# Concentrating chicken stock



## Vosey

Does anyone concentrate or cook down their chicken stock? 

I saw a Jackie Clay article a long time ago about making something like a leather with chicken stock. I buy the little gooey packets at Trader Joes that make a cup of stock for camping and emergency supplies. Knorr's also makes little tubs of concentrate that are great but have a bunch of crap in them. I wondered about trying to make them at home.

I have about 18 quarts simmering on the stove and I really don't have the time or energy to can 18 quarts tomorrow. And they take up so much room. Although better canned than trying to find room in one of the freezers!


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## Vosey

Hmm, no ideas yet. I searched online but couldn't find anything useful. It was all about either making chicken stock or how to use the concentrated packets you buy in the store.

So my plan today is to can 7 quarts, reduce the rest and hope there's room in the freezer. Maybe this evening I'll have time to go through my back issues of BHM to find the dehydrating stock leather article.


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## Ann-NWIowa

I had chicken bones etc. cooking down on the stove and sat down to watch the news. Accidently went to sleep and just managed to rescue stock before it boiled away. What should have been a couple quarts ended up less than a pint. Does that count??? 

I think you could cook it down to concentrate it and can it as pints.


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## jwal10

We make concentrate all the time, just use very little water to start, add water as needed during cooking, with the lid off. Then can in half pints, add needed water at cooking time....James


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## where I want to

I wanted this too so I checked and found this- http://www.myrealfoodlife.com/home-made-chicken-bouillon-cubes/

But I am pretty leery of the preservation outside of freezing for this. As the artcle points out, commercial bullion cubes are full of preservative.


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## Vosey

where I want to said:


> I wanted this too so I checked and found this- http://www.myrealfoodlife.com/home-made-chicken-bouillon-cubes/
> 
> But I am pretty leery of the preservation outside of freezing for this. As the artcle points out, commercial bullion cubes are full of preservative.


Thank you! It didn't occur to me to look up boullion cubes because I have never liked their flavor. Probably all those preservatives. I don't mind freezing if it's smaller volume, I just use so much stock it's crazy to freeze it and I'm running out of canning jar space as well. 

Jwal - I like what you do as well. I'm going to have to figure out what works for me.

When I find Jackie Clay's article I'll post the gist of it.


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## ||Downhome||

Rather then less water I would make the stock to recipe and then concentrate/condense/reduce.
My thinking is if you reduce X amount by Y volume you then know exactly what to add back to achieve the original product..
Not to hard to reduce to half volume. 
Means half the canning.
Wider the pots diameter the faster you can reduce it.


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## semimoonman

I reduce unsalted stock to one quarter the original volume and freeze it in ice cube trays. I've read some articles that say that if you take it far enough--until you've essentially got meat jello when it's cooled--that it doesn't even need refrigeration&#8230;I've never trusted the source enough to try it.


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## Vosey

semimoonman said:


> I reduce unsalted stock to one quarter the original volume and freeze it in ice cube trays. I've read some articles that say that if you take it far enough--until you've essentially got meat jello when it's cooled--that it doesn't even need refrigerationâ¦I've never trusted the source enough to try it.


I think the article I read then dehydrates the jello into a leathery substance. I'll find it one of these days! I think for the turkey stock coming up I'll just reduce it down.


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## Vosey

I found the article - Backwoods Home Magazine Nov/Dec 2008 Issue #114, _Making bouillon cubes_ by Selina Rifkin.

A little more complicated than I thought, and doesn't involve a dehydrator. Mostly it's just cooking down bone stock (no veggies as they shorten the shelf life) into a sticky mess. I'm going to try it someday when I have time to experiment and mess around. It looks like the kind of thing that is easy once you get the hang of it, all about looking for the right texture.


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## suitcase_sally

I think what you are referring to is an item called "Glace de Viande". From the Joy of Cooking book it gives basic directions. In a nutshell, it is making your stock, strain it, put back into your pot and continue to reduce it. This will take hours and hours. It will be reduced to about 1/4 or less of it's original volume. ((Keep in mind that while it is hot, it will still be in a liquid state. It will mostly solidify (sort of) when cool.)) It will keep for several weeks in the fridge, or you can cut it into 1 tablespoon squares and seal in packets and freeze.


