For me, the quintessential aroma of Thanksgiving (and of autumn too, come to think of it) is not pumpkin pie, cinnamon, or hot cider. No, it's the smell of turkey broth simmering. I am not even a huge fan of turkey; I'd prefer to eat some other beast on Thanksgiving. But turkey broth? Give it to me. That stuff is pure liquid gold. I make vats of turkey stock this time of year and stash it away for soups.
But making homemade stock can be both messy and time-consuming. This time around, I am using one little tip to make things easier on myself, and it has made all the difference.
Here's what I did: I took my biggest metal colander, which just fits inside my biggest soup pot, and stuffed it full of turkey wings and legs and some aromatic onions, carrots, and celery. Then I filled it up with water and let the stock simmer until it was rich and fragrant. (This is a topic for a whole other post, but I actually made this stock in the oven, overnight. I highly recommend this technique!)
Then, when the stock was done, I simply lifted the colander out of the pot, taking the bones and vegetables with it and leaving nearly perfect broth behind.
It saved me the trouble and challenge of trying to pour a huge pot of hot broth and bones into a colander to strain. This method feels not only easier, but safer as well. And you're not dirtying anything extra; no matter what, you're going to have to strain the bones and vegetables out of the broth.
Depending on how small your colander's holes are, you may want to strain the broth again through a fine mesh strainer. But I wasn't feeling fussy, so I didn't.
I was inspired by this post from Fine Cooking on using a pasta strainer for making broth:
• Tip from Fine Cooking: Make Stock in a Pasta Strainer
But since I didn't have a pasta strainer, I thought I would try the colander, and yes — it worked so well I'm never making stock another way again.
Have you ever tried this method, or one like it?
More stock tips & help!
• Your Guide to Making Homemade Stock & Broth
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I'm not sure why I'd never thought of something like this either until recently. I use my large stockpot with the pasta insert. Works like a charm.
I have. It's a great tip. But don't forget to mash the leftovers to get all the liquid out of them. I usually resort to a metal strainer and a potato masher.
Since I usually make stock in my crock pot, I line the crock pot with cheesecloth. Then, I just carefully fold the edges over to make a loose package (sometimes I tie up the edges, sometimes I leave it loose). Once cooked, I lift the cheesecloth package out of the crock pot and place it in a strainer over a bowl to drip.
Wow. This is genius. Why have I never thought of this??
I feel so dumb now. I only have one giant pot, so I end up having to strain into two smaller pots (such a MESS and a hassle!). Wow...
I would still want to strain it to get a clear stock. But, this would make the beginning of the process much easier.
Oh my god I feel so dumb for never thinking of this! Great idea!
Ketherian- I was just about to ask if anyone knew of crockpot shaped colanders! Thanks for the tip!
Alton Brown's stock recipe includes the instruction to put an open steamer basket on top of all the ingredients -- works beautifully! You can then mash all the stuff at the bottom easily!
My stockpot actually came with a strainer insert specifically for this purpose.
Yes, my Xmas wish list has one of those big pasta pots with the insert -- I hope I get it so I can do this clever thing too!
I did this with the big all-clad one I have. It was real convenient until I had to wash it. All the little bits had places to get stuck where the mesh meets the heaver frame and its so big I had a heck of a time washing it out. had to use the bathtub :/
The first pot I ever bought was a big pasta pot with a pasta strainer insert. So I have always done this. i have a really small fine mesh strainer i still run the stock through as i put it in containers for saving
You can use cheese cloth also.
It's really not that difficult to strain the broth in a pot after it's done. I don't get all the fuss about this method.
This sounds like a pretty genius method, but then... part of my stock making dilemma involves fretting over how much space the carcasses are displacing in the pot, and how much actual liquid I'll end up getting because of that.
I wouldn't want to take up additional liquid space with the colander, when it's just as easy to strain it all out afterward.
Not a bad idea! I usually line a colander with cheesecloth and set it in a big bowl, then dump the stockpot contents over that. One step draining. This would be easier for sure, if you weren't planning to strain it again.