - I should imagine a lot of mums with babies are concerned about salt intake for their little ones and would welcome a low or no salt stock cube? Not to mention adults who are on a low salt diet!

Health Food Shops sell a low salt stock. I got one - Marigold or something - from Holland and Barrett. Have also bought KAllo somewhere and it must be Sainsbury's because I don't go anywhere else!

I've never made chicken stock and personally don't think its necessary for any recipes (AK or otherwise!!) You can always add garlic and herbs for flavour. ALternatively it is really easy to make your own vegetable stock - celery and carrots cut into chunks, bayleaves and other sprigs of herbs (or one of those fancy muslin pouches of herbs), a few peppercorns, just boiled together for a while. Or you can use/add chicken joints as suggested below.

If you roast any meat on the bone (eg chicken or lamb) then you can use the leftovers to make a sort of stock. Just boil them up with herbs and any veg that's appropriate. The pressure cooker's excellent for this, because you can put the meat bone in one of its baskets and, if you don't want to pick out bones and don't mind wasting the leftover meat, then just take the whole basket out atthe end and chuck contents in bin. Lots of yummy soup or stock left behind.

Vecon stock has no salt - available at most health food shops. Its all we use in our house.

I found Madame Karmel's new website yesterday and decided to email her about this. Clearly she has far too much time on her hands because I got a reply this morning!!!
Sainsburys have discontinued their unsalted chicken stock, but she says i can use any part of a chicken as long as it's on the bone (ie thigh etc) and she asked me if I had time to write a review for her new site. Not if I'm making your chicken stock woman! How bizarre!

bobsmum, yes, how very bizarre! I hadn't quite appreciated Willow's comment about 'you never see Annabel Karmel and Jackie Collins in the same place at the same time' until I saw a picture of AK yesterday. I was in a health food shop today and all the stock was salted or low salt, none with no salt at all so the answer does seem to be to make your own.

when i used to make AK's recipes calling for the elusive no-salt chicken stock, i just used to use water with a couple of bayleaves and a few peppercorns which i then extracted. worked fine.

Classic reply from Sainsburys. Asked them if they still sold unsalted chicken stock rather than regular stock cubes/liquid stock etc.
They said this:

Dear Me,

Thank you for your email about unsalted chicken stock.

You can find the "liquid" stocks in the chilled isles next to the fresh meat. if we have added salt, then it will say so on the label.

Kind regards,

Sainsbury's Customer Services

Imagine that - I had never thought of reading the label !AAAaaaargh! she gets paid for that???

bobsmum, the email customer services at sainsburys really is awful. i have received several similar non-replies in the past.