I have NEVER experienced a supermarket version of chicken stock that is even a pale imitation of real homemade stock. Any canned version is either hopelessly thin or has decidedly off flavors. If ever there is a pay off for cooking from scratch- homemade stock is it. Every great restaurant I've ever worked at or visited made their own stocks. In some cases, it's the difference between blah and 4 star cuisine. I cannot overstate its culinary importance.

Mike's Meat's over in Villa Park sells frozen stock that they make from scratch. It is good, but it is not mass produced. It is, basically, frozen homemade stock. Please go there and buy it if you never plan to make your own.

But please, please make your own! It can be as simple as throwing a whole chicken in a large crockpot, covering with water, and cooking on low all day. That's really it! I always try to make my own, but honestly my chicken stock needs are so great that I have always kept canned stock on hand just for those times when I'm all out of my own. Well no longer! I just canned my first liquid gold and I am ecstatic! This is the single biggest reason I purchased my Presto 23qt Pressure Canner, which was recommended by my knowledgeable friend Jen Norton (Thanks Jen!!!).

So the moment my pressure cooker was delivered, I called up my trusty neighborhood butchers over at Mike's Meats and asked them to save some chicken bones for me- necks, wing tips, etc. I ended up cooking 15 lb of chicken bits, but I'm guessing most of you don't have the massive pots I own, so I scaled down the recipe by a third, which should work better for most people.

Chicken Stock

• 5 lb chicken bones
• 4-6 quarts water
• 3 carrots, peeled & roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 3 large onions, peeled & roughly chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half across the 'equator' (slicing all the cloves in half)
• 10 whole peppercorns

Place the chicken bones in the largest stock pot or dutch oven you've got. Add the water until the chicken is fully covered plus an extra 2-3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. When it starts boiling, a 'scum' will float to the surface. Skim off that foam with a slotted spoon and discard. Add all of the other ingredients. Bring to boil again, lower to a gentle simmer and simmer for at least 2 hours, but up to 5 or 6 hours as long as you are watching it and adding more water if necessary.

Strain the stock through a mesh strainer or a chinois lined with cheesecloth. At this point I like to chill the stock overnight. That allows the fat to solidify, which makes it incredibly easy to scrape off and discard. You should have roughly 3-4 quarts of chicken stock.

For specific information on how to set up your pressure canner, please consult your manufacturer's instructions. These instructions are specific to my Presto model. You will need:

• pressure canner
• small bowl with 2 Tbsp white vinegar & 2 Tbsp water
• small, clean rag
• 3-4 quart mason jars or 8 pint jars
• matching lids and rings
• canning funnel
• jar lifter or heavy duty tongs with rubber bands wrapped around each tine for additional gripping power on hot, wet glass
• magnetic lid lifter (comes in super handy, but you can use tongs instead)

Wash mason jars, lids and rings. Set the rings aside. Place the lids in a small pan of water and bring to a simmer (NOT A BOIL), and then keep hot until you are ready to can. Make sure that the rack is inside your pressure canner (You should not be placing jars directly on the bottom surface of the canner). Place the mason jars in your pressure canner and fill each halfway up with water. Pour at least 3 inches of water into the pressure canner itself. Bring the canner up to a simmer and leave on a simmer until you are ready to can.

Bring your de-fatted chicken stock up to a boil. Pull one of your mason jars out of its water bath, pouring all of the heated water back into the canner. Place a canning funnel in the mouth of the mason jar, and fill with your hot chicken stock up to 1 inch from the top of the jar. Wipe the top and the lid rungs of the mason jar with your small rag dipped in vinegar solution to get rid of any fat on the rim. Place a lid on top of the can. Place a ring on top and tighten just to finger-tight. Do not overtighten. Using a jar lifter or heavy duty tongs wrapped in rubber bands, lift the jar and place it back in the pressure canner. Repeat until all the jars are full or you run out of stock.

Once your mason jars of stock are ready to go, check the water level in your pressure canner and fill to manufacturer recommended levels. Lock the lid in place. Heat on medium-high heat until you see steam coming out of the vent. Keep it boiling like that, venting steam, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, add the weight to the steam vent. After 5 minutes or so, you will slowly see the pressure rising. Get the pressure up to at least 10 psi for 25 minutes. If the pressure gets too high (over 15psi), turn down the heat and monitor it. After 25 minutes at 10 psi or just above, turn off the heat. When the pressure has been at 0 for at least 5 minutes, unlock the lid and release steam AWAY FROM YOU. Leave the pressure canner uncovered for at least 15 minutes before removing the jars with a jar lifter or your tricked out rubber band tongs. Place the jars on a level surface covered with a towel and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, check each jar to make sure that it is sealed, tighten the rings and you are done!