Janet Wilder wrote:
: Evelyn Ruut wrote:

: Good idea! I had a lady friend who would save chicken or turkey
: carcasses in a plastic bag in the freezer, then make a huge pot of stock
: from them all at once.
:

: I save and freeze the giblets from whole chickens. I also save the tips
: that I've cut off of chicken wings. When chicken breast halves with skin
: and ribs are on sale, I bone them and skin them and save the bones and
: "funny looking" chicken pieces. When I want to make chicken soup, I
: throw all my little savings into the pressure cooker with lots of
: carrots, celery, onions, parsley, a parsnip and some dill weed and I
: have a marvelously rich broth. It can even be watered down with some
: filtered or boiled and cooled water.

: What's better than "free" soup?

: I also save chicken fat and render it. I hate to waste stuff g.

: I roast our chicken on the gas grill. I have one of those beer can
: holders and use it for the chicken which is on the side of the grill,
: not over the fire. The last time I made one, I put several sprigs of
: fresh rosemary into the half-can of lite beer. I rub the chicken with a
: combo of granulated garlic, onion powder, Bell's poultry seasoning and
: paprika. I stick a small onion in the neck to trap the steam from the
: can. After the chicken is cooked, there is still a half-can of beer in
: the can. The chicken doesn't taste at all like beer, but you can use
: soda or juice if you feel better about it. Lemon-lime soda (even diet)
: is good with a rub of garlic and ginger.

: This is, by far, the yummiest way to roast a chicken. The beer can
: holder thing can also be used in a regular oven. The chicken is so
: juicy! The fat is on the bottom of the pan.

: --
: Janet Wilder
: Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
: Good Friends. Good Life

Both great ideas, Janet. I also use the skin in making my chicken stock
or soup. It adds flavor and yu can always skim the fat off at the end of
cooking. I use one of those measuring cups with the low spout that lets
you pour off the stock and stop when you reach the fat.

I also save my chicken fat, freeze it and then render it when I get
enough. I do that now in the microwave in one of those giant measurign
cups-1 qt or 3. It still takes quite a bit of time, but it is much less
of a mess to clean up than the to of the stove pot that always had almost
burnt on stuff that was so hard to get off.

I have never made beercan or "standy-uppy" chicken, but many of my friends
swear by it. I still let my chicken be lazy and lie down on a little rack
so it is not swimming in fat drippings. I ofen use a mild curry powder as
ell as onions, pepper(the kosher chickens are quite salty enough) lemon
juice and other herbs. I do i in qute a hot oven, over 400F and for th e3
31/2 lb chickens I usually get, it cookes in about an hour, is juicy with
a not fatty skin to die for,and the defatted pan juices and scrapings with
a little chicken stock or water makes an excellent thin gravyto put on he
chicken or the mashed cauliflower.

Wendy