We've already discussed the simple process of preparing a healthy and delicious bone broth or stock at home with leftover bones from roasts, bone-in parts, and even whole poultry carcasses. Here though, we decided to try out a version in the pressure cooker because, even if the slow cooker or stovetop version is quite easy, it takes quite a bit of time until it's ready. This pressure cooker version will be ready in just about an hour!
Making stock in a pressure cooker is about as easy, quick, and most effective as it gets. Using a pressure cooker will not only result in a nutritious stock full of gelatin, but you will have it much faster. And for those fully committed to laboring over a stock pot on the stovetop or with a slow cooker just for the wonderful aroma, youโll still be able to get a whiff of that irresistible scent throughout your kitchen when you open the lid, so donโt you worry.
This way of preparing stock is also great for people with a histamine intolerance. The levels of histamine in traditionally prepared stock can rise quite rapidly, so preparing it quickly and freezing it right away when ready can help mitigate that. A great way to freeze it is to pour it into ice cube trays. This way you can simply pop out a few frozen stock cubes when preparing something with it like a sauce, a soup of a stew.
We used about 3 pounds of bones/scraps in a 6-quart electric pressure cooker, then added enough water to fully or almost fully cover the bones, making sure not to go over the max line. In this case, we used a whole turkey carcass that we kept in the freezer from the last Thanksgiving. We had to cut the carcass in different parts using a serrated knife in order for it to fit in the pressure cooker, but the whole thing went in there nonetheless.
Set the timer for 1 hour and 10 minutes and let the pressure cooker do the work. It smelled so much like Thanksgiving; We were almost tempted to start cooking the sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce to go with it! Once done, let it depressurize naturally and carefully ladle the fresh stock into airtight containers suitable for the refrigerator or freezer. It's up to you if you want to strain off the excess fat or leave it. Our batch yielded 2.5 โ 3 quarts of wonderful stock that became really gelatinous once cold.
You can, of course, add a few other flavoring elements, just as you would with a stock prepared in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Vegetables like carrots, celery and onions are great, and so are herbs like thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Avoid adding seasonings like salt or pepper, because you might end up using the stock in a sauce that you reduce and then the concentration of salt could become too high. Adding a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar to help extract all the nutrients and collagen from the bones is also a good trick.
If using a stovetop pressure cooker, bring it to high pressure over a medium-high heat, then cook at high pressure for 1 hour, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a high pressure (typically medium-low). Once done, remove from the heat and carefully release the pressure.
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