Guest guest Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 I have two questions related to stock that maybe people can answer. First, does the gelatin which is so beneficial undergo any harm from repeated/extended heating. I made beef stock this weekend, let it chill, then removed the top layer of fat (it stinks - yeck) and am left with a nice thick gelatin. Tonight I cooked lentils in stock + water at a gentle boil for a long time. Did I lose any nutritional benefit of the stock by cooking the beans a long time at a fairly high heat? This also comes up when my stock has been refrigerated (not frozen) 5 days. NT recommends boiling it to keep it from going bad, at that point. How long should I boil it and does that affect the gelatin? Can I do this after a 2nd 5-day period (probably not a good idea as I'd be getting bacterial byproducts from having it in the fridge too long?) Second, this is a mechanical question. I leave the stock pot on very low heat overnight as NT recommends. I have a gas stove. The flame has never gone out, but I do worry about the flame going out and gas being released into my house. Could that possibly happen, if the flame has been burning steadily for several hours, could it suddenly go out? There is no breeze or anything. I don't have a crock pot and I've noticed these days many are made with artificial coating even if they say stoneware. Thanks, Daphne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 >. The >flame has never gone out, but I do worry about the flame going out and >gas being released into my house. Could that possibly happen, if the >flame has been burning steadily for several hours, could it suddenly >go out? There is no breeze or anything. Many gas stoves have a pilot light, and THAT could go out too. You can get an alarm to go off in case of a gas leak, which I'd be tempted to do if I had gas. I turn off my stock at night, and restart it in the AM. I just don't trust my stove. The ideal would be something like a " straw box " which would keep it hot (and ideally, cooking) all night without fuel. -- Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 > > >. The > >flame has never gone out, but I do worry about the flame going out and > >gas being released into my house. Could that possibly happen, if the > >flame has been burning steadily for several hours, could it suddenly > >go out? There is no breeze or anything. > > Many gas stoves have a pilot light, and THAT could go out too. You > can get an alarm to go off in case of a gas leak, which I'd be > tempted to do if I had gas. You mean a pilot light apart from the one in each burner? Or do you mean the 4 pilots in the burners? Is there a gas alarm that you can set by the stove? (I don't know if my fire alarms detect gas and I don't want to 'alarm' my husband by asking him <g>.) > I turn off my stock at night, and restart it in the AM. Does this go for beef and chicken stock (assuming you make both)? Do you refrigerate it during the night, and if not, are you unconcerned about bacterial growth? (Come to think of it I keep the stock simmering so low I wonder about bacterial growth anyway, since I don't think it's at boiling point during the 24-hour simmer.) I just don't > trust my stove. The ideal would be something like a " straw box " > which would keep it hot (and ideally, cooking) all night without > fuel. Never heard of it, any web links? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 >You mean a pilot light apart from the one in each burner? Or do you >mean the 4 pilots in the burners? Is there a gas alarm that you can >set by the stove? Well, in the new stoves I'm not sure. In the one I used to have, there was one little flame somewhere that always was on ... maybe they've done away with that now! >(I don't know if my fire alarms detect gas and I don't want to 'alarm' >my husband by asking him <g>.) Probably not. Most fire alarms just detect fire. Does this go for beef and chicken stock (assuming you make both)? Do >you refrigerate it during the night, and if not, are you unconcerned >about bacterial growth? (Come to think of it I keep the stock >simmering so low I wonder about bacterial growth anyway, since I don't >think it's at boiling point during the 24-hour simmer.) I AM concerned about bacteria, but not THAT concerned. I make a big pot of it. When it's boiling/simmering, it is at 200 or so degrees, way too hot for bacteria to live (though some spores might). It takes, say 4-6 hours to cool down past 140, which is the highest any germs could even think about living, but since the lid is on, nothing can get in anyway and spores won't sprout til it gets down to, say 90 for several hours or a day. But when I wake up, it is still pretty hot, and I'm pretty sure nothing has even started to grow ... and then I boil it again. The last time I boil it, I stick the whole thing in ice water and cool it quickly. >I just don't >> trust my stove. The ideal would be something like a " straw box " >> which would keep it hot (and ideally, cooking) all night without >> fuel. > >Never heard of it, any web links? You can search on " straw box " . I don't have a really good link handy. Basically it was popular in the 1800's -- it was a box lined with straw, and you put the pan in it and it kept the whole thing hot. With a soapstone added, you could cook in it (I'd guess they kept the stone away from the straw though, so the straw wouldn't catch fire). The idea was the lady of the house could cook without keeping an eye on the stove ... quite an advantage in woodburning days! -- Heidi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 3, 2003 Report Share Posted September 3, 2003 Daphne I can't answer your other question, but you should never ever leave the gas running unattended for any length of time. Jo --- Daphne Blumenthal <biophile410@...> wrote: >> Second, this is a mechanical question. I leave the > stock pot > on very low heat overnight as NT recommends. I have > a gas stove. The > flame has never gone out, but I do worry about the > flame going out and > gas being released into my house. Could that > possibly happen, if the > flame has been burning steadily for several hours, > could it suddenly > go out? There is no breeze or anything. > > ________________________________________________________________________ Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Messenger http://uk.messenger./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 27, 2004 Report Share Posted July 27, 2004 >NT says that stock containing liberal amounts of gelatin should thicken or even jell when refrigerated. It also says that free-range chickens give the best results but many battery-raised chickens will not produce stock that gels I've had the opposite experience ... my homegrown chickens don't gel nearly as much. Tho it may have to do with age ... storebought chickens are REALLY young (4 weeks old or so) so their bones have not hardened so much, so they have more gelatin. I've also found that I get more " gel " from BAKED chicken, where I bake the chicken, butterflied over a mess of vegies. The juice from the vegies and the chicken mix, and it is really, really wonderful and makes a great soup base. However, other people, again, seem to have the opposite experience! -- Heidi Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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