Help with Chicken Noodle Soup

[Jennifer Murphy]

Got it. Thanks. I can hardly wait to try it again.

BTW, how long can I leave the bones and drippings in the frig? If it will be more than a couple of days before I can make the soup, should I put it in the freezer?

Also, if there is some leftover meat after we have made as many sandwiches as we want, can I add that to the soup too? And, if so, when. The last time, I added some leftover meat after the soup was all made. I don't think it was cooked enough for soup. Should I add it to the bones when making the broth or to the soup when making the soup?

 

[caseydog]

Wow. Two new words: fond and deglaze. I guess it's too silly to say that I am fond of this forum.

I did a search for deglazing fond. One of the results said this:

But how do I tell if it's actually fond? The description above and some pictures looked like it was pretty dry.
Today, the bottom of the baking pan was quite liquid. I was able to just pour it into the bowl with with the bones. Should I have cooked it on the stove top until it was dry?

Fond is just the stuff that browned and stuck to the pan. If there is liquid, like grease, on top of the fond, just pour that off. It is the dry stuff stuck to the pan that is the fond, and fond adds a lot of flavor. Have the pan at least medium heat, and pour in some of your liquid (usually wine or broth) and let it sizzle and boil, then scrape the pan gently to clean the fond off the pan. You end up with a great broth and an easy to clean pan.

CD

 

[caseydog]

BTW, how long can I leave the bones and drippings in the frig? If it will be more than a couple of days before I can make the soup, should I put it in the freezer?

A lot of people here keep the bones and scraps from chickens in zip-lock bags in the freezer, and add to them until they have enough to make a good batch of stock/broth. I would do that instead of keeping them in the fridge. You just put the frozen bones and wraps in a pot with water and boil it until it is done. No need to thaw anything.

CD

 

[taxlady]

The fond in that video looked burnt to me. I would be cautious of using that without tasting it first. Ask me how I know.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Fond is just the stuff that browned and stuck to the pan. If there is liquid, like grease, on top of the fond, just pour that off. It is the dry stuff stuck to the pan that is the fond, and fond adds a lot of flavor. Have the pan at least medium heat, and pour in some of your liquid (usually wine or broth) and let it sizzle and boil, then scrape the pan gently to clean the fond off the pan. You end up with a great broth and an easy to clean pan.

CD

My baking pan did not look anything like that. It was not at all dry. It was quite liquid and has a white gooey substance. I'll have to pay ore attention next time and maybe take a photo.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

On more question. We do not drink alcohol, so we don't have any wine in the house. I have pruchased cooking sherry in the past. Is that what I should use? White or red?

 

[caseydog]

On more question. We do not drink alcohol, so we don't have any wine in the house. I have pruchased cooking sherry in the past. Is that what I should use? White or red?

Niether. Cooking wines (sherry is a wine) are not good. Just use some chicken stock.

CD

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Ok, thanks. If I had some wine, would using it affect the flavor of the stock? If so, which wine? White or red? My first batch was pretty good. If my next batch is even better, I will probably make this once or twice a month. So I'd be happy to buy a bottle or two just for cooking.

Just let me know what to buy.

Thanks

 

[caseydog]

My baking pan did not look anything like that. It was not at all dry. It was quite liquid and has a white gooey substance. I'll have to pay ore attention next time and maybe take a photo.

If it is gooey, it is not a fond. You get a fond when you sauté, brown or pan fry meats and veggies, especially aromatic veggies.

CD

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

This was a baked chicken. As I recall, there were quite a lot of drippings in the pan, maybe almost a cup or so. And they were pretty clear. Then there was some soft white, kinda gooey stuff. Maybe 2-3 tablespoons worth. I'll take a picture next time. There was also a few dark, soft pieces.

Would it help if I put the pan on the stove and "sauteed" it until it was more "fond-y", but not burnt?

 

[caseydog]

Ok, thanks. If I had some wine, would using it affect the flavor of the stock? If so, which wine? White or red? My first batch was pretty good. If my next batch is even better, I will probably make this once or twice a month. So I'd be happy to buy a bottle or two just for cooking.

Just let me know what to buy.

Thanks

For chicken soup, I'd just use chicken stock to deglaze. I only use wine for small number of more fancy dishes.

CD

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Ok, but I don't have any stock. That's what I am trying to make.