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## Vosey

And I have the Joy of Cooking right here! Thanks, not sure why it didn't occur to me to look in cookbooks as the French have been perfecting this kind of thing for centuries. I will try this on my Turkey stock.


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## motdaugrnds

I'm processing Jumbo Cornish X Rocks this week; and I will be making some chicken stock. I've never made this before for long-term storage; but want to freeze it in ice trays.

This is my plan and I would be grateful for any comments about how to make it better.

Taking the backs and necks only, placing them in large pot covering with water. Start the boiling down process. While that is going on, taking the "feet", boiling them in hot water for 10 minutes and then skinning them. Pour that water out! Add the skinned feet to my pot and continue the condensing process until over half of the liquid is gone...maybe more. Rapidly cool it, place in ice trays and freeze; then put the cubes into ziplocks to use as desirred.

I have not considered adding any seasoning at all, especially not salt. Should I add season; and if so, what kind and why?


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## jwal10

Don't use anymore water than needed, the carcass will break down quickly. I season a little. No problem with vegetables, just strain them out with the meat and use or can....James


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## motdaugrnds

Thank you James. By the time the liquid has boiled down, I suspect only bones and feet will be left. I'm not sure how to get the meat off the bones during this process, though I sure would like to. Maybe just boil it all slightly long enough to debone, then taking meat out before adding the feet? Setting the meat aside until liquid has boiled down the way I want it, then adding the meat before placing in ice trays?


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## GreenMother

I cook it down until it jells fairly hard when cooled. Then I cut it in blocks, wrap it and throw it in the freezer. It's handy and compact, and it lasts nearly forever.


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## Vosey

motdaugrnds said:


> Thank you James. By the time the liquid has boiled down, I suspect only bones and feet will be left. I'm not sure how to get the meat off the bones during this process, though I sure would like to. Maybe just boil it all slightly long enough to debone, then taking meat out before adding the feet? Setting the meat aside until liquid has boiled down the way I want it, then adding the meat before placing in ice trays?


Since your bones and meat are fresh (I often use bones from a roast and then don't try to salvage the meat except to give to the dogs), I suggest you cook it for no longer than an hour to start then pull the bones and meat out and set aside the meat and throw the bones back in. The feet can go in at any time. If you cook the meat too long all the flavor goes out of it. I usually cook stock for hours and then strain everything out.


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## K.B.

I haven't tried it for concentrating stock, but a crock pot set on low with the lid propped slightly open (I try and time it for overnight) works well for concentrating fruit juices. I use this method when there is a glut of apple, pear or plum juice from fall processing. We don't use a lot of juice, but the concentrate is more like a sauce and can be thickened to a syrup pretty easily.

There is an element of carmelization that happens with concentrating the fruit juices using the crock pot... but this is not a bad thing for that application - it brings out more flavor. I'm not sure if it would happen with the stock where there is much less sugar to start with.


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## suitcase_sally

I add salt, pepper, onions, celery tops, carrots and any other seasonings I might feel like throwing in.

Be aware that if you add salt and concentrate it, it may not freeze completely solid. I will be good in the freezer forever, but be aware that freezing in ice cube trays and dumping them into a baggie may result in a mass rather than cubes as they may not freeze solid.


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## motdaugrnds

Does anyone else use the feet? I've put some up to use for stock; but am experimenting as to how to use them. I found a recipe that says to NOT overboil the feet, just dip a few minutes into boiling water then cool quickly to make skinning the outlayer off easy. I'm wondering if the feet actually cook away.....


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## Vosey

motdaugrnds said:


> Does anyone else use the feet? I've put some up to use for stock; but am experimenting as to how to use them. I found a recipe that says to NOT overboil the feet, just dip a few minutes into boiling water then cool quickly to make skinning the outlayer off easy. I'm wondering if the feet actually cook away.....


I used to make the most incredible chicken stock with feet. I lived near an old school grocery store that carried all the wonderful parts of animals that the chain stores don't any more. The feet would rise up and the nails would stick out and flutter as they cooked. I cooked the stock, simmering/boiling, for hours. These were clean feet, skin on. The skin kept them pretty intact. 

I haven't killed my own chickens yet, so I'm not sure what the outlayer is and if it needs to be removed.


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