Something new - to me anyway

[W.Lynn]

Trying something that many of us have seen mention of before, at least in Swiss Family Robinson (the book, not sure if it ever made it to the horrible television show of the 70s.)

When the family has barely made it to shore, one meal that gets especially described is a soup. It gets special mention because a small boy thinks mother is making glue, so perhaps papa has a carpentry project in mind. It is patiently explained to him that salted meat doesn't make very good soup, so the good juices of very fresh meat are cooked and reduced until they will jell, and can be made into what he saw his mother putting into a kettle. Guess a glue product was that was handled similarly was common then?

I've never so much as even looked for any historical sources on this matter, but giving it a try. Made some stock, reduced it, it set in a firm enough jelly. Then I decided to put it into the freezer (frost-free refrigerator, it's engineered to shrink ice cubes and freeze-dry anything that isn't tightly wrapped.) There is already a layer of frost all over the surface. When the frost layer is thicker, I'll take it out just long enough to wipe away the melting frost. I may melt it down again, to see how far I can go with this, or see how much moisture I can make it lose in the freezer.

It might take a while.

[KyDave59]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_glue

Dave

[kickstand]

So W.Lynn, are you making a soup starter or glue?

[KyDave59]

Umm, I don't think there's that much difference. :*)

[W.Lynn]

Apparently, from brief searching, the possible differences are pretty much the difference between caring about having an edible meal, and not caring because either you're not much of a cook, or you're not going to eat it anyway.

I don't fall under either of those definitions.

[W.Lynn]

Mine works pretty well, it seems too salty when I taste the residue on my fingers after turning the pieces, but that IS a concentrate. Not very many pieces left, the way I go through it, so I am planning to adjust my cooking a bit with an eye toward making even more broth as I go.

When I use it, I get one cube, added to a pint jar or measuring cup before I add whatever amount of water to make the total needed. I had simmered several quarts of broth down to almost nothing to begin.

The cubes are made in a tray similar to an ice tray, but a little larger, intended for making pre-measured herb butters, fancy fruit & juice ice cubes, etc. Once they set, I turned them out and kept them in the refrigerator on a plate, they've dried more since, but the photo isn't loading. I wouldn't eat it straight, but it's a good beginning for cooking.

[W.Lynn]

I added if to my albums, trying a few things.

Let's see how this looks. From the darkness of the concentrate, you wouldn't think it was chicken stock.

[Sacajawea]

Also look into bone broth and marrow soup, W.

[redman2006]

Lynn, invalid link

[W.Lynn]

Sac, several containers in the fridge now.

The photo of condensed broth "cubes" is in my album titled "stuff" - which also contains images that demonstrate adjusting a (non-digital) cooking thermometer.