tockThat roast chicken carcass headed for the trash is the start of a pot of stock.
Homemade stock costs almost nothing. It uses bones, pan juices and vegetable scraps you already paid for. And it beats the boxed kind for flavor. As soup season starts, here is how to make it and store it safely, using guidance from Penn State Extension and other university food-safety programs.
Save the scraps
Start a freezer bag. Toss in chicken or turkey bones after dinner, along with onion skins, carrot peels and celery tops.
Don’t keep raw or cooked bones in the fridge for more than two days before using them, because leftover bits of meat spoil fast, New Mexico State University Extension advises. If you won’t make stock right away, freeze them. Frozen bones keep for months.
Penn State says to skip strongly flavored vegetables like broccoli and peppers. Never use moldy or rotten produce.
Chicken stock, start to finish
Penn State’s method is simple:
- Pull off the meat and save it for another meal.
- Put the bones and pan juices in a large pot. Add vegetable scraps and herbs like thyme, parsley or a bay leaf if you have them.
- Cover the bones with water by 1 to 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Strain out the bones, vegetables and herbs.
Go light on salt. For a clearer stock, use whole peppercorns instead of ground.
Want beef bone broth?
Beef bones take longer. A recipe shared by the University of California’s Master Food Preserver Program roasts about 3½ pounds of beef bones, such as oxtail, shank and marrow bones, at 450°F for 40 minutes, turning them halfway. Then they go in a stockpot with celery, onion, leek, garlic, bay leaves and a tablespoon of white vinegar.
The pot simmers very low for about 12 hours. Skim off the foam as it rises, and add water whenever the bones poke out.
Cool it fast
This is the step people get wrong. A big pot of hot stock cools slowly, and that leaves it in the temperature range where bacteria grow.
Penn State says to get stock to room temperature within two hours. Split it into several small containers, or set the pot in a sink of ice water and stir often. Then move it to the refrigerator to finish chilling.
Once it’s cold, the fat hardens into a layer on top. Lift it off with a clean spoon.
Store it right
- Refrigerator: Use within about 3 days. Keep it at 40°F or below.
- Freezer: Use freezer containers or wide-mouth jars, and leave room for the stock to expand. The UC recipe says to use frozen broth within 6 months.
- Thawing: Thaw in the refrigerator or right in the cooking pot, never on the counter.
Want shelf-stable jars? Stock is a low-acid food, so it must be pressure canned, never water-bath canned. Penn State’s tested directions process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes at 11 pounds on a dial gauge or 10 pounds on a weighted gauge, at elevations up to 1,000 feet. Above that, check with your local extension office for adjustments.
Label every container with the date so you use the oldest first.
The bottom line
Stock is self-reliance in a pot. You get more out of every bird you buy, cut down on waste and fill your freezer with something better than the store sells.
Save the bones, simmer them, cool the stock fast and store it cold. Your next pot of soup will thank you.
Sources
- Penn State Extension: Preparing and preserving your own chicken or turkey stock
- New Mexico State University Extension: Homemade bone broth storage
- UC Master Food Preserver Program: Bone broth