HifromGrace
Jedi
Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?
Hi there, cool to hear from you (plural)!
Just as clarifications - we eat about 90% free-range & don't freeze the conventional bones. I've been veryyyy suspicous of that too.
I appreciate the helpful note though, I think it's very useful for others to be reminded of that too. Far less nutrition & more toxic things & anguish in conventional meat. But at home we focus on keeping sane about staying within our budget, and emotionally sane about not getting too grossed out when we do have to buy conventional meat.
But anyway, I may be using too much water too (the flip side is to reduce it, cook it down more, to get more flavor out). I do find that when we bake breasts (which only come w/out skin here) I get oddles of what seems to be gelitin... and the running joke as a kid was that marshmallows are made out of hooves, so I don't get it. One day I'll research it to satisfy my curiosity. When I do mixed bones, the broth is always thick.
Also, I misspoke - we freeze the bones after eating the meat off of them the first time - after it's boiled we throw them out. Perhaps I'll start planting them under the berry tree/bushes... I've heard they crave calcium...? My mother used to dig in the craps from processing the fish we caught - holy guacamole did those trees LOVE it!
_____________
I'm really into all these tips on how to get a system started - for me, that's always the hardest part of a transition - it's not the mental decision of weighing out facts, it's the day to day details. I can be as gung-ho as I want... but it's not worth a hill of beans if it's not information I can use in my present lifestyle (which is working mom with a small child & husband travels for work, ie, need efficiencies).
For example, since switching to Paleo, we grill meat & veggies for the whole week, and make a huge pre prepped salad & dressing so that we constantly have something quick & easy to grab and chuck in a pan with my quickie fake sause.
Ohhh, I have to add another funny - so last night I was telling my husband about how I gave him props for hammering all the bones - he also wanted me to leave a note to the person who's husband can't stand the smell, "Just wait until you have to clean the stove when it's done! (insert rolled eyes!)".
For the bloody life of me I cannot keep it from overflowing at some point in the process of boiling or straining! We've got a sense of humor about it though ;) (by "we" I mean him, since he's the one that keeps the thing clean!)
But if you're using an electric crock pot, a great tip is to grab an extention cord and put it in a back hall, or room that has a door you can shut and window you can open (or garage?). It's phenominal for keeping the stink down - also for keeping the heat at bay if it's summer.
A tip for the winter, to cool it down, stick it in the snow outside - but put a weight on it, or tape it down good, if you have animals around. One time racoons cleared out a whole pot on me!!!!!!! As with all my other tips, they've all been learned the hard way, LOL! I feel like I could also write a blog about what not to do about composting too, ESH!!!!!
Anyway, a note about keeping the pot on the stove for extensive periods of time & exersising common sense about fire safety.
It's on super low after getting it to a boil, so that's comforting. Whoever gets up in the middle of the night has to check it for low water & add it if necessary, but keep it on low, don't bother to jack it up to a full boil in the middle of the night (we leave the light on as a visual reminder to check on it) - just keep in mind that it is a possiblity to burn up food at the bottom and have it smoke, just like any dish. I also remove all dish rags that are even on the oven handle, remove any paper towels that a breeze could bring near the flames. And frankly, I move a fire alarm to the shelf closest to it.
I generally run a batch on the weekends (since I like to do a two day boil) when we're usually puttering around the house. If the whole family has to leave for an errand or whatnot, we turn it off, even if it's a 10 minute errand, I'm not taking any chances. Also, no way on earth could it cool down enough to start to spoil in that time, even in an hour it's still way too hot to rot or even refridgerate anyway. That's a timing thing too to be cognisent of, giving it a couple hours to cool down - as in don't turn it off right before you leave for work.
But if you're doing a quick batch and are consuming those nutritious chunky things - you can quite easily do it all in a night. Personally, it's too much to ask of me to eat those bits. I can have some suspension of disbelief if it's just a little floating in there that I don't have to chew, but past that, nope (although hubby LOVES eating all that).
The blender/food processer is a fabulous idea that someone mentioned! But again, for me, it's outside of what my lifestlye can handle (I know I know, seems unreasonable doesn't it) - scrubbing out the huge pot & slimy utensils is all I can handle. An electrical thing that I have to take the blades out, etc, would just sit on the counter getting the stink eye for a week, and would tip the scales to resentment about this whole project.
I only mention so that people are realistic and not to hard on themselves when undertaking this - it IS a project. Do what you can, don't try to be perfect about it, make it a positive experience. Ok, no two ways around it, it's gross, but it still can be fun(-ish)! Last year I happened to be making a batch on Halloween weekend... it was simple perfect, I was telling my little boy this Native American skeleton story, and would ceremoniously (& playfully, mind you) stir the pot showing bones and scraping them along the sides. It was a "good one!" I still giggle about it!
momo said:Thanks for all the tips, HifromGrace!
Just a little note on:
HifromGrace said:If I only have chicken bones for the batch (we just chuck em in the freezer after each meal to accumulate for a future broth), I find that I rarely get gelatin. Donno why, it still puzzles me. But you only need to cook it for one day for a rich broth with chicken.
and:
Hildegarda said:HifromGrace said:If I only have chicken bones for the batch (we just chuck em in the freezer after each meal to accumulate for a future broth), I find that I rarely get gelatin. Donno why, it still puzzles me.
fwiw, I get the gelatinized broth from organic free-range chicken bones but not from regular chicken. I guess it is the "you are what you eat" thing for the bird. Also, the regular store-bought chicken is usually injected with saline or some kind of enzyme solution to artificially plump it up. I wonder if that does something to the bones as well.
