You can make chicken stock, beef, pork, duck, etc. stock in a pressure cooker. Easy and fast.

I will let others give you various recipes.

The following is what I do:

1. Make sure you have enough water to cover all your ingredients.
2. If you are only making a small portion, you can use a smaller metal container inside the PC for your stock, and add water in the PC to cook the smaller container with the stock.
3. Let your PC cool down completely before trying to open it, otherwise the stock will boil over inside the PC.
4. I try not to make anything too starchy in the stock. Sometime if the stock is too full and the starchy stock can clod up the pressure relief valve and make a mess.
5. You donÂt need a high burning fire for the PC. Once the pressure has been reached, the temperature inside will remain the same regardless.

dcarch

I use roasted chicken carcasses that I keep in the freezer if I don't make stock immediately.

I chop up the bones, place them, an unpeeled halved onion, couple of carrots and a stick or two of celery in my 8 qt PC.

Add enough water to bring it to the marked maximum, seal and bring to pressure. I cook it at the second ring for 22 minutes then allow it to cool off slowly for 10 minutes then rapid release any remaining pressure.

I strain the stock, and refrigerate it. When cold, I remove some of the fat but leave some for flavor.

Before using, I adjust seasoning if it's going to be used for a soup or freeze it unseasoned if it's going to be stock.

HTH

Others may have a different method, but I've been browning the less meaty bones like chicken wings, legs and backs after cutting them in two, which helps add gelatin to the stock. (The chicken gets tossed, so there's no reason to use breasts or thighs.) Browning the chicken first, helps add flavor. Toss in an onion cut in two, a couple of celery sticks, a couple of carrots, peppercorns, 2-3 garlic cloves, salt and parsley. I also add a bay leaf if my bay tree is handy. (Right now it's under the basement under lights, so I would say it isn't handy at this moment.) Add at least four cups of water. It's good stuff!

I do pretty much what L2C46 and CDL do, but it never occured to me to cut the chicke bones in half!

I save carcasses of roast chicken or turkey in the freezer until ready to make stock. Toss into the PC with a large onion, some celery stalke and carrots, all cut into large pieces. I add a bay leaf, some salt & pepper, and if I have it, fresh parsley, too.

I have been freezing the stock in those zip lock containers, but I think I may start using freezer bags. Someone mentioned you can just break off a piece without having to thaw the entire thing if you just need a small amount. Good idea!

I make beef stock the same way, except I roast the bones and vegetables first (thanks for that tip, Linda C!)

Once you make your own you'll never go back to canned or boxed!

Linda

I save the carcass from a roasted chicken, cut it up add onion, celery, carrots, flat leaf parsley, bay leaf a tea ball of Herbs de Provenance. Cover with water to top level mark. Process high for 25 minutes, cool, remove tea ball and strain.

Just tossed the manual PC for a digital one and am itchin to make French Onion soup with PC beef stock, yumm!

LOVE the digital PC, it's a walkaway, quiet gadget

I've also used roasted chicken carcass, which is Very Good, and a great way to make stock. In fact, I really like the stock made with roasted chicken bones (or beef bones) the best, as it adds another depth of flavor entirely to the stock. If you're starting from scratch though, the other way is also perfectly acceptable. Either way, it's all good, and I think I'd better go make some!

I learned (here) from Claire de Luna to use roasted chicken carcasses. Wonderful. I just throw the carcass in, (next time I'll break the bones!), fill to the fill line with water, bring up to pressure and let it cook for about 25 minutes. Then I let it cool on its own. When the pressure drops, I open and strain.

Whenever I'm running short on stock, that means it's time for another rotisserie chicken for dinner!

I do make stock with regular bones as well, when I don't have a rotisserie chicken around and happen to have my normal bones available. Same method.

Thanks for the replies. It appears you all use the same basic technique. I'll give it a try tonight.

I have six bone-in chicken breasts roasting now. To make my stovetop stock I always use roasted bones/carcasses, which is a tip I learned here. Sounds like the PC stock will be just as easy, but lots faster!

I'll let you know how I make out.

I don't do pressure cookers (nasty exploding things....) but this popped up on Serious Eats just today. Quite timely, I'd say.

Here is a link that might be useful: stock in a pressure cooker

I went to Serious Eats and took a look. I have questions about what was said there:

"2. Lock the lid in place and over high heat bring to high pressure. Adjust the heat to maintain high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Let the pressure drip naturally, about 25 minutes, or use a quick-release method. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow the steam to escape."

I donÂt know all pressure cookers, so I may be wrong, but I donÂt know if that is a correct way to work with a PC.

First, I think the pressure inside would be normalized in about 10 to 15 minutes, not 25 minutes.

