Comments on: superlative chicken stock

By: Melissa

Melissa — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 06:36:18 +0000

I’m doing this, for my Thanksgiving feast. I want to use this stock for my stuffing.

And if I don’t you can come and smack me.

By: Mari

Mari — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:16:14 +0000

I need me some chicken feet!!! My organic butcher thought I was absolutely mad for asking. You’d think the Dutch, renowned for their thriftiness would embrace the whole nose to tail, in this case beak to tail, philosophy. Obviously not. The search continues though, I too want to make superlative chicken stock!

By: cook eat FRET - split pea soup with flanken

cook eat FRET - split pea soup with flanken — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:56:35 +0000

[...] two chopped onions and 4 big diced carrots followed by a bag of green split peas and some of my superlative chicken stock and water. about 2 hours after it had slowly simmered, i added two bay leaves and fresh thyme, [...]

By: Coby

Coby — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:49:17 +0000

I’m with you on the stock-making. Chicken feet must be added as it’s impossible here in Australia to buy a decent boiling chicken any more. Try to make a stock with footless chicken carcasses alone (even if roasted) and you’ll be disappointed with a watery-flavoured stock. I do have to say though, while I always have my own stock on hand in the freezer, I do also keep tetra bricks of chicken stock too. There’s a place for everything in my kitchen;)

By: Brooke

Brooke — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:07:42 +0000

I must say those are the creepiest pictures I’ve seen in a while. I bet they make for a killer stock though.

By: matt wright

matt wright — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:35:36 +0000

A great little article on stock. I completely agree – if you are going to use stock, take the time and make an amazing one at home. Water tastes far better than the crappy packet stock you get in supermarkets.

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:28:39 +0000

I tried to comment, twice. Here’s hoping 3rd time’s the charm. I cannot say how much I love the zombie undead chicken feet posing this way and that (okay. really dead. But are you sure you got their best side?). Judging by the several creepy claw poses, you did too.

By: Meg

Meg — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:49:29 +0000

I thought I posted a comment, but it looked like it vanished en route. Anyway… I love the creepy undead (okay, actually dead. still.) chicken feet/claws. Alot. They are hysterically funny, and at least judging by the number of pictures, posed and re-posed, that you took, you thought so, too. Heh.

By: Meg

Meg — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:35:54 +0000

I cannot really say how much I love the zombie-dismembered chicken feet/claw photos. A lot would be a start. Clearly, you had some fun with posing them- as you should have.

By: Kristie

Kristie — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:45:08 +0000

I may never be culinarily advanced enough to not be sent running to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth when I see a bag of chicken feet. I’ve accepted it.

As for stock, when in a pinch that “better than boullion” paste is pretty fucking great.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:26:23 +0000

Those would make nifty back-scratchers.

And yes, make your own or use water. Truer words were never spoken.

By: Bren

Bren — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:40:21 +0000

or feet or jaws or cheeks… whatever.. the thought of chicken nails scratching a board scare me right now!

By: Bren

Bren — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:39:21 +0000

girl these fingers scare me. the stock is great, but the fingers! LOL! what a great wed. afternoon laugh!

By: Flora

Flora — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:52:41 +0000

Impressive – I have to admit I did a double take when I saw the photo of the chicken feet! Grandma Julia would be very proud of you – how she absolutley loved to cook, although she used to say “if you can read, you can cook” – she loved reading new recipes and trying them out. She would have been one of your biggest blog fans. After reading your blog, maybe I’ll take the initative to make my own chicken stock. For now, I add TELMA brand chicken consome cubes to my chicken soup. I also use lots of extra bones along with the chicken. For some reason, for chicken soup, I buy Kosher chicken – call it tradition! A great holiday dinner is what I call “chicken in the pot “- a rich chicken soup, noodles, carrots, and Matzah balls with some Challah bread on the side.

By: Robert

Robert — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:30:07 +0000

AAAWWWWW

That is so sweet.

I remember something like , uh, Kumbaya………..

By: Ethel

Ethel — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:06:33 +0000

You get a big gold star. Loved your photography as well as the stock. . Can’t imagine after all that hard work and hours that it wouldn’t be just the best. If you can bottle it, I’d buy a few jars. I liked the word “Honest” and yep I bet your grandmother would be as proud of you as your momma is.

