Boxed broth is fine in a pinch, but homemade stock is cheaper, tastes far better, and is basically free if you save what you would throw away. Keep a bag in the freezer and add to it until you have enough to fill a pot.
What to save
Two things go in the freezer bag: bones and vegetable scraps. After you roast or eat a chicken, the carcass goes in. So do onion ends, carrot peels, celery tops, leek greens, and parsley stems. Skip anything bitter or strong like broccoli, cabbage, or beet peels, which can take over the flavor.
The method
- Put the bones and scraps in a big pot and cover with cold water by an inch or two.
- Bring it just barely to a simmer. Never let it boil hard, which makes the stock cloudy and greasy.
- Skim off the foam that rises in the first twenty minutes.
- Add a bay leaf and a few peppercorns and let it go gently for three to four hours.
Strain and store
Pour it through a fine strainer and discard the solids, which have given up everything they had. Cool it quickly by setting the pot in an ice bath, then refrigerate. The fat rises and sets on top, where you can lift it off or leave it for richness. Stock keeps about five days in the fridge and months in the freezer. Freeze some in an ice cube tray for when you need just a splash to deglaze a pan.