Based on this discussion, it may be that what I have in the pan is already deglazed or was never glazed in the first place. Maybe I just add it to the bones as is.

 

[caseydog]

Ok, but I don't have any stock. That's what I am trying to make.

Then just use water to deglaze, and add that to the bones and scraps in your stock pot, or whatever you use to simmer your stock. The whole point is to not waste that fond, because it has good flavor.

You can use drippings in your stock. Just remember that oil/grease will not mix with water, so you may need to let your stock cool, and scrape the fat off the top. That's not hard, but it is a step you probably want to take, unless you like a fatty broth.

CD

 

[taxlady]

You can deglaze with water. If you want some wine for cooking with, there are tiny bottles of wine. Or, you could buy dry vermouth. It is a fortified wine. It will keep for quite a while, even after the bottle is opened. Beer can also be used to deglaze with.

I make veggie stock from scraps. I save onion peels, the dry parts of celery and scallions, carrot peels, parsley stems, etc. Then when I have enough to half fill a pot or saucepan, I make some veggie stock. I add enough water that I can shove all the veggie bits under water, even if the might not stay under. Then I bring it slowly to a simmer and let it simmer for an hour or two. Then all you need to do is to decide if it has enough flavour. I usually taste a bit of carrot peel or celery. If it is completely bland, they you have gotten all the flavour out o it that you can and it's time to strain it. I recommend not using starchy veg bits in this. I also wouldn't put much brassica in it because well, overcooked brassica stinks and isn't very nice. If the stock seems to be lacking in flavour, you can simmer it until it reduces to a more flavourful liquid.

When I make a meat stock, I don't usually add any fresh veg. I just simmer whatever kind of bones I have and store that separately from the veg stock. I combine them when I'm going to use them. And I often just use my veg stock with some BTB (Better Than Bouillon) to make a chicken or beef or whatever stock. I NEVER add salt to my stock that I am going to store. I wait until I am going to use it.

 

[taxlady]

I wrote, "I just simmer whatever kind of bones I have ...". I also include any sinews, bits of meat, cartilage, gristle, ...

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Here's a photo of the carcass and stuff I saved from the baked chicken. Any comments?

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

What about leftover veggies? I added some leftover broccoli crowns to my last soup, but they turned to much. They has already been steamed and then they got cooked even more. But what if I put them in with the carcass. That way I'd get the flavor but not the mushy remnants. Same thing for the bottoms of asparagus stalks? What about corn cobs? Anything else that I can throw in there if I have leftovers? I'd also be happy to buy veggies or anything else that I can add either to the carcass or to the soup itself.

 

[taxlady]

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't use broccoli in stock. It's a brassica and they can give off sulphurous smells and flavours with the long cooking that a meat stock entails.

The corn cobs are starchy, so there is a risk of making the stock cloudy. The asparagus could get pretty potent and overcooked tasting. If I wanted to find out if those things would be okay, I would simmer them covered in water, separately from the chicken stock. After an hour or two, smell and taste what those veggies are like. Would it enhance your stock? If you think so, then strain out the veg bits and dump that liquid in with the rest o the stock you are cooking. If not, well then, you be the judge.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't use broccoli in stock. It's a brassica and they can give off sulphurous smells and flavours with the long cooking that a meat stock entails.

The corn cobs are starchy, so there is a risk of making the stock cloudy. The asparagus could get pretty potent and overcooked tasting. If I wanted to find out if those things would be okay, I would simmer them covered in water, separately from the chicken stock. After an hour or two, smell and taste what those veggies are like. Would it enhance your stock? If you think so, then strain out the veg bits and dump that liquid in with the rest o the stock you are cooking. If not, well then, you be the judge.

I should have looked up "brassica" I didn't notice any sulphurous smells or flavors, but it was just a few leftover crowns in several quarts of soup. I will try your taste & smell test. Thanks.

 

[caseydog]

I should have looked up "brassica" I didn't notice any sulphurous smells or flavors, but it was just a few leftover crowns in several quarts of soup. I will try your taste & smell test. Thanks.

I generally stick to aromatic veggies for stocks/broths. Onions, carrots and other root veggies, celery, bell peppers. Mirepoix and the Cajun Trinity. Stocks/broths are not food recycling bins. Like Taxi, I would not use corn cobs and broccoli stems.

CD