Chicken soup for the DIY soul

Trade in the canned broth for the real thing. Here are some stock tips worth investing in:

• The fresher the chicken, the more flavor the stock will have. Don't buy chicken if the package indicates it had been previously frozen, because much of the juice will be lost when defrosted.

• Both whole and cut-up chicken pieces can be used, the fat and dark meat adding lots of flavor.

• Tall, narrow stockpots, or similar-size spaghetti or soup pots, are best for making stock because they are designed for minimal evaporation during longer cooking times. A 10- to 12-quart stockpot is a good size for home use.

• Canned broths often have a strong onion flavor, which can throw off the balance of other flavors in a recipe. One onion, cut into quarters, is plenty for a stock made with a 3 ½-pound chicken.

• Stick to simple, clean flavors — carrot, celery and onion — when making the stock. Vegetables with strong flavors, such as turnips and cabbage, can overwhelm the stock's flavor, and the starch in potatoes will make the stock cloudy and less fresh-tasting. Beets can color the stock.

• Put the chicken and vegetables into the pot and cover with water by about 2 inches. Begin with cold water, so the stock comes to a slow simmer. Boiling the stock will make it cloudy and the meat tough and flavorless.

• Once the stock begins to simmer, foamy solids will rise to the top. For a clearer stock, skim off the foam. If it's not skimmed, it will eventually break down into the stock.

• When the chicken is tender and cooked through, remove it from the pan; let the stock continue to simmer about 20 minutes. This will make the stock richer.

• Although much of the chicken's flavor is in the fat, chicken soup will taste fresher and be less oily if the stock is chilled overnight and the solidified fat is removed from the top. If the stock is going to be used the day it's made, consider removing the fat from the breast and leg/thigh pieces before cooking.

• When measuring the broth for soup, leave the gritty sediment behind.

CeCe Sullivan, Seattle Times food staff

Sources: "Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Companion: The A to Z Guide to Everyday Cooking Equipment & Ingredients"; Wikipedia.org; CeCe Sullivan, The Seattle Times