Eeewww! I know it looks greasy, yucky, BUT - "You're going to throw away all the GOOD STUFF!", Grandma used to say. She was so, SO right, too! And, if we do it right, making and saving the stock stuck to the sheet pan will leave the messy pan a whole lot easier to clean. Isn't that neat? (And clean, hahaha....) So, let's get to it and make some stock! How to Make Frugal Soup Stock from A Greasy Meat Pan 1--Let pan cool. 2--Boil some water, enough to cover the bottom of the greasy pan (about 1 cup here.) 3--Set the cooled pan on a heat resistant, level surface, and carefully pour the boiling water into the greasy pan, just enough to fully cover the bottom of the pan and all the stuck on bits. 4--Leave to set for 3-5 minutes, so the boiling water can do its job loosening the grease and bits. If you wait too long, and the pan cools (oops! you forgot about it!), then you're going to need to work to free the stock and grease from the pan. Work with the pan still warm, not scalding. 5--Using a high temperature flexible spatula, loosen everything stuck to the pan. Loosen it all. Now, that it's soaked it should come off in a breeze! 6--Then, scrape the grease, stock, and bits into a heat safe, refrigerator safe, lidded container. 7--I can hear you saying, "Eeeww, grease!" Be patient, we'll deal with that. 8--Secure the lid. Look at that beautiful stock! The grease has risen to the top and you can see bits floating in the stock. 9--Let sit in a level spot in the refrigerator over night. The grease will harden to a soft solid state making it easier to remove. It will be harder to remove if it congeals at an angle, so try to avoid stacking this container on something else in your fridge. 10--The next day, take it out of the fridge. Using a spatula or a flat fork, carefully lift out the thin sheet of grease. If it breaks, keep digging out every bit of congealed grease you see floating on top. Grease does not sink, so it will be easy to see. (I leave the chicken bits in the stock, but they can be strained out with a hand strainer, if you choose). The stock will gelatinous due to some of the chicken cartridge being liquified into the pan during baking. It will re-liquefy when you reheat the stock. It's this liquified cartilage that gives homemade stock that incredible mouth feel! You'll never be satisfied with canned again once you've had the real thing! 11--Throw away the grease in a bag tied shut. When the grease comes back to room temperature it will liquefy. Choose a bag without holes, and tie it tight to throw it away, or you can put your tied grease bag back in the fridge so it stays hard till you throw it out on "trash day". 12--Freeze the stock or use it! If I freeze mine, I wait to season it until I thaw it for use. When I choose to use it, I season chicken stock to taste with: --Salt (Regular salt, and sometime a bit of pink Himalayan salt. If you use potassium chloride aka "salt substitute" in higher quantities, the soup will taste "metallic"!) --Garlic Powder --Dehydrated Onions aka "Chopped Onions" $1 at Dollar Tree (see pic below) That's it! I hope it was an entertaining read. :) Leave me a comment and let me know how it worked for you, or any input or suggestions you may have? How about one last look at that now "easier to clean" stock free pan? Soup is starting to sound real good about now!
Have a great day, catch you 'round the next blog post! Rose Marie :) To subscribe to Apartment Homesteading, Minimalist Living & Frugality blog, click here.
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