Let's Make Turkey Stock
Low-Fat Turkey Stock - How To Make Turkey Stock

My favorite thing to do the morning after Thanksgiving is to make homemade turkey stock from the turkey carcass. It is so easy to do and so delicious!

The turkey stock can be used for a delicious soup or frozen for future use. I love a good homemade turkey soup and after the heavy Thanksgiving meal, it is just what my family needs. Be sure and refrigerate your turkey carcass after Thanksgiving until you are ready to make your stock.

For more great Low Fat Recipes, Low Calorie Recipes, Low Carbohydrate Recipes, and Diabetic Recipes, check out my Diet Recipe Index. Also check out my Nutritional Chart for fat grams, fiber grams, carbohydrate grams, and calories for all your favorite foods.

Turkey Carcass
10 to 12 cups water
1/2 cup carrot slices
1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic
1 small whole dried red pepper, optional

In a large soup pot over medium heat, place turkey carcass (take the remains of the turkey after it's been carved and break it into pieces so it will fit in your pot; cover with water by at least an inch).

Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and red pepper (optional) to the soup pot.

Cover pot and very slowly bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and skim off any scum on surface. NOTE: Scum is the filmy layer of extraneous or impure matter that forms on or rises to the surface of a liquid or body of water. Cover pot and let slowly simmer approximately 3 to 4 hours.

After cooking, remove from heat and discard turkey bones, meat, and vegetables (since your have cooked the mixture for a long time, there is no nutritional value left). Strain the remaining liquid to remove smaller particles in the stock (pour the liquid through a fine mesh sieve placed over a large pot).

Place strained stock into shallow containers and refrigerate immediately. Refrigerate soup stock overnight and skim any congealed fat from the surface in the morning. NOTE: The juice will gel up after being refrigerate, but will dissolve when stock is reheated later. This is because of the natural gelatin in the turkey bones.

The stock will last for about a week in the fridge. You can freeze the stock and it should maintain taste and quality for about three months.

You now have the most wonderful low-fat turkey stock to use in making a delicious turkey soup or to freeze for later use.
 

How to keep homemade turkey stock from getting cloudy:

• Skimming the scum that comes to the surface during the first 30 minutes of simmering and not letting it boil seems to help prevent clouding. The rule is: Skim early and skim often.
   
• Always simmer your stock and do not let it boil. Not boiling also leads to a richer tasting stock. Furious bubbling breaks up particles and causes clouding also. Simmer for approximately 3 hours total. I also think that simmering the stock too long contributes to making it cloudy.
   
• Refrigerate stock overnight or until all the fat raises to the top. Then remove the fat.
   
• There is also the old egg white trick (I've never tried it). Add unbeaten egg whites to the stock and let it simmer slowly, so that the cloudy particles stick to the egg and you can strain it out.
   

Question:
I basically do the same thing as your turkey soup recipe but my stock always comes out cloudy and congealed after it sits. This year I used only the wings, drumsticks, and thighs and  an onion. I've strained it and cooled it and skimmed off fat on top. Last year the same thing happened. It tastes ok but doesn't look too appetizing after it is stored in the fridge. - Dawn (11/29/98)

Answer:
I also just finished making my turkey stock. If I try to hurry the process, that's when I have problems of clouding.

Skimming the scum that comes to the surface during the first 30 minutes of simmering and not letting it boil seems to help prevent clouding. The rule is: Skim early and skim often. Always simmer your stock and do not let it boil. Not boiling also leads to a richer tasting stock. Furious bubbling breaks up particles and causes clouding also. Simmer for approximately 3 hours total. I also think that simmering the stock too long contributes to >making it cloudy.

Refrigerate stock overnight or until all the fat raises to the top. Then remove the fat.

TIP:  There is also the old egg white trick (I've never tried it). Add unbeaten egg whites to the stock and let it simmer slowly, so that the cloudy particles stick to the egg and you can strain it out.

Follow up:
Thank you for responding so quickly. Two years in a row I've tried making stock and it always becomes cloudy. I thought I followed the recipe exactly but I guess I didn't. I let it come to a rolling boil. That has to be the reason. My girlfriend made hers last night while I was there and hers came out clear but she let it simmer for about 2 hours without it ever boiling.

My Nanna told me about the egg white trick (didn't try it either) and one using an ice cube. The ice cube helped skimming the fat quickly but didn't help the cloudiness.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
Dawn