Chicken Stock

I thought that I wanted to post something other than sweets/dessert this time. It seems that my blog is overflowing with pictures and recipes for sweets! So, this time, I decided to write on stock. According to Professional Cooking 5th Edition, Stock may defined as a clear, thin liquid flavored by soluble substance extracted from meat, poultry and fish and their bones, and from vegetables and seasoning. 

It is a liquid which we often use in sauce and soup making. Sometimes, I use them as a seasoning in preparing stir-fry vegetables and in preparing pasta dish. The common ingredients in preparing stocks are bones (the major ingredients), meat, mirepoix (combination of onions, carrots and celery), herbs and spices. Some chefs would use scraps and leftovers from other vegetables. It is a great way to not let ingredients to go to waste!

 You may prepare them and keep them in a container to be use later. Besides, I think that using chicken stock is a whole lot better and healthier than using those chicken cube or chicken powder sold in the market.

Did you make your own stock or would you prefer to use the pre-made, convenience chicken cube and such?

Chicken Stock

Leftover bones and skin from raw chicken carcass
Cold Water
Celery
Onions
Carrot
Herbs (parsley, bay leaf, peppercorn)

1. Blanch the bones - Rinse bones in cold water, place them in stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Drain the bones and rinse them well.
2. Place the bones in the stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Skim the scum (the impurities floating in the stock) carefully.
3. Add the mirepoix and other herbs and simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Skim the surface when necessary and add water to cover bones if necessary.
4. Strain liquid though a china cap with cheesecloth.
5. Cool the stock, and keep them refrigerate until needed.

Tips:

* Don't add in salt in stock.
* You may add in scraps or leftover vegetables into your stock. Sometimes I add in leek and mushroom stalks in my stock.

My Culinary Moment #2: Underpaid in F&B Line

The thing that most culinary students (like me) would think about working in F&B line is that, it's glamorous. Most celebrity chefs that we saw in TV deceived us to think that F&B world would be glamorous (Not that I choose to study culinary arts for the glamour).

But let’s face it. The F&B world isn’t as glamorous at all (unless you end up as a celebrity chef). The working hour is terrible; the environment is awful and the pay isn’t that much. Then, there were times where you get to be treated like shit by your customers and supervisors.

The thing is, no matter what’s your academic qualification, whether you graduated from school with your diploma or degree or high school you would still have to start off from the bottom and the salary didn’t differ much no matter how high your academic qualification is. After you received your diploma and degree, you would expect to work with something that pays you better. Perhaps that is why most of my friends end up working out of F&B line. Or some end up as a lecturer.

I think, to work in the F&B line, you would have to have a lot of passions. You have to love it really much that you wouldn’t mind all that crappy pay and working hours. So, if anyone wanted to study something related with F&B line, I would ask them if they would stand the working hour and payment even though your academic qualification is high. If they do, well... good luck! It's a jungle out there :)

Making the Best of Your Grocery List

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Sean K from Blog Content Guild. Sean K is interested to write for my blog as a guest and supply some information with us on meal planning. This time, Sean K decided to share with us some information on making the best of your grocery list. I hope you would enjoy this as much as I did :)

Whether you look at grocery shopping as a way to get out of the house and socialize or a dreaded chore, it has to be done before you can eat. But before you run out of the house to brave the aisles, you have to prepare one thing: a grocery list, of course! Armed with this handy device, you can both save money and cut some calories out of your diet.

While you may be addicted to eating out, it’s rarely the healthiest option. Create your grocery list based on your favorite restaurant dishes and get in the kitchen, instead! For example, many people love to eat spicy Buffalo wings, but few realize that most restaurants prepare the chicken by deep-frying it first. Then, the chicken is tossed in spices and smothered with a butter-based spicy sauce. Instead of spending money on this unhealthy dish, you can buy a few spices from the store and make your own delicious Buffalo chicken. Here are some grocery-list contenders that will have you slimmer in no time.

My Culinary Moment #1

I'm thinking of starting a few post of my culinary moments. It's going to be fun, and silly (since I was an idiot when it comes to food. It does't matter that I had a bachelor degree in culinary art, I'm still an idiot)

I still remember the first time I went into the kitchen (or class) back in 2005. I was wondering around looking for our kitchen class with a few friends, including Aimi from burb! le festin avec moi. We were all naïve (Okay, I’m not sure about my other friend, but I was pretty naïve back then (and still do)).

The first class (pastry) was kind of fun. My lecturer was really sweet and kind. My classmate and I (there were +30 of us) had to jam packed into one small class. Watching demonstration from my lecturer was quite hard though…

But, I was really looking forward to class, not knowing that I’ve signed in for something tough which includes a back-stabbing, harsh world that makes me and my fellow classmates cursed a lot! (chuckles)