Making Minestrone, using home made or store bought chicken broth
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
Canada
November 11, 2008 11:44pm CST
I love minestrone, and for a time, we have been buying these cans of chicken boullion and beef boullion, the kind that comes in powder, but the last time we bought some chicken parts, and I was about to make stock, when my husband tells me to not cut any onions or celery in the water, but to just dump the boullion powder in when the chicken is done. Well I did that, along with the crushed tomatoes, the onions, vegetables, and the pasta and beans, and I found it too salter since my husband insisted you needed more then four tsp. you had to have at least the whole can.
And of course, he said we needed an old stewing hen, but in my opinion any chicken parts will do. So do you make chicken stock from scratch and use that to make soup or do you just use the powder or the boullion cube?
4 people like this
7 responses
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
12 Nov 08
I use both the bouillon cubes and the canned chicken stock. I find that making it myself takes to long and is weaker then I like so even if I am making chicken dumplings or stuffing I will use canned broth. It is faster and easy to open a can then take the time to make it myself. Maybe you should have added a little at a time then tasted so that you got it the way you wanted it. Men love telling us woman how to do things but when things go wrong they blame us..lol
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Nov 08
That is what my husband does, telling me add this and add that. I tell him I have to be careful of sodium, but he thinks that I can add all the salt and nothing will happen to me. I do not have high blood pressure due to the fact that I am careful of my salt intake, and I do not want to increase it.
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
14 Nov 08
I add the amount of salt I want I have high blood pressure and I tell my hubby he if he needs more salt then he can add it to his own food after I serve him. Because I feel he doesn't need all that salt also but men for some reason are always needing more and more salt when eating. My step father is the same way.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
17 Nov 08
I use Lite Salt, by Morton. That NoSalt crud is, I SWEAR, POISON. I'd rather USE no salt than NoSalt! NASTY-tasting gunk!
As to your health, like you, salt bothers me. I can always tell when I've had to much: I swell up, & get migraines.
But there ARE those who CAN eat a lot more salt & it doesn't affect them the same way. Lucky sons of biscuit eaters...LOL! Not I, though, & I grew up CRAVING salt. I used to eat it STRAIGHT. If someone offered me ice cream or potato chips, yup, it was chips, definitely, every time. So I had to wean myself off the majority of it. Now, I actually PREFER less salty things, but it was a hard-won battle!
Maggiepie
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
14 Nov 08
My father was a cook and my mother-in=law according to my husband was the best cook in the world, and mine does not compare. But I can make a good chicken stock, so all I have to do is to mix in the tomatoes and the beef stock and the Italian veggies and the beans with some hamburger, sausages, and chicken, and it will be a minestrone to die for. 
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
12 Nov 08
My wife boils the whole chicken then uses that broth.
Never canned or cubes here.
Got to have the natural/real chicken flavor I feel.
Plus we don't add salt as the broth from the chicken is salty enough for us.
HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Nov 08
My husband likes his salty, but I will add a little, but not that much. I just used chicken parts as it is not feasible to buy an old stewing hen for just two, and besides it is way too fatty for me.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
12 Nov 08
I used to use the cubes or instant boullion but now I prefer the canned broth or stock as IMO is has a better flavor and I control the saltiness by adding some water.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
16 Nov 08
I save the chicken stock from any part of the chicken that I cook. Sometimes I'll buy a whole chicken if they are on sale at a price I like. I freeze the stock that I don't need immediately or if I'm going to make soup more than four days later. My dogs also like it on their food! I also save the water I cook vegetables in and add it to my soup stock for the vitamins.
Today I'm going to be making soup using asparagus that I've put through the blender, a potato, various leftovers that I've stored in the freezer--a bit of meat here, a few bites of vegetables there, even gravy leftover from cheap frozen dinners and bits of rice. This is how I get a few free dinners each month from my leftovers.
1 person likes this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
17 Nov 08
My grandma used to make the best chicken & dumplings ever, & we raised chickens. She ALWAYS chose the fattest hen she had to do it with. Bullion was unknown to her, really, until years later.
YOUNG chickens simply don't give the same flavor (they're better for FRYING), & I can ALWAYS taste bullion. It just isn't quite as good.
Just MY tuppence.
Maggiepie
1 person likes this
