I am glad to have the ability to cook up some food to have in the freezer for us to eat for the post-partum period. I remember how wiped out I was after Morganna was born, and I have to say that it was good that I was living with my ex-mother-in-law at the time, or I would have starved to death, because I just couldn;t muster up the energy to cook. Or, do much of anything.

So, I am preparing ahead this time. In addition, Morganna has offered to cook, Zak’s Dad said he would stay for a while and cook, my Mom will be visiting and I bet she would cook, and our dear friend Heather, who is a very good cook indeed, has said she would bring us food. Bless her heart!

So, I think we should be okay.

I hope, anyway!

As for the stock–I am gathering up all of the ingredients I have stashed in the freezer tomorrow to start thawing. I have chicken necks, backs, feet, bones and a whole chicken to stick in the pot. I figure I will make a stewed chicken so I can make a batch of chicken and noodles to freeze so that all Morganna would have to do is thaw it out, heat it up and make a pot of mashed potatoes and a salad and boom! We have dinner….

I always use carrots, leeks and onions, and I find that it is a neutral enough stock to serve almost all purposes.

I have some fresh turmeric root to help out the color, and it will give it a nice clean flavor. I also use celery seed instead of celery because I always have that on hand.

I am going to make a blanc stock–not a brun stock. A blanc or white stock is made with unbrowned chicken bones. Browning the bones first deepens the flavor and color of the stock, but it is not nearly as neutral as a plain white stock is.

Steph–the reason your stock tasted like cloudy dish water has to do with how fast you boiled it. Never let stock boil–it brings out impurities from the bones that then circulate throughout the stock, instead of rising to the top where they can be skimmed away if you do it at a simmer. These impurities–blood and other unsavory things–will make a stock bitter.

And, as Diane said, the stock will -never- clarify if you boil it. Those bits will stay forever.

Always start with cold water, too–that is a mistake that people often make, thinking to speed up the process by starting with hot water. If you start wit cold water first, and heat it gradually, it will help dissolve more of the gelatin from the bones and cartilage and connective tissues, and you will end up with a much clearer stock with more body. Gelatin is what makes stock gel in the fridge when you chill it, and when the stock is hot, it is what contributes a smooth and rich mouthfeel to it.

Have no fear–I will write a megapost on stockmaking–as it is a fundamental of cookery that is often ignored, misunderstood or simply feared by many cooks. And it needn’t be that way.

If you can’t find chicken feet, chicken wings or backs will work. Necks are good too. If you’ve got a local chicken farm that does their own butchering, you can often buy bags of bones from them, which works out nicely for stock.

I find if I have good quality chickens, the stock is a golden color even without onion skin. Poor quality chickens make a less golden stock. Accidentally having bits of red pepper from your roast chicken’s bed of veggies stuck to the carcass will give an almost orange tint to the stock, but won’t ruin the flavor. I find that if the stock produces a thin and soft gel when cooled in the fridge, it’s got the right amount of body and flavor for most uses. A firm gel is good for saving freezer space tho.

2. If it tastes thin, just simmer a bit longer and let it reduce a bit. That helps concentrate flavors.

3. Stock is only as good as your base ingedients…

Good luck!