So get to know your stockpot again, introduce it to your turkey carcass, add some aromatic vegetables and cold water. Put it on the back burner, tend to your Thanksgiving guests and come back later. Reichl says, "You'll reap the benefits for weeks to come."
Here are some tips for making great stock:
* Don't pick your turkey carcass clean before you make the stock. A little meat on the bones makes for better stock.
* Always begin with cold water.
* Never include the liver. But you can add other giblets.
* Freeze the bones from those store-bought rotisserie chickens. Chop carrots, celery and leeks and freeze them, too. You will be ready to make stock without making a trip to the grocery store.
* Roasting the aromatic vegetables and any uncooked chicken parts in a 450-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the ingredients are golden brown and caramelized, will result in what is called a "brown stock," which is richer in flavor. Be sure to deglaze the roasting pan with boiling water.
Starting with uncooked ingredients creates a "white stock," which is more lightly flavored.
* Consider leaving the skin on the onion for added flavor, but cut off the roots.
* Gently simmer stock; don't boil it. A hard boil causes fat droplets to be more finely dispersed in the stock, resulting in an unpleasant greasiness.
* You can clean out the fridge when making stock, using carrot tops or mushroom stems or limp celery. But think twice before using powerful vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli or turnips, which could dominate the stock.
* If you plan to make soup with your stock and you'd like to include meat, add a chicken breast at the beginning, but remove it when it is poached, in about 20 or 30 minutes, or it will taste tough and overcooked.
* Don't season the stock with salt and pepper until you know what you will be using the stock for.
* The longer the stock simmers, the richer and more concentrated it will be. Some recipes call for 3 to 4 hours.
* Freeze in ice cube trays (each cube is about 1/4 cup) or in 2-cup containers.
turkey stock
Makes about 3 quarts
1 turkey carcass, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped coarsely
1 carrot, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 rib celery, chopped coarsely
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
3 quarts cold water
optional ingredients (see note)
Bring all of the ingredients to a simmer in a large stockpot and cook for at least 2 hours, skimming off any fat or foam. Strain the broth through a large mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract flavor. Remove any fat that forms as the broth cools.
Stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Note: : If you like, you can add any or all of the following: 3 to 6 uncooked chicken wings; 1 tablespoon peppercorns; 1 leek, chopped coarsely; 3 cloves unpeeled garlic; celery tops; fresh parsley. Or substitute whole Spanish onion, studded with 6 cloves, for yellow onion. Add enough cold water to cover solids by at least 2 inches.
Recipe courtesy of "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook"
Per serving (1 cup): : 36 calories, 3 grams protein, 2 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 3 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 4 milligrams cholesterol, 113 milligrams sodium
