3 Easy Stock Recipes For Your Slow Cooker

Stock is a hearty, flavorful liquid that’s as good as gold in your kitchen. It works wonders in rice or quinoa for extra flavor or can serve as the whole base for your stews and soups. Vegetables, chicken, and mushroom stock are usually inexpensive at the grocery store, but a bounty of homemade stock recipes are so easy to achieve and a much healthier version than what lines store shelves.

防腐剂、人造香料和味精只是流行股票中的几种常见成分。它们通常很难发音，更难以理解。选择一个更自然、更令人满意的选择，你可以在你的厨房。

Many recipes note that making stock is equally simple on a stovetop in a large pot. However, when making stock at home, slow cookers are safer, easier to leave for long periods of time, and attain the ideal, even temperature that produces savory stock without the tendency to boil away flavor.

Stock is something you should always have on hand. Read on to discover three simple stock recipes for vegetables, chicken, and mushrooms that can easily be made in your slow cooker.

Simple And Delicious Vegetable Stock

你会对你在厨房里能找到的蔬菜残渣的数量感到震惊。把洋葱切下来扔进垃圾桶是一个很好的开始。

A medium-size container is the first item you’ll need. A large Ziploc bag, takeout container, or Tupperware will work perfectly for storing vegetable scraps in your freezer until you have enough for a hearty stock.

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Garlic peels, celery ends, carrot peels, and parsley stems are usually tossed aside, but they are easy to freeze — and prevent waste in your home. Keep these and other vegetable scraps in the freezer for no longer than 3 to 4 weeks (to prevent freezer burn) until a day you have an extra 10 minutes to start your homemade stock.

The number of vegetables needed will depend on the size of your slower cooker. These three recipes are based on a medium-size slow cooker. The vegetables should not fill up more than one-third of your pot before you add the water.

Ingredients

• Approximately 2 cups of vegetable scraps
• Approximately 5-6 cups of filtered water
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

1. 在慢炖锅中加入冷冻或新鲜的蔬菜残渣。只要加入足够的水，使三分之一的锅是满的。
2. Fill the remaining two-thirds of the basin with filtered water. Do not overfill the slow cooker.
3. Add the seasonings and gently stir.
4. Cover the slower cooker and turn the temperature to high for 6-7 hours, checking occasionally.
5. 高汤煮三小时后搅拌一次。
6. Remove from heat if the edges begin to darken. If the stock begins to simmer continuously, turn the temperature to low for the remaining time.
7. Once the stock has taken on a rich color and strong aroma, filter the stock with a fine strainer into a large pitcher, and discard the scraps.
8. When the stock has cooled, dispense it in plastic or glass containers, being careful not to fill to the top.
9. Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Store in the freezer for up to two months. Remember to label the containers.

Hearty Chicken Stock

Chicken stock adds an easy and flavorful touch to pasta, rice, gravy, and more. This stock can be made in a slow cooker with little more than leftovers that would typically be tossed at the end of a meal. Leftover rotisserie chickens are the ideal source for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 cooked whole chickens with remaining skin and fat, or 5 cups of leftover chicken bones with remaining skin and fat.
• 5-6 cups of filtered water (the chicken should take up no more one-third of the space in your slow cooker)
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme

Directions

1. After removing the meat (don’t worry if some meat remains on the bone), place the remaining bones, skin, and fat in your slow cooker*.
2. Cover the slow cooker and set to high for 5-6 hours, checking occasionally. If the edges begin to darken, or the stock begins to simmer, turn the temperature to low for the remaining time.
3. Once the stock has taken on a rich color and strong aroma, filter the stock with a fine strainer into a large pitcher, and discard the scraps.
4. When the stock has cooled, dispense it in plastic or glass containers, being careful not to fill to the top.
5. Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Store in the freezer for up to two months. Remember to label the containers.

*For a 4-quart slow cooker, a medium-size rotisserie chicken may need to be further broken down to avoid overfilling. One medium chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker should fit nicely. An 8-quart slow cooker may need two small rotisserie chickens for optimal flavor.

Earthy Mushroom Stock

Store-bought stocks are often too salty and lack the complex flavors your recipe needs. For this mushroom stock recipe, consider quickly sauteing your mushrooms or roasting them on a baking sheet. A small amount of olive oil, salt, and pepper is all you will need for this additional step. Precooking the mushrooms will help release the flavors.

Leftover mushroom stems from a variety of mushrooms are great for stock recipes. For most stocks, you can add various ingredients that meld together for hearty flavors.

If you choose to use a variety of mushroom types, keep in mind that your stock may be stronger or more delicate with every batch. Remember to taste test before adding it to recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of roughly chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1 large portobello mushroom, broken into large pieces
• 1 cup of roughly chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 5 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Leeks or fennel scraps (optional)

Directions

1. Add the mushrooms to your slow cooker, pour the water over the mushrooms, and add the seasonings, stirring before covering.
2. 将慢炖锅置于高火上4-6小时，偶尔检查一下。
3. Once the stock has taken on a rich color and strong aroma, filter the stock with a fine strainer into a large pitcher, and discard the scraps. You may decide to keep the stock unstrained if you wish to use it forsoup or stew.
4. When the stock has cooled, dispense it in plastic or glass containers, being careful not to fill to the top.
5. Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks. Store in the freezer for up to two months. Remember to label the containers.

Tips To Remember

For a smooth stock, remember to usea fine mesh strainer去除任何可能沉淀在锅底的调味料或配料。如有需要，可多次过滤。

The amount of water and length of cook time depends on the size of your slow cooker. Once you begin to smell the aroma of the stock you should allow it to cook for at least 1-2 more hours.

不要加太多的盐。高汤是一种不用大量盐就能给你的食谱增添风味的好方法。从食材中提取出来的味道应该不言自明。