I now have a 12 qt. slow cooker

[Kai]

Wow. you really can cook anything in a crock pot.

[LMNO]

Kai,

The best thing you can do with that is make stock.

Step 1:  Roast a few chickens (or, eat a lot of drumsticks and thighs (bone in)).  Save the bones in a gallon ziplok bag in the freezer.  Wait until the bag is full of bones.

Step 2:  Rough chop onions, carrots, garlic, and celery.

Step 3 (optional): sautee/brown/carmelize the veggies.

Step 4:  Place bones, veggies, bay leaf, whole peppercorns, parsley, oregano, and thyme (all herbs not dried) in stock pot (seasoning is optional).  Add water to cover.  DO NOT ADD ANY SALT.

Step 5:  Set stockpot at a temperature where you get a very low simmer.  DO NOT BOIL.  You're not trying to reduce the flavors, you're trying to extract the pectin from the bones.

Step 6:  Wait for 8 hours.  Longer, if you want.  It's done when you pull a bone out and it crumbles like it was made of wet cardboard.

Step 7:  Strain all the crap out, and skim the fat off.

Step 8:  Store in 1-cup containers, and freeze. (I also put them in 1/2 cups, as well).



Now you can use it for soups, sauces, and deglazing.  It is so goddamn superior to store-bought.

The same process can be used for pork or beef stock.


LMNO
-always has a bag of bones in his freezer.

[Kai]

Kai,

The best thing you can do with that is make stock.

Step 1:  Roast a few chickens (or, eat a lot of drumsticks and thighs (bone in)).  Save the bones in a gallon ziplok bag in the freezer.  Wait until the bag is full of bones.

Step 2:  Rough chop onions, carrots, garlic, and celery.

Step 3 (optional): sautee/brown/carmelize the veggies.

Step 4:  Place bones, veggies, bay leaf, whole peppercorns, parsley, oregano, and thyme (all herbs not dried) in stock pot (seasoning is optional).  Add water to cover.  DO NOT ADD ANY SALT.

Step 5:  Set stockpot at a temperature where you get a very low simmer.  DO NOT BOIL.  You're not trying to reduce the flavors, you're trying to extract the pectin from the bones.

Step 6:  Wait for 8 hours.  Longer, if you want.  It's done when you pull a bone out and it crumbles like it was made of wet cardboard.

Step 7:  Strain all the crap out, and skim the fat off.

Step 8:  Store in 1-cup containers, and freeze. (I also put them in 1/2 cups, as well).



Now you can use it for soups, sauces, and deglazing.  It is so goddamn superior to store-bought.

The same process can be used for pork or beef stock.


LMNO
-always has a bag of bones in his freezer.

Thanks LMNO.

[trippinprincezz13]

Kai,

The best thing you can do with that is make stock.

Step 1:  Roast a few chickens (or, eat a lot of drumsticks and thighs (bone in)).  Save the bones in a gallon ziplok bag in the freezer.  Wait until the bag is full of bones.

Step 2:  Rough chop onions, carrots, garlic, and celery.

Step 3 (optional): sautee/brown/carmelize the veggies.

Step 4:  Place bones, veggies, bay leaf, whole peppercorns, parsley, oregano, and thyme (all herbs not dried) in stock pot (seasoning is optional).  Add water to cover.  DO NOT ADD ANY SALT.

Step 5:  Set stockpot at a temperature where you get a very low simmer.  DO NOT BOIL.  You're not trying to reduce the flavors, you're trying to extract the pectin from the bones.

Step 6:  Wait for 8 hours.  Longer, if you want.  It's done when you pull a bone out and it crumbles like it was made of wet cardboard.

Step 7:  Strain all the crap out, and skim the fat off.

Step 8:  Store in 1-cup containers, and freeze. (I also put them in 1/2 cups, as well).



Now you can use it for soups, sauces, and deglazing.  It is so goddamn superior to store-bought.

The same process can be used for pork or beef stock.


LMNO
-always has a bag of bones in his freezer.

Thanks LMNO.

Ditto. I had a general idea of how to make stock, but never attempted. Now, I just need to actually buy/eat more things with bones in them that I can save.

[LMNO]

The best thing about slow cookers is that they're electric, self-contained, and usually have an emergency automatic cut-off.

So you can start it at night, go to sleep, go to work, and then deal with it when you get home without worrying if the house burned down.

