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.

Preservatives, artificial flavors, and MSG are just a few common ingredients in popular stocks. They are often hard to pronounce and even harder to understand. Opt for a more natural and fulfilling option that you can make in your kitchen.

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

You will be shocked at the number of vegetable scraps you can find in your kitchen. The end of the onion you chop off and (usually) toss in the garbage can is the perfect place to start.

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.

Related Post: How to Make Bone Broth

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. Add the frozen or fresh vegetable scraps to your slow cooker. Only add enough so that one-third of the pot is full.
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. Stir once after the stock has been cooking for three hours.
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. Place the slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours, checking occasionally.
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 for soup 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 use a fine mesh strainer to remove any seasonings or ingredients that may settle at the bottom. Strain more than once if needed.

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.

Avoid adding too much salt. Stock is a great way to add flavor to your recipes without large amounts of salt. The flavor drawn out from the ingredients should speak for themselves.