Making homemade stock is really simple and makes the most of using little bits and pieces of vegetables, bones and chicken carcasses that you use in day to day cooking.  Having homemade stock on hand during winter is handy as it is the base for a many casseroles, stews and soups.  Keep a few large GLAD Snap Lock Bags in the freezer – one for vegetables, one for chicken and one for beef – and as you have left overs – place them in the bag in the freezer and seal well until you have the time to make a big batch. Most stock can be made in your slowcooker so you can just set – and forget!  Easy!

How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock: Chicken stock is probably the most versatile homemade stock to make.  It is the base for many soups (including pumpkin) and is a great way to add flavour to cooked rice or quinoa.  You can also make chicken stock into a sauce or gravy by reducing it by half (by boiling) and then thickening with cornflour and seasoning well. The secret to a really tasty chicken stock is to bake your chicken carcass in the oven on a very high heat for 15 minutes before placing it in the slow cooker. You don’t need to do this step – but it does make for a tastier result! Place your chicken carcasses and a heap of vegetables (onions, celery, carrots – whatever you have on hand) and cover with water.  Boil for approximately four hours (on in the slowcooker on high for eight hours), skimming the ‘scum’ off the top every so often and disgarding.  Cool the mixture down and strain well. Allow the stock to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge.  This allows any fat to rise to the top – which can then be scooped off and discarded.  Then freeze into ice-cubes or GLAD Snap Lock Bags and use as needed. Quick Tip: If you buy a whole chicken from a takeaway stock, you can use this carcass to make stock!  So don’t throw it out – freeze it!

How to Make Homemade Vegetable Stock: Vegetable stock is a great base for Fried Rice, Risotto’s and even pasta dishes! To make vegetable stock really tasty, you need a good strong flavour base – so choose white onions, spring onions and leeks.  Adding some seasonal herbs is a great way to infuse flavour. Add your onion base to your slowcooker with two litres of water and allow the onion flavour to develop (cook on high for 2 hours).  Then add your remaining vegetables.  Carrots, celery and potatoes are the staple – but really add whatever is in season and on hand.  Season and allow the slowcooker to bubble away a further six hours. If you want a richer vegetable stock, add some milk or cream at the end and then reduce.

How to Make Beef or Bacon Stock: Beef stock is a good base for beef casseroles and heart stews.  It is also a good base for Minestrone soup and many Asian dishes. Place the beef or bacon bones in a hot oven for 15 minutes, then cook as per the chicken stock recipe.  Cooking the bones in the oven enhances the meaty flavour and gives you a well rounded, tasty stock.       Stay at Home Mum is in a working relationship with GLAD.