Saturday, March 19, 2011

Kitchen Tip #1 - Extra Broth

Many of the recipes I've been making call for some sort of broth - usually chicken, but sometimes beef or vegetable.  The smart cook would stock up on these broths/stocks when they go on sale, which I do.  But here's the kicker - most recipes only call for 1 or 2 cups, but a carton holds at least 4 cups and it's recommended that you use the remainder of the broth within 10 days.  I don't know about you, but I hate wasting food and I don't really like my choices of recipes to be driven by a soon-to-expire ingredient.  


My Solution - FREEZE 'EM!


To start this process, I bought a box of the 5 oz paper Dixie cups with the wax coating.


When I have leftover broth, I take a cup or two and fill them with 1/2 cup of broth, label the cup and freeze.
After they have frozen, I place all the frozen cups in a gallon freezer bag and stick it back in the freezer. 
When I need broth, I take a cup out of the freezer, peel off the waxy cup, place broth in a bowl, and defrost it in the microwave.  And they're already pre-measured!  2 paper cups = 1 cup of broth.  GENIUS!
This works great for broths and, I've found, it works great for coconut milk too (pictured above).  I had extra from the Curried Potatoes & Squash, and thanks to my friend Google, I found out it freezes well.  I'm thinking it would work great for pumpkin as well. I know that's not a liquid, but I think it freezes solid. 

I've found these little pre-measured frozen shortcuts to be great for adding extra flavor to couscous.  I just defrost one and it's enough broth for one serving of couscous.  I love it!

Be sure to do your research before you freeze.  Some liquids will get all funky when you freeze them, so you may have to consider that extra liquid an opportunity cost...or find another recipe that needs it!


Tips from one thrifty cook to another...enjoy!
Posted by at
Labels: ,

4 comments:

  1. KevMarch 20, 2011 at 10:51 AM

    You are becoming a regular chef and I enjoy your blog Nicole, keep it up!


    If you want a tastier broth and better bang for your buck. Buy a 3-4 lb whole chicken, usually 3-4 bucks. Rinse and take out giblets from chicken. Stick in crock pot with 2 quarts of water. Throw in some chunks of carrots, onions,
    and celery, no need to peel carrots, just rinse em off. Add some garlic, oregano, thyme, cracked black pepper, and a couple teaspoons of salt (i prefer kosher coarse salt) Turn on low and cook 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and cool for a lil while. Pull the meat off the bones and place in a freezer zip-lock bag for latter use. Taste broth and add more salt as necessary. Drain into a bowl and discard vegetables. Cool broth overnight in fridge, spoon out congealed fat. Then use or freeze as needed. It's much better than store bought broth in my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NicoleMarch 20, 2011 at 2:20 PM

    Thanks for the encouragement, Chef Kev! ;) And thanks for the chicken broth tip. I've yet to be so adventurous as to make my own broth, but I'm seeing that more and more recipes ask for chicken broth over any other broth, so I may be looking into this option soon.

    Do you know about how many cups of broth you get in a batch?

    ReplyDelete
  3. KevMarch 20, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    It would be around 8 cups (2 quarts)

    ReplyDelete
  4. ElspethMarch 21, 2011 at 8:52 AM

    Ahhh amazing! You are so smart :) I am ALWAYS throwing away broth due to this very problem. I plan to do this next time!! And, I only make my own broth occasionally (as in once a year after Thanksgiving), but it is really good!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)