Meal Plan

25 Reasons To Defrost Your Homemade Stock

November  4, 2016

We know that stock in your freezer is like liquid gold. You made it yourself, it's rich in flavor, and it shouldn't be poured into any old dish that won't appreciate your stock for what it is and all it can be.

Here are 25 recipes that will really shine with your homemade stock. Start defrosting....now!

Tell us: Do you keep stock in the freezer?

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A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).

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See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • marigael
    marigael
  • Lazyretirementgirl
    Lazyretirementgirl
  • amysarah
    amysarah
Editor/writer/stylist. Author of I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To). Last name rhymes with bagel.

4 Comments

marigael March 6, 2017
I don't keep stock in the freezer as there is never enough room. What I do to compensate that lack of room is frequently will keep a supply of what I have deglazed in small containers sorted by flavor & ingredients. Add to that my collection of cooked bones, chicken feet, and beef tendons. With that collection I can easily make a stock. I usually end up with about 3 quarts of stock which I keep in jars in my frig with a heavy layer of fat on top which keeps the stock fresh until I break through the layer of fat.
 
Lazyretirementgirl November 6, 2016
I always have home made chicken stock and vegetable stock in the freezer. Amysarah, what works for me is three sizes: quart jars for a soup, little 1 cup containers for a sauté or little poach job and a bag of broth ice cubes for that justa spoonful moment.
 
Lazyretirementgirl November 6, 2016
And, yes, the little ones are much easier for, um, spontaneous defrosting.
 
amysarah November 4, 2016
I usually freeze stock in small quantities, say 1-2 cups or even less, rather than by the quart. Many dishes only require that much, and I'm less precious about using it, when I can defrost only that much as needed. Also, it defrosts quicker - more convenient for impromptu cooking.