By: claudia

claudia — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:55:45 +0000

michelle – i did that just for you

brittany – you learned through ruhlman through me… isn’t that a beautiful thing?

ntsc – your wife cuts them off so fast you never see the feet!

noble – well, you should… you really really should…

mangerville – i do i do! let’s make a club… we could have a stock of the month!

erika – did it gellee up? also, stock makes the house smell tres gawgis.

doc – a chickem must’ve done you wrong in another life…

life in recipes – i don’t remember the feet as a kid. i wish i could ask my grandma…

hillary – it gives it body – all the proteins… makes it all smooth.

meadowlark – oooogie. my new favorite word. oooogie. hee.

italian dish – i am nothing if not devoted to stock

maggie – small freezer = big stock problem

robert – na uh. no way. now THAT’S creepy.

sherpas – me too. they get frozen. even the bones we eat around.

eating club van – see? i know nothing about asian cooking. can i borrow your mother?

pink parisian – thanks for noticing the pics. i kinda love them. and welcome to my little blog.

zen – are you straight? because if you are you are so my guy. except you’re probably really young. if you’re 40 we are getting married.

cheftomy and julie and traci and pony and donald – c’mon now – it ain’t brains… just feet!

cookie – hard to wear on your finger or dangle from your ears though…

joy – skin, bones = flavor, right?

rachel – lemme know how the next pot goes

lo! – agreed 100%

lesley – i expected as much

heather – i need to start freezing in smaller batches for that… you’re right

shari, lisa, ecm, amy, jim, tina, jack, julia, melissa and kitt – i work from the bottom up – i’m out of things to say except thank youuuuuuu so much for reading!

(and i mean that)

By: michelle @ TNS

michelle @ TNS — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:29:01 +0000

did we really need THAT many pictures of chicken feet? i mean, maybe we did. i’m just asking.

i’m about halfway through this book now (now, i’ve never read any of ruhlman’s books, yes, i’m a slacker, yes, i have a crush on chef pardus) and i’ve never been so motivated to make stock.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:49:30 +0000

People who use stock form a can/box don’t understand the theraputic qualities of making it yourself.
Didn’t you feel fabulous after making a pot of fabulous stock?

Though, I have to say, you put way more love into your stock than I ever haev. But I did learn a few things from this post.

And I never realized how creepy chicken feet are. I usually throw them in the pot as quickly as possible without staring too much. Those little nails!! Shudder….

By: ntsc

ntsc — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:18:14 +0000

If I could find them I would use them.

By: noble pig

noble pig — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:11:16 +0000

That is some flippin’ intense stock making, I bow down and crush my cans of stock under my knees! I wish I had your fortitude….and those chicken feet are what nightmares are made of..yikes!

By: MangerLaVille

MangerLaVille — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:09:51 +0000

People truly forget the importance of good stock. Most canned stocks are actually broths ( yes even though they say stock.) What’s the diff? Broth is made out of the meat. Stock the bones. A great stock will elevate any cooking to a new level. Your pictures are incredible and I am glad you understand the importance of this fundamental.

By: ErikaK

ErikaK — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:19:48 +0000

Ooh, those chicken feet are really creepy… nice visual. The feet that they sell at our various Asian markets always look somewhat suspect, I have not been able to get past that. I did buy a duck there once only to open the package & find head & feet but no liver…hmmm.
I made stock today, took the last bit out of the pot and strained & reduced. It is now sitting in an ice bath, hoping for chicken jello in the morning as there was a high ratio of wing tips. Maybe next time on the feet.

By: DocChuck

DocChuck — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:54:46 +0000

I enjoyed reading your post.

But, I must say, that when I owned a dairy farm in Upstate New York, my wife raised chickens as a hobby (she had probably 200 or so at any given time).

I KNOW what chicken feet do, and where they walk, and what they have on them, and what they (the chickens) use them for . . . and I would NEVER eat a chicken foot.

NEVER, under any conditions, including starvation. NEVER!

Chickens are the dumbest, dirtiest, most disgusting creatures on the planet.

[End of rant]

By: lifeinrecipes

lifeinrecipes — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:35:57 +0000

Claudia, your picture is awesome – very Damien Hirst. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that can add voluptuous body to chicken stock like the addition of those ‘feetsies’. I remember them being in the soup pot since I was a babe – well done!