The Perpetual Crockpot of Broth

[Xandra]

Am I the only one who does this?

 

I like to keep a crockpot of broth going on the counter all day long, up to a week at a  time. I replenish the water as needed, and then empty the pot and start over with new bones.

 

The crockpot is always plugged in and the broth stays hot. I find it very convenient not to have to strain, refrigerate/freeze, and reheat every time I want a cup of broth, which I drink all day long.

 

My partner questions this practice, both from a food safety standpoint and from electrical usage. I have no idea how much an electricity bill would be affected by a crockpot running for days on end. Anybody know?

 

Any suggestions for improvement?

[ladyshanny]

I did this all last winter and into the spring.  I would empty it and freeze whatever was left after about 5 days, have a 2 day break and then start again.  I never, ever had a problem with food safety and we didn't notice a spike in our electrical bill.

[praxisproject]

I went to a cooking school many years ago and an old visiting chef from France told us lots of great French cooking history.

 

While a very old practice, both France (and China he admitted) have long traditions of ever-lasting stock pots, with folklore that some were guarded from those who might steal it (usually in relation to restaurants or posh kitchens as their stocks were made with valuable and expensive ingredients).

 

The term "master stock" actually refers to this kind of stock, it was the "one true stock" in a large scale kitchen, where "child" stocks and soups may be made from what it gives, but the original remained, with things only added, the pot never cleaned out, but I think they only added meats, not much in the way of vegetables and they did strain/skim them. Bones were a food source back then and gelatin was strictly a make-your-own affair. These were from the days when you kept a fire going all the time on the hearth, either for warmth or because it was used around the clock. The cook would often sleep in a chair beside the hearth, ready to wake up and make food if those in charge wanted something outside the usual schedule.

 

The only food safety you need to worry about is adding raw items while consuming it, if there's been insufficient time or temperature to cook them.

[Xandra]

Thanks praxisproject. That's a great story!

I ran the numbers and it looks like it costs about $10 to run a crockpot for a full month. But it also costs time/money to store, freeze & reheat, so net it doesn't look too bad.

I'm also more likely to forget a pot cooling on the stove, which really does introduce food safety concerns, so I'm sticking with the perpetual pot for now.

[graceeatsclean]

Am I the only one who does this?

 

I like to keep a crockpot of broth going on the counter all day long, up to a week at a  time. I replenish the water as needed, and then empty the pot and start over with new bones.

 

The crockpot is always plugged in and the broth stays hot. I find it very convenient not to have to strain, refrigerate/freeze, and reheat every time I want a cup of broth, which I drink all day long.

 

My partner questions this practice, both from a food safety standpoint and from electrical usage. I have no idea how much an electricity bill would be affected by a crockpot running for days on end. Anybody know?

 

Any suggestions for improvement?

 

Um, this is brilliant.  I literally just last week made my very first ever batch of broth and was floored by how much I love it.  I've been reheating each day, but this is such a freaking fantastic idea!  I'm totally doing this with my chicken carcass from this Sunday's roast.  

 

Quick question... do you use just the bones, or do you still add the celery/carrot/onion/garlic?  

 

Thank you, thank you!!

[graceeatsclean]

And.. I'm assuming you leave it on "low" setting?  Or "keep warm?"  Thanks!

[Xandra]

I'm generally a lazy cook, so my usual broth is just bones and water.  I add a shake of salt to each mug to drink.

 

I leave the crockpot on low heat. The temp stays at 205 degrees F, so just below boiling. It will drop below that when adding fresh water, but not for long.

 

Good luck, I think you will really enjoy this!

[redmutts]

Do you ever remove the old bones, or do you just keep adding? I ask because it seems like after awhile there would be a lot of bones and hardly no room for water.

[Xandra]

Redmutts, I throw out the bones every week and start over.

[redmutts]

Thanks Xandra!

[HelenLA]

I'm generally a lazy cook, so my usual broth is just bones and water. I add a shake of salt to each mug to drink.

I leave the crockpot on low heat. The temp stays at 205 degrees F, so just below boiling. It will drop below that when adding fresh water, but not for long.

Good luck, I think you will really enjoy this![/quote

I have some questions and observations as well. I don't think I could do this because I only have the one crock pot that is large enough and I use it so frequently also I am NOT home all day long to be drinking cup after Cup. I just made my first batch of bone broth a couple of weeks ago and after cooling it I froze the containers to use for cooking. My first question is what about the fat? When I followed the book directions and cooled them in the fridge there was quite a lot of fat to skim off the next day. It was very thick on one of the containers. I did use bones from grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free cows but I just can't see drinking all that fat. is it one of the healthy fats? also have you done this with chicken bones or just beef? I have a nasty cold right now so I'm going to start a batch of chicken bone broth, & I will include all of the vegetables because I think I need those nutrients right now, and I'm thinking of keeping the crockpot going with this broth so that I can drink a decent amount of it daily until my cold is gone. any thoughts would be appreciated thanks.

