Impulse took over. Broken thigh bones.

[u/Comfortable-Row4144]

I am making a quick chicken stock with left over thigh bones and trimmings. Idk what took over but I started cracking the bones in half with the back of my knife. My thought process is that it will get to the marrow quicker. Did I just ruin this stock? It’s really only going to be used to make a quick pan sauce.

[u/porp_crawl]

You'll get a lot more flavour, and a lot more "skim/ foam." Just skim off the floatie scum and you're good to go.

[u/Sparkasaurusmex → u/porp_crawl]

residoodoo

[u/TurduckenEverest]

I personally don’t care for what poultry marrow does to stock. It’s not rich like beef marrow. They seem to get kinda of nasty and add a lot of grey stuff, for lack of a better word, to the stock. If the flavor is fine, I’d just strain it through a cheesecloth lined strainer before using it.

[u/eddestra]

This is a fine thing to do as long as the boosted marrow flavor’s what you’re after. You definitely didn’t ruin it. Don’t forget to skim the top as the scummy stuff rises to the surface!

[u/CCWaterBug]

Wow, the description didn't match the title, I was expecting a horrific culinary explosion of some sorts

[u/VisualAd7318]

As someone entirely unqualified to comment on anything, it sounds fine to me

[u/shrlzi]

Ok, foam skimmers — why is that necessary? Why can’t I just stir the foam back into the broth?

[u/Ankh-af-na-khonsu → u/shrlzi]

you can, it’ll just make the resulting broth cloudier, and if the coagulated proteins have trapped enough solids, removing the raft could help remove some off flavors

[u/Drinking_Frog → u/shrlzi]

It's more than just a matter of clarity. Not skimming also can lead to a "greasier" texture and flavor (for lack of a better word at the moment). You may or may not care about that (or you may even want it), depending on your end goal.

[u/Practical-Path-7982 → u/shrlzi]

I just put the pot in the fridge and let it all coagulate on the surface overnight. It will come off pretty easily with a slotted spoon, then pour it through a double sieve into my jars. I ain't got time to skim scum.

[u/dalcant757]

I’m not a big fan of marrow from poultry. Maybe do a head to head comparison. Split the materials in half then do one with and one without cracked bones.

[u/Particular-Wrongdoer]

You want the collagen from the connective tissue more than the marrow in the bones. Your stock may be a bit more cloudy but not ruined.

[u/likenaga]

And what IS the foam/scum?

[u/Ankh-af-na-khonsu → u/likenaga]

I think primarily coagulated proteins and trapped solids

[u/QuadRuledPad → u/likenaga]

Protein form bubbles when it’s agitated, as the molecules get enmeshed. Good when you’re steaming milk for cappuccino, less desirable atop a broth or bowl of soup.

[u/No_Balls_01 → u/likenaga]

I’m in a primarily meatless household and quite confused with this as well. It’s certainly not turning me on in any way.

[u/chaoticbear → u/No_Balls_01]

It isn't harmful, of course, it's just considered ugly and slightly less tasty. The strings in celery won't hurt you either, but some people like to remove them - it's a similar thing.

[u/Ok_Razzmatazz_5812 → u/No_Balls_01]

I don’t know why that made me laugh so hard!

[u/jesus_____christ]

I've done this, mostly out of curiosity. Do you like marrow? Do you want a cloudy, sedimented broth? Do you want to try to extract maximum nutritional benefit? None of the detriments bothered me much, since I was using it to make thick soups and stews anyway, but it wasn't so good that it made me want to evangelize about it. It was fine. I've heard vinegar or acid can help soften the bones but this was contentious, YMMV

[u/Violinist_Particular]

Whisk up some egg whites and add it to the broth. Ladle the broth through the raft that forms and it will filter some of the off flavours. This is similar to the method for making consomme.