Do you, HifromGrace, cook the chicken with the bone before freezing the leftover bones? (Since you write that you freeze them after the meal.) If so, that might be a reason for less or no gelatine?
The chicken's life, like Hildegarda already wrote, has a strong influence as well, so it makes sense to look for organic free-range. Just a little glimpse into the chicken-farming-industry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZteKtVwwAOo&feature=related
Hope that helps...
Greetings!
Hi there, cool to hear from you (plural)!
Just as clarifications - we eat about 90% free-range & don't freeze the conventional bones. I've been veryyyy suspicous of that too.
I appreciate the helpful note though, I think it's very useful for others to be reminded of that too. Far less nutrition & more toxic things & anguish in conventional meat. But at home we focus on keeping sane about staying within our budget, and emotionally sane about not getting too grossed out when we do have to buy conventional meat.
But anyway, I may be using too much water too (the flip side is to reduce it, cook it down more, to get more flavor out). I do find that when we bake breasts (which only come w/out skin here) I get oddles of what seems to be gelitin... and the running joke as a kid was that marshmallows are made out of hooves, so I don't get it. One day I'll research it to satisfy my curiosity. When I do mixed bones, the broth is always thick.
Also, I misspoke - we freeze the bones after eating the meat off of them the first time - after it's boiled we throw them out. Perhaps I'll start planting them under the berry tree/bushes... I've heard they crave calcium...? My mother used to dig in the craps from processing the fish we caught - holy guacamole did those trees LOVE it!
_____________
I'm really into all these tips on how to get a system started - for me, that's always the hardest part of a transition - it's not the mental decision of weighing out facts, it's the day to day details. I can be as gung-ho as I want... but it's not worth a hill of beans if it's not information I can use in my present lifestyle (which is working mom with a small child & husband travels for work, ie, need efficiencies).
For example, since switching to Paleo, we grill meat & veggies for the whole week, and make a huge pre prepped salad & dressing so that we constantly have something quick & easy to grab and chuck in a pan with my quickie fake sause.
Ohhh, I have to add another funny - so last night I was telling my husband about how I gave him props for hammering all the bones - he also wanted me to leave a note to the person who's husband can't stand the smell, "Just wait until you have to clean the stove when it's done! (insert rolled eyes!)".
For the bloody life of me I cannot keep it from overflowing at some point in the process of boiling or straining! We've got a sense of humor about it though ;) (by "we" I mean him, since he's the one that keeps the thing clean!)
But if you're using an electric crock pot, a great tip is to grab an extention cord and put it in a back hall, or room that has a door you can shut and window you can open (or garage?). It's phenominal for keeping the stink down - also for keeping the heat at bay if it's summer.
A tip for the winter, to cool it down, stick it in the snow outside - but put a weight on it, or tape it down good, if you have animals around. One time racoons cleared out a whole pot on me!!!!!!! As with all my other tips, they've all been learned the hard way, LOL! I feel like I could also write a blog about what not to do about composting too, ESH!!!!!
Anyway, a note about keeping the pot on the stove for extensive periods of time & exersising common sense about fire safety.
It's on super low after getting it to a boil, so that's comforting. Whoever gets up in the middle of the night has to check it for low water & add it if necessary, but keep it on low, don't bother to jack it up to a full boil in the middle of the night (we leave the light on as a visual reminder to check on it) - just keep in mind that it is a possiblity to burn up food at the bottom and have it smoke, just like any dish. I also remove all dish rags that are even on the oven handle, remove any paper towels that a breeze could bring near the flames. And frankly, I move a fire alarm to the shelf closest to it.
I generally run a batch on the weekends (since I like to do a two day boil) when we're usually puttering around the house. If the whole family has to leave for an errand or whatnot, we turn it off, even if it's a 10 minute errand, I'm not taking any chances. Also, no way on earth could it cool down enough to start to spoil in that time, even in an hour it's still way too hot to rot or even refridgerate anyway. That's a timing thing too to be cognisent of, giving it a couple hours to cool down - as in don't turn it off right before you leave for work.
But if you're doing a quick batch and are consuming those nutritious chunky things - you can quite easily do it all in a night. Personally, it's too much to ask of me to eat those bits. I can have some suspension of disbelief if it's just a little floating in there that I don't have to chew, but past that, nope (although hubby LOVES eating all that).
The blender/food processer is a fabulous idea that someone mentioned! But again, for me, it's outside of what my lifestlye can handle (I know I know, seems unreasonable doesn't it) - scrubbing out the huge pot & slimy utensils is all I can handle. An electrical thing that I have to take the blades out, etc, would just sit on the counter getting the stink eye for a week, and would tip the scales to resentment about this whole project.
I only mention so that people are realistic and not to hard on themselves when undertaking this - it IS a project. Do what you can, don't try to be perfect about it, make it a positive experience. Ok, no two ways around it, it's gross, but it still can be fun(-ish)! Last year I happened to be making a batch on Halloween weekend... it was simple perfect, I was telling my little boy this Native American skeleton story, and would ceremoniously (& playfully, mind you) stir the pot showing bones and scraping them along the sides. It was a "good one!" I still giggle about it!