* If you happen to buy organic vegetables (and these varieties often cost about what conventional counterparts do, in my neck of the woods), you don’t even have to peel the carrots or onions. Just give the carrots and celery a good scrubbing Here’s what you do. Put the chicken pieces in the bottom of a large dutch oven or stockpot (needs to hold at least 5-6 quarts). Fill with enough water to cover the chicken, plus about an inch. Put the pot on high heat, and cut up the vegetables while the pot comes to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients, and add a little more water if necessary (just to cover — too much water will make a weak stock). Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 45 minutes. I sometimes partially cover mine, to keep too much of the liquid from evaporating. Sometimes a piece of chicken will float to the surface, and if that happens just push it back down, or let it trade places with a piece on the bottom. As long as the liquid doesn’t come to a rapid boil (in which case, turn down the heat), you don’t have to do a thing. After the 45 minutes, remove from heat, and using tongs remove the chicken to a large plate. You can let the stock and chicken cool a bit while you do other things. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones (the meat comes off quite easily — but I will say that this task might be the one that I despise most in the kitchen; sometimes I can convince Tim to do it for me, and when he does, I know he loves me), place in an airtight container, and stick in the refrigerator. Once cool, you can transfer the meat to a ziplock bag and stick in the freezer. It’s ready to thaw for your next chicken casserole, enchiladas, chicken salad, etc. I just love killing two (or would it be 3?) birds with one stone. The stock needs to be cooled quickly, and this might be where I lose a couple of you. I cool mine in an ice bath, which is just a nice way of saying “bucket of ice.” Take the biggest bowl you have, and put a lot of ice and a little water in it. Then set another, slightly smaller bowl in the ice. Put your fine-mesh strainer over the empty bowl, and ladle in your stock. The strainer catches all the veggies and any foam that accumulated. Discard the strainer contents. Now stir the stock every few minutes until it’s just lukewarm (rather than scalding hot). Cover tightly and stick in the refrigerator. The next day, you’ll see a layer of fat that has solidified on the top. Skim that out with a spoon (discard, or freeze in small portions and use for cooking), and you have your stock. I ladle mine into a measuring cup, then pour it into a ziplock bag, in 1 or 2-cup portions (be sure you label and date the bag). The easiest way to freeze them is by stacking them flat on a cookie sheet, and putting the sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, you can retrieve your baking sheet, and your stock is frozen in nice, thin bags. When you need stock, just stick the bag(s) in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Once the ice is loose enough to remove from the bag, transfer to a glass bowl and finish defrosting (if you defrost comletely in the microwave, the bag tends to melt — and melted plastic in your food is creepy). If you’ve made stock before, you might notice that I don’t add salt. This is just a personal preference of mine; this way, I always know that I’m starting from sodium-ground-zero in soups. I add salt to taste as I make the soup. I can’t express enough how much homemade stock improves all cooking (I’ll borrow from my friend
