Chicken Stock gelatinous [duplicate]
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I made chicken stock recently from chicken thigh bones and skin (just needed the thigh meat and the bone-in-with-skin were cheaper). After cooling it in the fridge I ended up with gelatinous semisolid stuff underneath a layer of fat a few mm thick. I removed the fat, but am wondering whether the "stock" underneath it is useable for anything.
Best Answer
This is normal, expected, and desired. The long simmering of the bones will dissolve collagen in the connective tissue, creating gelatin, which will cause it to quite literally gel when cooled.
This gives the stock a body and texture that is considered a virtue in using it for soup or as an ingredient in other recipes. When heated, the gelatin will melt again.
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Why is my chicken stock like gelatin?
When you simmer a fresh chicken \u2014 complete with bones, skin, and meat \u2014 you extract the collagen from the bones. This collagen in the bones is what is causing your soup to gel. It's completely natural, and it only happens in rich, well-made chicken stock. It can be a little freaky, though, if you're not expecting it!Why is there a blob in my chicken broth?
Spoilage bacteria and yeast release gases that fill the broth's container, causing it to expand or open. Large or sharp dents in canned broth can also allow bacteria into the can, so the broth inside may be spoiled, warns the United States Department of Agriculture.Does chicken stock congealed?
My chicken stock is all lumpy and congealed after it comes out of the fridge. Yep, that's normal. Once you warm it up over heat, it becomes liquid.Why does meat stock have a jelly like consistency after cooling?
Bone Broth and Gelatin Bone broth gels because collagen, a structural protein found in the connective tissue on meaty and gristly bones, breaks down with prolonged cooking, dissolving into the cooking medium. When the resulting broth cools, the proteins realign themselves and produce fine, bouncy gelatin.The Ultimate Guide To Making Amazing Chicken Stock
More answers regarding chicken Stock gelatinous [duplicate]
Answer 2
As SAJ14SAJ said, chicken broth that gels is desirable. As a matter of fact, I break big chicken bones when I make broth to release as much collagen as possible and often add chicken feet because they're rich in gel causing collagen.
EDIT: America's Test Kitchen often uses "cheater" methods to skip some time-consuming steps but achieve the same, or very similar results. One such method I've seen a few times in their recipes is to add boxed unflavored gelatin (Knox or similar) to stocks and broths to achieve that luscious mouth-feel. What is Knox made of? Collagen of course, animal by-products. That's what makes Jello wiggle too.
Congratulations on your awesome broth! :)
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