Second, I donÂt think you can remove the lid while the pressure is still high inside, and you certainly would not want to release the steam quickly by opening the valve because the stock may boil over and jet out the orifice.

All you have to do is just run the PC under cold water for about 10 seconds and you can than open the lid.

dcarch

For the sake of safety, allow a PC or pressure canner to return to normal a minimum of 25 minutes. Canners generally need more time as they are larger. If using the rapid, under cold water method, do not open a PC until the locking devices have unlocked on their own and you are sure the pressure is down. Once unlocked, be sure it stays that way. Some PC's can re-lock quickly if the cooling was not enough. All this is conditional to the model you have. Read your owners manual.

D- 10 seoconds under cold water and you will have a trip to the burn unit. Please check your facts before you post something like this to the public.

Posted by pkramer ---------D- 10 seoconds under cold water and you will have a trip to the burn unit. Please check your facts before you post something like this to the public."

Good advice.

I should say that 10 seconds running under cold water in the sink works for my 6-quart aluminum PC.

For my PC, you will see the safety valve go down to indicate pressure is gone, so there will be no danger to the burn unit.

Your PC may differ.

Thanks for the advice

dcarch

My old Mirro pressure cooker takes much longer than 10 seconds to cool off under running water, more like a couple of minutes, at least. Maybe just because it's 30 years old and heavier than the new ones, I don't know, but I know it's a lot longer than 10 seconds.

I've never made stock in the PC, I just keep all the chicken wing tips, back pieces, roasted carcasses, etc, in the freezer until I'm ready to use them. If I have a small enough amount I toss it in the crockpot with onion, carrot, celery, by leaf and pepper corns, cover with water and cook all day. If I have lots I toss it all into the big Nesco roaster on 350 and let it cook all day. The plus to the roaster is that I can roast the bones first, then add the liquid right to the roaster without any transfer of the bones and I get all the good stuff from the bottom too! Then I can it and have homemade stock on the shelf all the time.

And this thread reminds me that I need to make and can beef broth pretty soon. Maybe this weekend, while the pastrami is smoking...

Annie

Follow-up as promised! First off, my PC is a digital electric one so I didn't have to worry about running it under cold water, etc. I just set it on high pressure for 30 mins., then allowed it to cool down until the pressure dropped and allowed the cover to be opened safely.

I used bones from chicken I had roasted, so that was a good start. But then I found a hint that called for roasting the vegetables, as well, to get an even richer flavor, so I tried that.

I roasted my carcass, bones, etc. along w/ a cut up onion, 2 carrots, and 2 stalks of celery. Put it in a 450 oven for 20 mins. total, stirred everything after the 1st 10 mins.

Then I added all that to the PC w/ 6 cups of water, some peppercorns, thyme sprigs and a bay leaf. The result is wonderful tasting!

I have been so happy w/ everything I've made so far in my PC, but I'm always a little scared trying something new in it. My electric one is easy to use and has many safeguards, but I still get flashbacks to when my Mom had the stovetop one with the rocking jiggler on the top. After one fiasco that ended w/ tomato sauce on the ceiling, we all held our breath until she had safely completed the tranfer from stove to sink to serving platter whenever she used it.

Thanks for giving me confidence to try this method. It's a keeper!

amck, I'm glad it turned out well, but I'm still smiling over "I roasted my carcass". (grin) I've done that a few times myself!

Annie

LOL! Annie, I laughed so hard I hurt my side when I just re-read my post.

Okay, I'm intrigued. My mother's old Mirro or whatever brand with the wobbling pressure knob scares the heck out of me, but a digital pressure cooker is very interesting. I'm really out of luck using commercial stocks when I'm trying to keep any type of onion or garlic out of the mix. If I can make my own stock or a faster meal using the pressure cooker, I might go ahead and take the plunge.

I need feedback on the digital pressure cookers- or should I use a newer stovetop type? C'mon CF'ers give me the 411!

Digital pressure cookers are electric, use about 1,200 watts of power. They are convenient that they have many automatic features.

The others are stove top, and you basically have to do the timing yourself. It's quite easy.

Aluminum ones will not work with induction cook tops.

dcarch

compumom - My electric PC is as easy to use as a microwave. I'm not kidding. This from a person who still can't figure out a point & shoot digital camera.

It's even easier to use than a bread machine. You plug it in, add the ingredients and press the button to set the time and whether or not you want high or low pressure.

Mine has safeguards that prevent you from being able to open the lid until the pressure has dropped. It also has safety valves that prevent "explosions from within."

Some have a browning feature that allows you to brown meats or saute vegetables before cooking them w/ pressure. I have this feature & use it when I make beef stew, chili, and dishes that have boneless chicken breasts in them. It makes for one-pot cooking and easy clean-up.