[missmary]

when I do bone broth, I simmer the roasted bones with water and a little acv in the crockpot for 24-36 hours. I only add veggies for the last 4-6 hours or so. Simmering vegetables for a long duration can impart a bitter taste. So, if I were to go a perpetual crockpot I would not add veggies to it.

[AmyS]

I have a question about this: I've tried this but the smell in my house becomes off-putting. And I live in the tropics with a house full of windows and good cross-ventilation. How do you deal with the constant smell of the stuff?

[ShannonM816]

I have a question about this: I've tried this but the smell in my house becomes off-putting. And I live in the tropics with a house full of windows and good cross-ventilation. How do you deal with the constant smell of the stuff?

 

No suggestions for you, but this is the number one reason I almost never make beef broth. Chicken broth doesn't have the same smell, so I make it, but the beef -- geeze, it was bad. And I like beef and don't object to the smell of a roast cooking or anything. Plus, open floor plan home means I don't just smell it in the kitchen, it's all over the house.

[ShannonM816]

I'm generally a lazy cook, so my usual broth is just bones and water. I add a shake of salt to each mug to drink.

I leave the crockpot on low heat. The temp stays at 205 degrees F, so just below boiling. It will drop below that when adding fresh water, but not for long.

Good luck, I think you will really enjoy this![/quote

I have some questions and observations as well. I don't think I could do this because I only have the one crock pot that is large enough and I use it so frequently also I am NOT home all day long to be drinking cup after Cup. I just made my first batch of bone broth a couple of weeks ago and after cooling it I froze the containers to use for cooking. My first question is what about the fat? When I followed the book directions and cooled them in the fridge there was quite a lot of fat to skim off the next day. It was very thick on one of the containers. I did use bones from grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free cows but I just can't see drinking all that fat. is it one of the healthy fats? also have you done this with chicken bones or just beef? I have a nasty cold right now so I'm going to start a batch of chicken bone broth, & I will include all of the vegetables because I think I need those nutrients right now, and I'm thinking of keeping the crockpot going with this broth so that I can drink a decent amount of it daily until my cold is gone. any thoughts would be appreciated thanks.

 

On the fat -- since you bought good bones from grass fed cows, yes this is a healthy fat. You can save it and cook with it if you like. You basically have tallow. To me it has a stronger flavor than lard (from pork), but it's more noticeable in some things than others. I don't mind potatoes cooked in it, but eggs cooked in it had a weird flavor I just couldn't handle. Obviously, your tastes may be different than mine, but don't make a big, huge, multi-day batch of something with it until you've tried it to be sure.

[GFChris]

I have some questions and observations as well. I don't think I could do this because I only have the one crock pot that is large enough and I use it so frequently also I am NOT home all day long to be drinking cup after Cup. I just made my first batch of bone broth a couple of weeks ago and after cooling it I froze the containers to use for cooking. My first question is what about the fat? When I followed the book directions and cooled them in the fridge there was quite a lot of fat to skim off the next day. It was very thick on one of the containers. I did use bones from grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free cows but I just can't see drinking all that fat. is it one of the healthy fats?

When I skim off the fat from my bone broth, I don't drink it: I throw it out.  You could opt to cook with it, as Shannon described. 

[GFChris]

No suggestions for you, but this is the number one reason I almost never make beef broth. Chicken broth doesn't have the same smell, so I make it, but the beef -- geeze, it was bad. And I like beef and don't object to the smell of a roast cooking or anything. Plus, open floor plan home means I don't just smell it in the kitchen, it's all over the house.

 

 

I have a question about this: I've tried this but the smell in my house becomes off-putting. And I live in the tropics with a house full of windows and good cross-ventilation. How do you deal with the constant smell of the stuff?

This is fascinating to me.  I don't find that beef bone broth gives off a strong smell when cooking, and I cook on the stove-top: do you keep the pot lid on?  It's only when I lift the lid to check on it, that I get the aroma and, to me, it's amazing. 

[ShannonM816]

This is fascinating to me.  I don't find that beef bone broth gives off a strong smell when cooking, and I cook on the stove-top: do you keep the pot lid on?  It's only when I lift the lid to check on it, that I get the aroma and, to me, it's amazing. 

 

I made it in a crockpot, with a lid on (although the lid is definitely not air tight). I was okay with the smell the first few hours, but by the end, it was just too strong. I roasted the bones in the oven first (and loved that smell), and I don't think I used any vegetables, just the bones and water and probably salt and pepper. I keep meaning to try again and see if I did something wrong, but I tried it two different times, with bones from grass fed beef. Maybe next time I buy meat I'll pick up some more bones and try it on the stove top and see if that makes a difference.