[trippinprincezz13]

See, that's another reason I want a new one aside from just the crappy temperature settings. It's got a really old 2-pronged plug and I highly doubt any kind of emergency shut-off. That's why I don't use it as much as I want to because I don't trust it being on all day when I'm not home. So if I use it, it's when I'm home on the weekend with limited time out of the house.

[Kai]

I just started a pot roast, complete with carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes and spices.

Probably should be slapped on the wrist for forgetting to seer it first though....

[Jasper]

Probably should be slapped on the wrist for forgetting to seer it first though....

So you could tell what the cow's astrological sign was?

[Kai]

Probably should be slapped on the wrist for forgetting to seer it first though....

So you could tell what the cow's astrological sign was?

I R bade speallur.

[Jasper]

Probably should be slapped on the wrist for forgetting to seer it first though....

So you could tell what the cow's astrological sign was?

I R bade speallur.

We all have our faults, I can't seem to not go for obvious jokes.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Lamb Shanks + eggplant + zucchini + onion + herbs, spices, peppers anything else you like... add a cup of broth and let it cook all day.

OR

Awesome Steak Chilli (make however you like)

OR

Curry

OR

pork chops in mushroom sauce

The only recommendation I have is to lightly brown the meat before you put it in the crock pot. Otherwise, its a canvas for whatever art you toss into it

[Kai]

Lamb Shanks + eggplant + zucchini + onion + herbs, spices, peppers anything else you like... add a cup of broth and let it cook all day.

OR

Awesome Steak Chilli (make however you like)

OR

Curry

OR

pork chops in mushroom sauce

The only recommendation I have is to lightly brown the meat before you put it in the crock pot. Otherwise, its a canvas for whatever art you toss into it

Question: How would you do a curry and not end up with mush at the end of it? I tend to use beans, chickpeas and lentils in my curry and I feel like it could be potentially disastrous.

[Jasper]

Just leave them out until the last few hours.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Lamb Shanks + eggplant + zucchini + onion + herbs, spices, peppers anything else you like... add a cup of broth and let it cook all day.

OR

Awesome Steak Chilli (make however you like)

OR

Curry

OR

pork chops in mushroom sauce

The only recommendation I have is to lightly brown the meat before you put it in the crock pot. Otherwise, its a canvas for whatever art you toss into it

Question: How would you do a curry and not end up with mush at the end of it? I tend to use beans, chickpeas and lentils in my curry and I feel like it could be potentially disastrous.

Usually we put things in in stages. Meat, any thick veggies, spices, herbs etc go in first, later we add potentiall mushy stuff. We have recently started adding tomatoes within minutes of finishing the dish. We blanch them, peel the skins, cut them up and drop them in at the end, they retain their fresh flavor, but they're warm and soft. *BAM*

Also, Sjaantze occasionally will start the meal by turning the crock pot to high, and getting some ghee nice and bubbly in the bottom. The she'll sautee the onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot. The add the meat etc.

It's kinda like puzzle cooking, you just have to figure out what stuff goes in when

[Kai]

Lamb Shanks + eggplant + zucchini + onion + herbs, spices, peppers anything else you like... add a cup of broth and let it cook all day.

OR

Awesome Steak Chilli (make however you like)

OR

Curry

OR

pork chops in mushroom sauce

The only recommendation I have is to lightly brown the meat before you put it in the crock pot. Otherwise, its a canvas for whatever art you toss into it

Question: How would you do a curry and not end up with mush at the end of it? I tend to use beans, chickpeas and lentils in my curry and I feel like it could be potentially disastrous.

Usually we put things in in stages. Meat, any thick veggies, spices, herbs etc go in first, later we add potentiall mushy stuff. We have recently started adding tomatoes within minutes of finishing the dish. We blanch them, peel the skins, cut them up and drop them in at the end, they retain their fresh flavor, but they're warm and soft. *BAM*

Also, Sjaantze occasionally will start the meal by turning the crock pot to high, and getting some ghee nice and bubbly in the bottom. The she'll sautee the onions and garlic in the bottom of the crock pot. The add the meat etc.

It's kinda like puzzle cooking, you just have to figure out what stuff goes in when

Eh, my curry never has meat it it. If I'm going to eat meat, I want it to be good meat, and I want to have the focus be the meat rather than a curry dish. But it sounds like a good idea. It wouldn't take that long to make a curry the way I usually make with a crock pot.