Re: Broth Technical Difficulties

[Guest guest]

The one thing I do that gets me gel from any " brand " of chicken is that I

repeatedly add more water as it boils off. Only when I am in the final

stages of cooking do I let the water stay boiled off. I don't know quite

why this works so well, but I'd wager it has something to do with how water

is necessary to solute the gelatin.

-Lana

" There is nothing more useful than sun and salt. " - Latin proverb

On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 5:33 PM, Amy Sikes-Dorman <

amysikesdorman@...> wrote:

>

> I make a lot of chicken broth, mostly for my 21 month old daughter who

> slurps down bowl upon bowl of the resulting chicken soup. I've used

> several different chickens, including Polyface Farm's stewing hens and their

> broilers, as well as a few other chickens from different (local, grassfed)

> places. None of them have EVER gelled for me, and I'm always left with

> broth that's very delicious, but still very liquid regardless of

> temperature.

>

> I've cooked the broth anywhere from 24-48 hours (and generally find that 48

> hours yields really, really yummy broth) and this time, I added four chicken

> feet to the pot. So my recipe is something like

>

> 1 whole chicken, including neck

> 4 chicken feet

> 1 gallon water

> 4 carrots

> 4 stalks celery

> 2 onions

> Good glug of vinegar

> Parsley at the end if I have it (which I didn't this time)

>

> I start with cold water and soak everything for an hour, then bring it to a

> broil and reduce it to a nice sort of " swampy " simmer (you know, where it

> blurbs every second or so but isn't actually bubbling actively) until it's

> done. After that, I strain it, pick all the chicken off the bones, pick the

> veggies out of the sludge, and add all that to some of the broth and reserve

> the rest.

>

> What the HECK am I doing wrong here? I hate to give up and just add

> gelatin, but I'm kinda bummed that I'm going to all this effort and not

> getting the full health benefits of the broth for some reason that utterly

> eludes me.

>

> Thanks!

>

[Guest guest]

Looks like a fabulous recipe, Amy. It doesn't gel after chilling? Wow.

I have never used a whole chicken myself -- a whole carcass (bones)

yes, but not all that meat. Would that make a difference, I wonder?

I've had great success with feet, but I tend to use several pounds of

feet at once if I have access to them (currently, I don't, sadly).

I wouldn't add Knox gelatin, I don't think it would be nutritionally

equivalent, although I can't say for absolutely sure.

Your procedure is the same as mine, straight out of Nourishing

Traditions.

Not sure it makes a difference, but what kind of vinegar do you use? I

know some people claim they can taste apple-cider vinegar in their

broth and don't like it; I can't taste it. I used to use coconut

vinegar but am out of it. I wouldn't used distilled white vinegar;

that's for cleaning, in my book.

Filtered water? Not sure whether chlorine inhibits gelling, but it

should boil off soon enough anyway. Hmmm, mysterious. I would think

it's still awfully nutritious, gel or no.

Jeanmarie

On Jul 29, 2009, at 5:33 PM, Amy Sikes-Dorman wrote:

>

> I make a lot of chicken broth, mostly for my 21 month old daughter

> who slurps down bowl upon bowl of the resulting chicken soup.

> I've used several different chickens, including Polyface Farm's

> stewing hens and their broilers, as well as a few other chickens

> from different (local, grassfed) places. None of them have EVER

> gelled for me, and I'm always left with broth that's very delicious,

> but still very liquid regardless of temperature.

>

> I've cooked the broth anywhere from 24-48 hours (and generally find

> that 48 hours yields really, really yummy broth) and this time, I

> added four chicken feet to the pot. So my recipe is something like

>

> 1 whole chicken, including neck

> 4 chicken feet

> 1 gallon water

> 4 carrots

> 4 stalks celery

> 2 onions

> Good glug of vinegar

> Parsley at the end if I have it (which I didn't this time)

>

> I start with cold water and soak everything for an hour, then bring

> it to a broil and reduce it to a nice sort of " swampy " simmer (you

> know, where it blurbs every second or so but isn't actually bubbling

> actively) until it's done. After that, I strain it, pick all the

> chicken off the bones, pick the veggies out of the sludge, and add

> all that to some of the broth and reserve the rest.

>

> What the HECK am I doing wrong here? I hate to give up and just add

> gelatin, but I'm kinda bummed that I'm going to all this effort and

> not getting the full health benefits of the broth for some reason

> that utterly eludes me.

>

> Thanks!

>

>

[Guest guest]

I do this, too, but never connected it to gelling... I just try to

keep everything well covered and to get a certain volume of broth.

Maybe you're on to something, Lana.

Jeanmarie

On Jul 29, 2009, at 6:33 PM, Lana Gibbons wrote:

> The one thing I do that gets me gel from any " brand " of chicken is

> that I

> repeatedly add more water as it boils off. Only when I am in the final

> stages of cooking do I let the water stay boiled off. I don't know

> quite

> why this works so well, but I'd wager it has something to do with

> how water

> is necessary to solute the gelatin.

