My addition to this week’s Frugal Friday – STOCK!
Though making your own stock is old hat to some, it is also a daunting task to others. I’m here to tell those of you who are intimiated by the idea of making it yourself that it really is dead easy and comes in so handy!
Whenever you have any sort of meat bone-in, whether it be chicken, turkey or beef, save those bones. You can make a flavourful stock by roasting them and then putting them in a pot of water to simmer (not boil!) for a few hours. To make it taste even better, onion, carrot, celery, dried herbs, a tablespoon of tomato paste or a little salt & pepper all make a great additions but even the bones on their own will work just fine.
Now if you don’t have enough bones from one meal, I’ve always just bagged them, put them in the freezer and waited until you have a good amount. Simply thaw them, give them a quick roast in the oven (to maximize flavour) and put them in a pot. Cover the bones with water and add whatever else is handy. If you are a real frugaller (is that a word?), then you wouldn’t have anything needing to be used up in your fridge but alas, sometimes I have veggies in the fridge that are teetering on the brink. I toss them in the pot too. One day my husband came in while I was making stock and asked me why there was one lonely mushroom floating in the pot. I explained that I found it in the fridge and it was awfully sad-looking, so I decided to put it to good use 🙂
I freeze some of my stock in icecube trays for a nice gravy or those recipes that you need just a little. I also freeze it in two and four cup packages for bigger things like a quick soup or stew.
Using homemade stock is good for a number of reasons
- Makes your dollar go further when buying meat on the bone
- Is Easy
- Healthier for you because you control the amount of salt etc.
- Good way to use anything up that is going bad (make a veggie stock)
- Recipes are more flavorful using stock rather than water
- Have you checked out the price of stock at the store?!
Now maybe all you Frugal Mommas out there are already doing this but it was something I have only started doing in the past year. It was an exciting culinary milestone for me and my new-found frugalness!
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Do you have a reason why home made stock is best? Or a tip about making stock? Leave a comment by clicking on the word ‘ #comments’ below.
So, do you mix the kinds of bones you use? I mean do you use beef and chicken in the same stock? I’d never thought about that.
I make stock every once in a while, but usually from a whole chicken. Then I save the meat for some kind of casserole and freeze the stock.
I try to let it sit for a really long time to get more nutrients out of it–per Nourishing Traditions.
I always kick myself when I have to buy stock at the grocery store when I could have had some at home!
We eat mostly chicken so I don’t mix bones that often however I have in the past and been happy with the result.
But then I am one of those people that uses chicken stock in place of beef stock if I don’t have beef…unless it is a really reduced stock, the flavours are pretty mild.
Thanks for stopping by!
I love making my own stock. I tend to throw everything into the freezer until I have enough to make a large pot and then I freeze that too.
Toni