On Stock

G and I started making our own stocks in the past couple of years. Honestly, it is soooo easy.

1. Just pile a bunch a bones in a large pot
2. Stick in a few veggies
(we save scraps from veggies we cut up in the freezer to toss into stocks)
3. Cover with water and boil for a few hours

If you’re pressed for time or if you want to make it even more foolproof, boil everything in a crock-pot overnight or while you’re away at work. Or, if you want to get a little more fancy, roast the bones in the oven for a bit before boiling to add extra flavor.

Once the stock is done and has cooled, pour it into a container and store in the freezer. For ready to use small doses, freeze stock in ice-cube trays, then just pull out a few at a time as needed.

G loves making stock for us. We store bones up in the freezer. (Sounds sinister, doesn't it?) The leftover carcasses from rotisserie chickens or buffalo wings are great for this because they’re already packed with flavor. Once we’ve racked up enough bones, he has a stock making session. It’s one of his biggest and best contributions to our kitchen, because now we always fantastic stock on hand in the freezer.

As you can see, our approach is very much just throw in everything but the kitchen sink and boil it, but if you’d do better with a more step-by-step description check out this great post by my friend the Domestic Diva.

Once you start making your own stock, you’ll never go back. The only problem is that now wherever we go—restaurants, friend’s houses, etc -- we find ourselves momentarily considering plans to smuggle out any lovely leftover bones.