There's Liquid Gold in Those Leftover Turkey Bones!
Lower in fat and salt, and infinitely more delicious than store-bought broth, this recipe for homemade turkey stock will turn your leftovers into the start of many healthy meals to come.
This Thanksgiving, hang on to those turkey bones! After the big meal and before the tryptophan sets in, take care to properly refrigerate your leftover turkey. While they may not seem like much, your picked over carcass and leftover bones are the makings of liquid gold, also known as homemade stock.
Flavorful stock is one ingredient that home cooks and distinguished chefs alike rely on to make their meals delicious. Consider how often you use it in your own kitchen: soups, stews, sauces, gravies, poaching, cooking rice, etc. The flavor of homemade can’t be beat. An even better reason to give homemade a try is that you control what goes into it. Remove the fat and skin to reduce the fat, limit the sodium and you have a nutrient-dense stock that is made with whole ingredients — not things like “turkey flavor,” MSG or corn syrup.
Store-bought stock may feel like a time saver, but the hands-on time of making homemade stock is surprisingly short. Onions and carrots get a quick chop and don’t require peeling. Quick, easy and as an added bonus, onion peels help give stock its warm golden color. Stock spends most of its time gently simmering and making your house smell amazing while you go about your day. Once it is finished and ready to refrigerate, you have the base for a delicious soup or an ingredient to add to your meals for months to come. Don’t be surprised if someone asks you what you are doing differently!
Note to the chef
- Consider starting a freezer bag for stock scraps. Any time you peel carrots or chop onions, add the leftover peels and pieces to your bag. The next time you make stock you can add these to the pot.
- Save your chicken carcasses. This stock can be made with chicken bones as well. Save them in a freezer bag until you have enough to make a big batch of stock.
Storing stock
Stock will keep for three days in the refrigerator and for up to six months in the freezer. Consider freezing stock in freezer-safe bags. The bags lay flat and are stackable, saving freezer space. Single-use servings of stock can also be frozen in muffin tins or ice-cube trays. Once frozen, pop them out and store in a freezer-safe bag. If freezing stock in freezer-safe containers, remember to leave extra space at the top. The stock will expand as it freezes.
