Chicken Stock Well Being

[sattie]

Ok, my absent mindedness has kicked in again! Dang it!!! I made some chicken stock and strained it into a container and set on the counter top to cool a bit. Next day, still sittin on the counter top. Can it be saved? Can I boil it again to kill bacteria or is it down the drain????

 

[kadesma]

Sattie,
I hate to say this, but, were it me, it would be gone..I'd be afraid to use it. Better safe than sorry.

kadesma

 

[sattie]

Sattie,
I hate to say this, but, were it me, it would be gone..I'd be afraid to use it. Better safe than sorry.

kadesma

I worked so hard on it!!!! But I fear that you are correct. I was hoping there would be some sort of magic chicken dust or something. Thank you for your response.

 

[Robo410]

did it sit covered or uncovered?? covered I might give it a boil for 5 min. uncovered??? hmmm...I'd sniff it, boil it, give it a little taste and if it seemed ok? chill it and freeze it or make soup right away.

 

[GB]

I would not take a chance at all. Past 4 hours in the danger zone and you are playing with fire.

 

[sattie]

It was covered, and for some reason I like playing with fire. I was a pyromaniac as a kid! I appreciate the responses and I think the consensus is to ditch the "ye ol chicken stock". As much as I hate to, I can't help but hear the "better safe than sorry" credo in my head as I lay miserably in my bed because I just had to save the stock!!!

I still can't resist entertaining the question that if you boil something, would that not in fact kill anything living on the boil-ee? Just so there are no misconceptions, I am not keeping the stock!

 

[GB]

I still can't resist entertaining the question that if you boil something, would that not in fact kill anything living on the boil-ee?

Nope, some nasties can survive boiling, just as some can survive freezing and some can survive anaerobic environments.

 

[sattie]

Nope, some nasties can survive boiling, just as some can survive freezing and some can survive anaerobic environments.

Very true now that u mention it. Thanks GB, you are a wealth of info!!!

 

[GB]

My pleasure. I am just glad you decided to pitch it. I know that must have been hard to do though. I have done things like that before and it is so tempting to take your chances.

 

[Andy M.]

This is a definite 'throw it out' situation.

It's easy to say,"Throw it out to be on the safe side.", and that bothers me because you waste a lot of good food that way.

This does NOT fall into that category. Toss it!

 

[sattie]

This is a definite 'throw it out' situation.

It's easy to say,"Throw it out to be on the safe side.", and that bothers me because you waste a lot of good food that way.

This does NOT fall into that category. Toss it!

That is so true and what makes it so hard... I HATE waste, and strive to make anything stretch. But at the cost to your health, well..... not sure that it is worth it!

 

[AllenOK]

It was covered, and for some reason I like playing with fire. I was a pyromaniac as a kid! I appreciate the responses and I think the consensus is to ditch the "ye ol chicken stock". As much as I hate to, I can't help but hear the "better safe than sorry" credo in my head as I lay miserably in my bed because I just had to save the stock!!!

I still can't resist entertaining the question that if you boil something, would that not in fact kill anything living on the boil-ee? Just so there are no misconceptions, I am not keeping the stock!

Like GB said, you can't kill all the bacteria by boiling. Also, some bacteria produce toxic substances, so while you might kill them by boiling, their toxic by-products are still present in the food, and that can make you sick. Be safe, chuck it!

I always chill my stock by placing a cake rack in a plugged sink, pour ice cubes around the pan, fill the sink (not the pan!) with water, then place a two-liter soda bottle, label removed and cleaned, filled with water and frozen, straight into the stock. I can chill two gallons of boiling stock (212 degrees) to 40 degrees in about 30 minutes.

 

[sattie]

Thanks Allen, I appreciate the suggestion on cooling the stock. I normally just let it cool for about 20 minutes and then place it in the frig. I let it set for a day so that the fat comes to the top and I can scrape it off. Then I pour it into baggies and freeze. Is that process ok or do I need to take steps to cool my stock quicker?

 

[GB]

It depends on how much stock you made, how cool it got in those 20 minutes, and what else is in your fridge.

Basically the reason you cool it before putting it in the fridge is so the heat from the stock does not raise the temp inside the fridge thus bringing everything into the danger zone (40-140 degrees F). If your stock is going to raise the temp of the fridge to that range then it needs to be cooled more before you stick it in there.

Now if you only have things like ketchup, lettuce, soda, and things that would be OK in the danger zone then it really doesn't matter much.

 

[Andy M.]

Allen's method is a really good one for quick cooling. Keep the ice water moving in the sink, swirl it around with your hands or a utensil. That will draw the heat from the pot a lot faster than just letting it sit.

The frozen water bottle part is also good as it draws heat from the middle of the pot while the ice water in the sink handles the outside. Several smaller bottles (one liter size) will work even better as the present a larger surface area to the hot stock.

After a few minutes of this treatment, the stock will be cold enough to pop into the fridge.

 

[sattie]

It depends on how much stock you made, how cool it got in those 20 minutes, and what else is in your fridge.

Basically the reason you cool it before putting it in the fridge is so the heat from the stock does not raise the temp inside the fridge thus bringing everything into the danger zone (40-140 degrees F). If your stock is going to raise the temp of the fridge to that range then it needs to be cooled more before you stick it in there.

Now if you only have things like ketchup, lettuce, soda, and things that would be OK in the danger zone then it really doesn't matter much.

I have a second frig with nothing but spirits and soda in it... I don't think it will hurt that stuff much.

 

[GB]

I have a second frig with nothing but spirits and soda in it... I don't think it will hurt that stuff much.

Nope that should be fine. The only thing I might be concerned about is the motor. If it needs to run extra hard to cool down the contents then it could burn out prematurely. I would guess in most cases that would not happen though.

 

[Robo410]

Dang if you don't eat the stock, how will we really know????? (just jokin' wif ya)

 

[jkath]

(This is for next time)
I've been using this stuff for a while. Makes the best broth
& takes no time to make a homemade tasting broth.

 

[Andy M.]

(This is for next time)
I've been using this stuff for a while. Makes the best broth
& takes no time to make a homemade tasting broth.

I've used the veggie broth from this brand and find it very tasty.