To clarify or not?

I save up and freeze chicken wing tips, bones, etc.to make chicken stock. Yesterday these, plus a Costco rotisserie chicken carcass, produced three quarts of chicken stock.

My question to those of you who make your own stock is, do you clarify it? I know about using an egg white raft to remove protein particles from stock, but I haven't bothered. I use chicken stock mainly in small quantities for Asian sauces, in dishes such as jambalayas where the stock is absorbed, or in soups such as Thai tom kha gai where any cloudiness doesn't matter. I freeze the stock in ice cube trays so that it's in convenient-sized portions for use in Asian dishes, where only a small quantity is needed.

-Paul W.

My uses are similar to yours and I don't bother clarifying either. If I were making an aspic for coating use, where appearance matters I'd think about clarifying it

I used to make a lot of chicken stock and never bothered to clarify I froze it in 1-cup containers, and use it mainly for rice, and other grains. Since so much broth or stock is used for soup, I purchased a good brand of no-salt chicken stock, since there were so many other ingredients to contribute to the flavor of the resulting broth.

[Jenise]

In terms of flavor, the comparison to wine filtered vs. unfiltered is apt. Unfiltered is somewhat more complex in flavor, where filtered/clarified is more precise. For the chicken terrine I made a few weeks ago, I clarified. I was going to mix some of the broth with a palo cortado sherry for a decorative gelee. Otherwise, where the extra broth was going to end up in soups and sauces, no I would not have clarified.

Thank you all for the comments. There are a few Chinese soups (mainly banquet fare) that feature a crystal-clear broth. I'd clarify my stock for one of those, but otherwise not. And I think you're right about the particles in the stock contributing to its flavor. Its nutritional value, as well.

-Paul W.

I I have not clarified a stock with the raft for years. If I need a very clear stock, I use the gelatin filtration method as perhaps Blumenthal and other s. I skim the stock thoroughly, whilst cooking and strain. The stock is frozen, then thawed in a muslin lined colander. This produces a very clear stock, but you lose some flavour and mouth feel because the gelatin remains behind with the impurities. it is however, still very good. If required for aspic, it will require gelatin.

The stock I make gels when refrigerated. Straining it through muslin, rather than my usual cheesecloth, would likely do the trick, if I needed crystal-clear stock.

-Paul W.

A little late to this thread: I never clarify homemade stock. I can't recall the last time I wanted clear consomme for something.