> -Lana

>

> " There is nothing more useful than sun and salt. " - Latin proverb

>

>

[Guest guest]

These days my broth goes like this:

Bunch of chicken feet

Bunch of oxtail

Bunch of chicken necks (optional)

Water

I throw it all in the pot, bring to boil, skim, simmer for about 12-14

hours. Put in fridge overnight, remove bones, then strain gel to remove

toenails (some always seem to detach and float freely in the stock). Pick

meat and gobs of gel off the oxtail.

Couldn't be easier.

Comes out the consistency of jello every time. I get the chicken feet, necks

and oxtail from local farmers.

Suze Fisher

" Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. "

~Albert Schweitzer

[Guest guest]

I bring it all to a boil once and then keep the lid on and let it simmer at a

low temperature for about 24 hours.  I don't let it boil again.  I used to

have your problem and then I read somewhere that keeping it too hot will effect

the gel process and it seemed to work.

 

good luck,

Joy

From: Amy Sikes-Dorman <amysikesdorman@...>

Subject: Broth Technical Difficulties

" Native Nutrition " < >

Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 8:33 PM

I make a lot of chicken broth, mostly for my 21 month old daughter who slurps

down bowl upon bowl of the resulting chicken soup.    I've used several

different chickens, including Polyface Farm's stewing hens and their broilers,

as well as a few other chickens from different (local, grassfed) places.  None

of them have EVER gelled for me, and I'm always left with broth that's very

delicious, but still very liquid regardless of temperature.

I've cooked the broth anywhere from 24-48 hours (and generally find that 48

hours yields really, really yummy broth) and this time, I added four chicken

feet to the pot.  So my recipe is something like

1 whole chicken, including neck

4 chicken feet

1 gallon water

4 carrots

4 stalks celery

2 onions

Good glug of vinegar

Parsley at the end if I have it (which I didn't this time)

I start with cold water and soak everything for an hour, then bring it to a

broil and reduce it to a nice sort of " swampy " simmer (you know, where it blurbs

every second or so but isn't actually bubbling actively) until it's done. 

After that, I strain it, pick all the chicken off the bones, pick the veggies

out of the sludge, and add all that to some of the broth and reserve the rest.

What the HECK am I doing wrong here?  I hate to give up and just add gelatin,

but I'm kinda bummed that I'm going to all this effort and not getting the full

health benefits of the broth for some reason that utterly eludes me.

Thanks!

   

   

   

_________________________________________________________________

Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Celebrate the moment with your favorite sports pics.

Check it out.

http://www.windowslive.com/Online/Hotmail/Campaign/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_QA\

_HM_sports_photos_072009 & cat=sports

[Guest guest]

This might seem obvious, but thought I would confirm that you know that it

will only be gelatinous when it is cold. When it is warm it will be liquid.

Seems like you are doing everything right. I only cook my broth for about 4

- 6 hours and I put in several feet - 6 or more - and I only put enough

water to cover the bird. You may be putting too much water.

On 7/29/09 5:33 PM, " Amy Sikes-Dorman " <amysikesdorman@...> wrote:

>

> I make a lot of chicken broth, mostly for my 21 month old daughter who slurps

> down bowl upon bowl of the resulting chicken soup. I've used several

> different chickens, including Polyface Farm's stewing hens and their broilers,

> as well as a few other chickens from different (local, grassfed) places. None

> of them have EVER gelled for me, and I'm always left with broth that's very

> delicious, but still very liquid regardless of temperature.

>

> I've cooked the broth anywhere from 24-48 hours (and generally find that 48

> hours yields really, really yummy broth) and this time, I added four chicken

> feet to the pot. So my recipe is something like

>

> 1 whole chicken, including neck

> 4 chicken feet

> 1 gallon water

> 4 carrots

> 4 stalks celery

> 2 onions

> Good glug of vinegar

> Parsley at the end if I have it (which I didn't this time)

>

> I start with cold water and soak everything for an hour, then bring it to a

> broil and reduce it to a nice sort of " swampy " simmer (you know, where it

> blurbs every second or so but isn't actually bubbling actively) until it's

> done. After that, I strain it, pick all the chicken off the bones, pick the

> veggies out of the sludge, and add all that to some of the broth and reserve

> the rest.

>

> What the HECK am I doing wrong here? I hate to give up and just add gelatin,

> but I'm kinda bummed that I'm going to all this effort and not getting the

> full health benefits of the broth for some reason that utterly eludes me.

>

> Thanks!

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Celebrate the moment with your favorite sports pics.

> Check it out.

> http://www.windowslive.com/Online/Hotmail/Campaign/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_

> QA_HM_sports_photos_072009 & cat=sports

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, I see that your recipe includes a " good glug of vinegar " but I have found

(this info having been learned from Mother 's site and her recipe and notes

on chicken stock) that using too much vinegar can ruin the gelatin. I think she

uses 1 teaspoon! She is very NT friendly and includes tons of recipes on

sprouted grains, etc. in addition to selling lard and other such foods.

http://www.motherlindas.com/recipes.htm

Good luck!

Carolee