chicken stock question

elaine said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs to
make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it off?

Can I assume you mean whole legs, as in leg quarters?

The answer is, on. I never use the drumsticks for stock, since those
are my favorite for everything else. You can cut off the drumsticks,
them put everything else in your stock pot, except you should remove
and discard that nasty lymph gland [censored], that little, red, brainy
looking thing that turns grey when cooked.

Quoted message said:

--
E.

--Bryan

"Food Snob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

elaine said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs
to
make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it
off?

Can I assume you mean whole legs, as in leg quarters?

The answer is, on. I never use the drumsticks for stock, since those
are my favorite for everything else. You can cut off the drumsticks,
them put everything else in your stock pot, except you should remove
and discard that nasty lymph gland [censored], that little, red, brainy
looking thing that turns grey when cooked.

Quoted message said:

Yes, whole chicken leg quarters. I took them out of the freezer and boiled
them; then wondered if I should take the skins off (since I couldn't when
they were frozen). Thanks.

Elaine

elaine said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs to
make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it off?

Leave it on. The skin contributes a great deal of flavor to stock.
-aem

"aem" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

elaine said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken

legs to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it

off?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Leave it on. The skin contributes a great deal of flavor to stock.
-aem

Yep, I leave it on as well. It contributes a deal of fat, but that's easily
skimmed off when the stock is cooled.

kili

elaine said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs

to

Quoted message said:

make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it

off?

Quoted message said:

Leave the skin on for flavor...and I always brown the legs (or whatever
meat) before making the stock, I use a crockpot to make stock.

Last weekend when I made stock I used a big turkey leg (they were on sale)
instead of chicken, it turned out mighty fine...

You can skim whatever fat rises to the top after the stock cools...

--
Best
Greg

"elaine" <[email hidden]> news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken
legs to make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking
or take it off?

Skin on. When I make stock I throw a whole chicken into the pot with a
trinity and some bay leaf. It's just my way and there are a thousand other
ways of doing it.

Michael

--
"The first zucchini I ever saw I killed it with a hoe."
John Gould, Monstrous Depravity, 1963

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"elaine" <[email hidden]> news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken
legs to make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking
or take it off?

Skin on. When I make stock I throw a whole chicken into the pot with a
trinity and some bay leaf. It's just my way and there are a thousand
other
ways of doing it.

Michael

......all of which will be called into question by at least 50 shmexperts by
the end of the day. :-)

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
:I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs to
: make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it off?
:
: --
: E.
:

Chicken wings are good and cheap and make excellent stock.

Remove them with a slotted spoon after 30 mins of boiling. Carry on boiling the
rest of the stock and veges.

Put the wings in a roasting pan and sprinkle with herbs or what ever suits you and
roast them in the oven to crispy (30 mins turning once) and you have a great snack
as well as the stock.

When making the stock cut the brown onions into halves but leave the skin on,
gives the stock a nice colour. It all gets strained out at the end of cooking

Frenchy

"Frenchy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
:I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs
to
: make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it
off?
:
: --
: E.
:

Chicken wings are good and cheap and make excellent stock.

Remove them with a slotted spoon after 30 mins of boiling. Carry on
boiling the
rest of the stock and veges.

Put the wings in a roasting pan and sprinkle with herbs or what ever suits
you and
roast them in the oven to crispy (30 mins turning once) and you have a
great snack
as well as the stock.

When making the stock cut the brown onions into halves but leave the skin
on,
gives the stock a nice colour. It all gets strained out at the end of
cooking

Frenchy

Thanks. Sounds good and not wasteful. I was contemplating using some of my
chicken meat to do something else. Usually I feed it to the dogs, but it
tasted ok.

Not to be. My 14 years old cat managed somehow to get up on the counter. I
have no idea how, but there he was - nibbling at my chicken.

I guess, where there's a will, there's a way.

More for the dogs, - the cat is banished outside.

E.

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Not to be. My 14 years old cat managed somehow to get up on the counter.
I have no idea how, but there he was - nibbling at my chicken.

Somehow? Cats can jump 5-10 times their own height. It's their job. 🙂

On Fri, 19 May 2006 06:58:48 +1200, "Frenchy" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
:I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs to
: make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it off?
:
: --
: E.
:

Chicken wings are good and cheap and make excellent stock.

