In almost every cookbook, every food-themed magazine, I have read about the importance of fresh chicken stock.
Mark Bittman swears that it makes every dish that he makes taste that much better and keeps it on-hand in the freezer. In "Kitchen Confidential" Anthony Bourdain insists that people who are serious about their cooking use it. And though I haven't heard it myself, I'm sure Brian's hero, good ol' Alton Brown, probably has an episode in the can of how easy and how much better homemade chicken stock really tastes.
Let's face it, canned or boxed chicken broth has something that homemade stock doesn't: CONVENIENCE. In a household where both parents work full-time and quite often dinner is a 20-minute affair, convenience of an ingredient weighs in heavily in preparation. But....making my own applesauce tasted so fresh and unlike its jarred counterpart. And pumpkin processed by us instead of paying for a can at Thanksgiving time? Heavenly!!
So, I have my eye out for a sale on whole chickens. There's going to be a weekend experiment; not just for flavor, but how much more difficult is it than just reaching for your can opener? Does it freeze well, and how much stock does one pot make? Is it worth coming off "the box?" Coming soon to a stockpot near you......
2 comments:
Alton Brown has an episode, a chapter in his book and the following recipe on foodnetwork.com:
AB's Chicken Stock
Of course as a home cook you will be making something closer to a broth than a stock, but you would need to read his book or watch his show to know that.
And yes, he says its the only way to go.
YOU GO!!! i am eagerly going to be awaiting the follow up post. i have also always wanted to make my own stock and wondered if its worth the trouble. so..... please let us all know! :)
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