Would you eat it: gelatinous bone broth soup?

January 5, 2017 4:26 PM

I had to boil chicken for a casserole, and made a broth of its remnants two nights ago. (I guess tonight would be the third night of its existence.) Tastes ok. Eat it or not?

It's got a consistency like Jello when it just starts to gel. I stored it in the fridge, in the pot it was made in, with a lid over it (lid has a small vent hole; fridge is a normal fridge temperature).

I'd cut it with a bit of water, maybe.

If it's ok, would it be wise to freeze it, at this point?

posted by cotton dress sock to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

Best answer: Yes yes yes! You just achieved the ideal chicken broth, so full of delicious nutritious gelatin that it actually gels. Eat it in good health and smugness.
posted by JuliaIglesias at 4:31 PM on January 5, 2017 [36 favorites]

Best answer: That's how I make stock! The jelling is from the cartilage in the bird, and is perfectly normal and healthy to eat. I always freeze mine - just bring it to boiling again once it's thawed before you eat it.
posted by restless_nomad at 4:32 PM on January 5, 2017 [6 favorites]

Best answer: I'd eat that. I have eaten that. The gelatine is totes normal with chicken, it'll liquefy with heat.
posted by rodlymight at 4:32 PM on January 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Best answer: You win at stock-making! I made a stock from a carcass this weekend and I was sad it wasn't more gelatinous. Props!
posted by lunasol at 4:43 PM on January 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: aw yeah, thanks everyone! it looks different from soups I've made/eaten before (I guess because this is how you make stock! who knew? not me! thanks!)
posted by cotton dress sock at 4:47 PM on January 5, 2017

Best answer: Definitely! Revel in your stock making genius! I would keep it refrigerated for about 5 days, before worrying about it. It also freezes beautifully.
posted by sarajane at 4:59 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I wouldn't keep it in the fridge super-long, but yes, you're good, this is how you know you've got a good broth. It's good to freeze, too. Just be careful if you freeze it in a ziploc that you freeze it flat, otherwise...you may never be able to get it out of the freezer because it will have frozen in some weird shape.
posted by leahwrenn at 5:06 PM on January 5, 2017 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Don't cut it with water. It will re-liquify when you heat it up, and it will have a kinda velvety mouthfeel, if you'll forgive how unbearably foodie-hipster that sounds.
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:06 PM on January 5, 2017 [14 favorites]

Best answer: Absolutely ok to freeze. We just put down a bunch of turkey stock too.

Our favourite trick is to freeze it in zippy bags flat. The only thing to remember is to use the impermeable freezer bags not the thinner gas permeable regular ones. Serious Eats has a writeup of the technique. Dead easy and cheap.
posted by bonehead at 5:15 PM on January 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Also, if you let the fat rise to the top before freezing, it'll be super easy to remove once frozen, and then you'll have chicken schmaltz for cooking with, also a Good Thing.
posted by the_blizz at 5:15 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yes, eat it, it's simply the result of refrigerating fatty broth. You can skim the fat off if you want a lower fat broth but it only makes it more delicious IMO.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:24 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you freeze it flat in a ziplock, a trick I've seen is you can kind of score it with chopsticks when it's semi-frozen, so it's a kind of grid of easy-to-break-off pieces. (Also works for ground beef, etc.)
posted by catatethebird at 5:26 PM on January 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Basically you made soup so good your new name is cotton dress stock
posted by masquesoporfavor at 5:40 PM on January 5, 2017 [21 favorites]

Best answer: I do the initial freeze measured into muffin tins, then pop the resulting pucks into a ziploc. Makes it easy to use the right amount for a recipe.
posted by expialidocious at 5:42 PM on January 5, 2017 [4 favorites]

Best answer: This is the only stock you should eat. Good job!
posted by Night_owl at 5:51 PM on January 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you freeze it, I like to reduce it down even more, to where it will fit in an ice cube tray, freeze the cubes and then pop them out into a ziploc bag. Then you have cubes of concentrated chickeny goodness to add to anything you're making! Can jazz up even the simplest of foods (making peas? - throw a cube in there. stir-frying some carrots? throw a cube in there. etc.)
posted by peacheater at 6:00 PM on January 5, 2017 [5 favorites]

Best answer: If you want gelatinous stock every time, I recommend putting your carcass (well, not yours, the ckicken's) in a slow cooker with enough water to cover it and cook on low for 8 hours. Makes petfect ckicken broth geletin every time.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:49 PM on January 5, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Also, if you let the fat rise to the top before freezing, it'll be super easy to remove once frozen, and then you'll have chicken schmaltz for cooking with, also a Good Thing.

And! If you have containers or jars with good lids you can fill them with the stock and refrigerate it upside down. Then you can just pour off the stock without digging through fat and pour the fat (schmaltz) right into a container to freeze.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:07 AM on January 6, 2017 [8 favorites]

And! If you have containers or jars with good lids you can fill them with the stock and refrigerate it upside down. Then you can just pour off the stock without digging through fat and pour the fat (schmaltz) right into a container to freeze.

This is a brilliant tip. Thanks Room 641-A!
posted by zrail at 12:30 PM on January 6, 2017 [1 favorite]