Remove them with a slotted spoon after 30 mins of boiling. Carry on boiling the
rest of the stock and veges.

Put the wings in a roasting pan and sprinkle with herbs or what ever suits you and
roast them in the oven to crispy (30 mins turning once) and you have a great snack
as well as the stock.

When making the stock cut the brown onions into halves but leave the skin on,
gives the stock a nice colour. It all gets strained out at the end of cooking

Frenchy

IMHFO, it takes a day to do properly. Usually a Sunday. I concur
about the chicken wings, with skin, very cheep (pun intended) in the
UK from the local Asian butchers shop. I don't bother to wash the
wings. Roast until crispy, turning as necessary to ensure maximum
browning.

In the meantime, boil lots of water in your favourite pot, adding
onions, a few cloves of Garlic and a couple of carrots, washed, topped
and tailed, peeling not needed. Celery also. NO SALT!!!!!

Add the roasted wings. Deglaze the roasting pan with whatever takes
your fancy. Water, in my case because I'm busy drinking the wine.

I boil the whole lot until the chicken bones are soft enough to cut
with a pair of kitchen scissors (which I do) and then continue boiling
until it's nearly time to pack up for the night. Turn off the gas, &
strain. The solids can go in the bin, or they can go on the compost
heap to feed the local wildlife.

Now, the contentious bit, I cover the strained liquor and let it cool
over night. I can't be having this chilling thing, my kitchen is
colder than a Witches [censored], even in Summer.

In the morning, I decant the glup into suitable containers (Yoghurt
pots or whatever) consign the lot to one of the freezers. And so, off
to work.

The frozen bricks can have a fair head of fat. Sometimes that's
useful, at other times it ain't. Separation on thawing is easy with
an appropriate technique.

Regards
JonH

Gregory Morrow said:

elaine said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken
legs to make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking
or take it off?

Leave the skin on for flavor...and I always brown the legs (or
whatever meat) before making the stock, I use a crockpot to make
stock.

Last weekend when I made stock I used a big turkey leg (they were on
sale) instead of chicken, it turned out mighty fine...

Turkey wings also make excellent stock. Cheap and easy. And yes, chill the
stock and skim the fat off the top. The perfect stock will be gelatinous
when cooled.

Jill

Frenchy said:

"elaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
:I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs to
: make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it off?
:
: --
: E.
:

Chicken wings are good and cheap and make excellent stock.

Two of those three are true. Wings are "good," "and make excellent
stock."
At least around here, they're never cheap. Leg quarters have been as
cheap as 18 cents/# within the past month.

Quoted message said:

Remove them with a slotted spoon after 30 mins of boiling. Carry on boiling the
rest of the stock and veges.

Put the wings in a roasting pan and sprinkle with herbs or what ever suits you and
roast them in the oven to crispy (30 mins turning once) and you have a great snack
as well as the stock.

Too much of the flavor has been boiled out. Meat used to make stock is
only suitable for dogs or pigs. Cats are usually unimpressed.

Quoted message said:

When making the stock cut the brown onions into halves but leave the skin on,
gives the stock a nice colour. It all gets strained out at the end of cooking

White meat definitely gives a different flavor than dark. A stock made
with just wings will be very different that one made with just thighs.
I like the whole chicken approach for best flavor. Reserve the
drumsticks and breast tenderloins, the rest to the stock pot, but
that's a bit pricey, and I only do it if whole chickens are $.59/# or
less. Oh, and I clean those nasty lymph glands out of the hip/backbone
area. The gizzards and heart, whatever, but the liver goes to the dogs
as well.

You know another part I like to reserve is the wing tips. I love them
fried in chicken schmaltz, rendered from the big blobs of fat on the
thighs, which also dont do anything for the stock, since the fat would
be skimmed off anyway.

Quoted message said:

Frenchy

--Bryan

On Thu, 18 May 2006 10:58:16 -0400, "elaine" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I have never really thought about this before. I always buy chicken legs to
make stock. Is it better to leave the skin on while cooking or take it off?

I leave it on if I'm feeling lazy, but if not, I take it off with as
much of the fat as I can, and I make schmaltz from the fat.

serene
--
Kissing Hank's Ass is 10 years old! http://jhuger.com/kisshank
My personal blog: http://serenejournal.livejournal.com
My new cooking blog: http://serenecooking.livejournal.com