# Suggestions for chicken stock storage



## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

I have a freezer (big) but I have a bunch of jars taking up room and it also has to thaw to use it. I was thinking about canning it but I hate wasting valuable shelf space.

How do you folks store your stock?


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I can it.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

vicker said:


> I can it.


As stock or as finished broth? I just read a website that suggested storing it in freezer bags 2/3 full and laying them flat. Is the process time for stock the same as for canned chicken?


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

i store mine in the ball freezer cups.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

elkhound said:


> i store mine in the ball freezer cups.


Maybe I should have specified the quantity I have...gallons.


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## netskyblue (Jul 25, 2012)

I can it. Can't be bothered to wait for it to thaw when I want to use it. I can *easily* use a gallon for one pot of soup, and that lasts the 2 of us 3-4 days, tops. I usually can pints though, because my canner holds 19 pints or 9 quarts, so I can get just a little more done at once.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

wannabechef said:


> Maybe I should have specified the quantity I have...gallons.


i make mine very concentrate...a small purple lidded jar does a medium size pot in broth.cook it down...store concentrate and have more room in freezer.i have canned some also...but its not near the good stuff in freezer.


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## netskyblue (Jul 25, 2012)

elkhound said:


> i make mine very concentrate...a small purple lidded jar does a medium size pot in broth.cook it down...store concentrate and have more room in freezer.i have canned some also...but its not near the good stuff in freezer.


Oh! Or...I've done this before with chicken stock: Homemade Bouillon (Portable Soup)

Reduce 1 gallon of stock down to 1 cup, pour into a plastic container, chill till it "sets", then pop it out and cut into 16 cubes. Each one reconstitutes into a cup of stock. They have a rubbery consistency. It's supposed to be shelf stable, but mine grew mold in a closed container on the shelf. The cubes stored in the fridge, not airtight (just wrapped in a tea towel), did not. They did harden up like that, though.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

wannabechef said:


> Is the process time for stock the same as for canned chicken?


If you can it with meat in it, yes. If you strain it out and just do broth, then pints are 20 minutes at 10 lbs., quarts, 25 minutes.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

suitcase_sally said:


> If you can it with meat in it, yes. If you strain it out and just do broth, then pints are 20 minutes at 10 lbs., quarts, 25 minutes.


Thank you Sally...


Chris Jones

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## beaglady (Oct 7, 2002)

I do both. When we butcher a big batch of chickens I have a lot of stock, so I can it. In the interim, I end up a gallon here or there, and that gets frozen.


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

My freezer is quite small, so I end up canning it although I think I lose some nutrients by exposing it to such high heat. I make ours at barely a simmer for about 72 hrs. Wonderful stuff!


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## LonelyNorthwind (Mar 6, 2010)

I put mine in ziplocs and stack them in the freezer.


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

I cook mine down to where it's just barely pourable then freeze it in ice cube trays. I put the cubes in zippies and take out a couple when I want to make soup It's very strong.


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

GrammasCabin said:


> I put mine in ziplocs and stack them in the freezer.


I ended up doing this and it works great...


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

I just canned my first stock a few days ago...sure is gonna be nice to be able to crack open a jar instead of having to wait for it to thaw!


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## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

hippygirl said:


> I just canned my first stock a few days ago...sure is gonna be nice to be able to crack open a jar instead of having to wait for it to thaw!


Ok, fine...I'll can some!


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## Mizz_Patty (May 17, 2009)

By all means, can some and freeze some! I do both.

To process mine, I first concentrate it way, way down then let it set up overnight in the refrigerator. After spooning off most of the semisolid fat to use elsewhere, I can cut the "bone jello" into chunks. That way, it's really easy to vacuum bag it for an indefinite stay in the freezer (or give to friends, if they know what to do with it ... which I found out my friends do not).


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

I cook my chicken broth at 180 for around 18-24 + hours - depending on how long the cracked bones take to give off all the marrow. Then I strain bones and veggies out, return to pot and reduce 2 gallons down to one gallon. Place 2 quarts in refrigerator overnight, then skim any remaining fat, divide into ice cube trays, two cup and quart freezer zip lock bags which are frozen flat. The "ice cubes" are removed into a larger zip bag after frozen. 

After placing the 2 quarts in the fridge, I reduce the remaining 2 quarts down to 2 cups which are poured into a nesco fruit leather tray and placed in an excalibur preheated as high as it will go. In the morning, I have "fruit leather" broth which I break into pieces, seal in a foodsaver bag, and freeze. I usually have gallons of broth to freeze also.

I tried the dehydrated broth with a vegetable broth first to be sure that the excalibur would dehydrate the liquid. It did. 

I'm going to try the 16 cubes with Christmas turkey broth. That sounds like a great idea, but will probably freeze them as things seem to get lost in my fridge.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

In between two of my chemo consolidations DH and I did up some chicken stock from bones and what-not that we had been saving for about 7 months....
We can not find the stock, we can't remember if we canned it or if we bagged and froze it...we've looked but can't find it. Chemo causes short-term memory issues...even for the one NOT receiving chemo...~lol~...
I wonder what else we canned and can't recall!!! ROTFLMAO!!!


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## Melesine (Jan 17, 2012)

I can it. I found freezing to be too troublesome. It's nice to have stock ready to use at a moments notice and I can mine in both pints and quarts so I can open what I need.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I can mine too. It's easier to stack jars than to take up freezer space for me.


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## liteluvr (Dec 12, 2012)

Can it in quart jars. Freezer space is a more valuable commodity than shelf space around here.


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