Making stock in the slow cooker

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Using your slow cooker is a simple and efficient way to make stock— the liquid won’t evaporate and boil dry, so you can leave it unattended. Save the carcass or bones from poultry, meat, or fish when preparing a dish, then add them to the slow cooker with water and flavorings and leave it to simmer overnight. Stock freezes well, so if you are not using it immediately, let it cool and freeze it for up to 1 month.
Vegetable stock


Save scraps, peelings, stalks, tops, and ends from vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, leek, and

 fennel to use as the base of your stock.

 Add the vegetable scraps to the slow cooker. You can also add any herbs you may have, such as

 parsley sprigs and a bay leaf, along with a few black peppercorns and a pinch of salt.

 Boil enough water to cover all the ingredients, then pour this into the slow cooker. Cover with

 the lid, and cook on auto/low for 6–8 hours. Skim the stock halfway through the cooking time, if needed. Strain the stock and allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.

Fish stock

 Ask your fish seller for some fish heads, or use leftovers from another dish. Choose white fish

 such as sea bass or haddock, but avoid oily fish because their stonger flavor will taint the stock.

 Add the fish scraps to the slow cooker along with some fresh herbs, such as thyme, and some fennel

 scraps or onion.

 Pour over enough boiling water to cover all the ingredients, cover with the lid, and cook on auto/

 low for 6–8 hours. Skim the stock halfway through the cooking time, if needed. Strain the stock and allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.

 Meat stock

 Add a chicken carcass or beef bones to the slow cooker with a handful of raw vegetables such as

 carrot tops, celery, and onion.

 Add some black peppercorns and a pinch of salt to the slow cooker, along with herbs such as

 parsley or a bay leaf, if you wish.

 Boil enough water to cover all the ingredients, then pour this into the slow cooker. Cover with


the lid, and cook on auto/low for 6–8 hours. Skim the

 stock halfway through the cooking time, if needed.

 Strain the stock and allow to cool before storing in 

 the refrigerator or freezer.







Skimming stock

 When making stock, quite often a

 layer of frothy “scum” will appear on

 the surface. To skim it off, use a ladle

 or a metal spoon to scoop it away and

 then discard it. You may find you need

 to do this a few times during cooking.

 Meat and fish stocks are most likely to

 need skimming.

Straining stock


Once the stock has finished cooking,

 strain it immediately; don’t leave it

 sitting. To strain the stock, turn the

 slow cooker off then lift out the inner

 pot. Carefully strain the stock liquid

 into a pitcher or bowl through a fine

 nylon mesh sieve, or you could line

 a sieve with cheesecloth. It is easiest

 to do this a ladleful at a time. Discard

 any bones, carcass, and vegetables

 used and leave the stock to cool.

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