Yesterday I made chicken stock for the first time. I used Julia Child's recipe from The Way to Cook. Very simple:
[1] Put 2 quarts chicken meat, scraps, bones, carcass in a pot and add enough water to cover by one inch. Julia adds a bit of salt. I didn't.
[2] Bring to a simmer and skim off the scum that rises.
[3] When scum stops appearing (about 5 minutes), add 1/2 cup each roughly chopped carrot, celery, and onion, and a bay leaf.
[4] Cover and simmer for a couple of hours (I left it for 4 hours). When it's done, skim off any fat. Pour through a strainer (I lined the strainer with cheesecloth).
I used the carcass from a supermarket rotisserie chicken, tips cut off chicken wings, and the bones from making Chinese red-cooked chicken. Even before putting in the aromatics, it had a wonderful aroma--probably because of the red-cooked chicken bones. I put the strained stock in the refrigerator to congeal any remaining fat.
This morning the stock had congealed into a semi-set gelatin. I had to heat it mildly to melt it into a liquid so that I could pour it into ice cube molds so that I could freeze it in convenient quantities.
Commercial stock remains liquid at refrigerator temperatures. I suspect the high ratio of bones and skin means that my stock has a lot more gelatin in it than the commercial stock. Is the tendency of this stock to set in the fridge likely to interfere with any of its applications?
-Paul W.