I often choose to use my LC Dutch oven in the fall & winter - just love the warm feelings & aromas of having something simmering on the stove. But in the summertime when I don't want to heat up the kitchen, but yearn for something home-cooked & hearty, I use my PC.

I've owned mine for about 7 yrs. and have never had a problem with it.

I got my digital PC from QVC; saw them doing a demo with it one night and I caved and bought it. Love it!!

It's sort of like set it and forget it. hahah!

I have an electric digital, too. Got it from a friend who always bought expensive stuff and then decided she would never use it. It sat on a shelf here for 5 years before I got up the guts to actually use it! LOL

I love it! I mostly use it for stock, but have made minestrone, ribs and stroganoff in it as well.

As Amck said, you just put your ingredients in, lock on the top, set the timer and turn it on. It does all the rest for you!

My manual does say that you can remove the cooking unit from the base and run it under cool water to bring the pressure down quickly, but I have never done that.

I have used an aluminum pressure canner on my ceramic top stove with no problems, also. I have not cooked in that, just canned.

Linda

Having an electric PC is like having an extra burner on your stove top.

PC makes perfect rice. I use a separate container inside the PC to make rice.

dcarch

Hmmm, Linda, the boss has an induction cooktop and an aluminum pressure cooker and it works fine for her too. She did say that the bottom needs to be relatively flat or the burner cycles on and off somehow...

Annie

Annie - The laying flat thing has me thinking your boss has ceramic? Aluminum doesn't work on induction.

"Posted by foodonastump Annie - The laying flat thing has me thinking your boss has ceramic? Aluminum doesn't work on induction. "

Sometimes desperation is the mother of invention.

A friend invite me for a dinner party, she planned a couple of dishes which needed a PC, which she did not have one. She asked me to bring mine so that she could use it.

When I got to her house, I realized that she had an induction cook top and my PC was aluminum.

Here was how I solved the problem:

I used a large induction frying pan of hers, put some cooking oil in the pan and put the PC in the pan.

It worked. A very crazy way to use an aluminum PC on an induction cook top. Not recommended, and will not be posted in the cooking tips thread :-).

dcarch

I'm sure she has induction, I just asked. I don't know about the flat thing, but she says she has an aluminum pressure canner, that she uses it on the induction cook top and that she was told that it wouldn't work unless the bottom was flat. She had a ceramic cooktop and hated it, so she replaced it when she redid her kitchen last year some time.

So the aluminum apparently works, but I don't know how. I just have a plain old gas stove and everything works on that. I think she has more money in her cooktop and counters than I have in my whole house!

Annie

"----The Cooking Vessels
The most obvious and famous drawback to induction cooking has already been mentioned: it only works with cooking vessels made of magnetic materials. The commonest such materials used for cooking vessels are stainless steel and cast iron. Cookware suited for use with induction cookers, from the extreme high-quality end down to thrift-store modest, is readily available; but if you already have a stock of mostly expensive aluminum or copper or glass or pyrex cookware and little or no cast iron or stainless, you might be up for a cookware investment.---"

dcarch

Well, dcarch, all I can tell you is that she says her pressure canner works and she has an All American, so it's definitely aluminum.

Annie

Nope, sorry, I lied, she said the All American is too tall, she's a bit over 5 feet tall like me. She uses a Presto.

Maybe it's not all aluminum, but she says it definitely works.

Annie

No, Annie you are not a lier. Presto makes both aluminum as well as st. steel pressure cooker.

I am more thinking that the cook top is not induction, because induction does not require flat bottom cookware, only flat glass range top requires that.

Sometimes people confuse the two.

dcarch

Maybe, dcarch, but she insists it's induction. Now I'm going to have to surreptitiously check it out the next time I go to her house...

Hey, maybe I could talk her into selling me the All American canner that's too big, especially if she DOES have induction!

Annie

I had to get rid of my old aluminum Presto pressure cooker when I got my induction cooktop. I bought a stainless steel Fagor as a replacement. Induction cooktops look almost the same as regular glass or ceramic cooktops, so that could be the confusion. Also, some induction units have regular burners (for any kind of metal) and induction burners together all on the same cooktop. It's been a while since I followed all the latest induction news, but at one time manufacturers were also working on induction units that could accommodate any kind of metal pan, including aluminum. Perhaps the technology has been achieved and that kind of unit is on the market now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hybrid Induction Cooktop

I've been making stock in my pressure cooker for a couple of years now.

The only issue is that it makes the stock a bit on the cloudy side, but if you clarify it with eggs and strain it thoroughly it comes out clear enough.

I just dump everything into the PC and let it run for 45 minutes to an hour. Works like a charm.