I’ve had a few close encounters of the overcooked kind with my instant pot, but thanks to more seasoned pressure cooking chefs, I’m gradually learning to get a long with it. While it makes yogurt (a setting that can also be used to prove dough), works as a slow cooker and can even produce a cake, my favourite thing to make in it is chicken broth.
I use broth in everything from rice, to soups, so simply sipping a cup of it on a cold day. Why? Bone broth is good for you! There is a reason that people eat chicken noodle soup when they’re sick! Bone broth is made from bones or meat, with vegetables and seasonings to pack in extra flavour. I have found that roasting the bones first, even if you but them as they are and are not using up a bone from a joint of meat, give a richer flavour.
Bone broth is boiled to get the collagen out of the joints and minerals from the bones. Researching around, it turned out that bone broth is good for your gut, bringing healing and protection to its lining. Bone broth protects your joints as it is the best natural way to consume natural collagen.
There is research that demonstrates that consuming a cup of bone broth per day, can help you sleep better and stop you from becoming fatigued! It contains gelatin that has amino acids that help you get a good night’s kip! It reduces inflammation in the body and…wait for it…
…it is good for healthier looking skin, with some people reporting that it can make you look younger if consumed regularly as part of your normal diet!
Before pressure cookers, bone broth was (and still is) boiled from 8- 24 hours! There is a guy at a Pho shop near me who simmers his broth for two days! The good news is, that with a pressure cooker you can get a fantastic bone broth in 4 hours!
Enter the instant pot! In 4 hours you can have the most delicious shippable bone broth, perfect for winter days!
DO NOT OVERFILL
Recipe
- Left over chicken carcass following a roast
- An onion or onion scraps that’s you’ve saved roughly chopped
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- 1-2 carrots roughly chopped
- Any ends of veggies that you need to use up
- A table spoon of peppercorns
- 2-3 star anise
- 2-4 dry chillies (to taste, leave out it you don’t like spice)
- Half a lemon ( I add this if it’s in the fridge, but it’s not essential)
- Some slices of ginger if you have them
- Raw turmeric root if you can get it. A piece about the size of a pinky finger snapped into 3-4 is perfect.
Top Tip for Ingredients
You can keep off cuts from veggies like onions and carrots in a ziplock in the freezer to use up for stock. Consider including brocoli stalks or any other bits that are clean, but that you would normally discard.
Method
Get all the ingredients in to the Instant pot and then fill with water to no fuller than the line that says “Max PC” – safety first people. Set the lid to sealing.
Program the pressure cooker for 4 hours on high and leave it be!
When the alarm sounds at the end of the 4 hours, I let mine sit to decompress for 45 minutes. Then release any remaining pressure.
Strain it into large mason jars and let it cool on the counter or by the back door. You’ll notice that the veggies are mushy and the bones will crumble when you pinch them between your fingers. (Wait to try this until it’s cooled a but, other wise you’ll burn your fingers!) Don’t put it outside in freezing temps! Once cool, place in the fridge. With the lids sealed down it keeps well for 2-3 weeks. If the lid is not sealed eat it within a week.
Next? Enjoy!
You can sip it, put some small pasta in it, add to noodles, soups and rice! I don’t salt mine while it’s cooking, so I can salt it to taste depending on what it is being used for.
You can also experiment with flavours by adding different herbs and spices. Try throwing in some fresh thyme, sage, rosemary, or a cheeky bay leaf. It comes out perfect every time, and if you’re wanting a decaf warm drink it’s perfect and good for you!
If you notice a jelly like substance on top when you open a jar, that’s good! That’s the collagen and gelatine out of the bones and it doesn’t mean it’s gonna bad. It will dissolve when you heat it.
Have fun and let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear what flavour combos you use for your bone broth. As always: Grow – Eat – Repeat!
Moon Snail Microstead 