What's the best spider strainer?

[taxlady]

CD, dragn, you are both assuming that I was making stock with raw bones. I cannot remember the last time I made stock with raw bones, unless you include making chicken soup starting with a whole, raw chicken. I use already cooked bones or I roast them first. When they are already cooked, I may or may not bother roasting them.

 

[Andy M.]

Ok, so what's the best was to roast chicken bones from a baked chicken?

I would only worry about roasting raw uncooked chicken bones. Those from the baked chicken are fine as is.

 

[taxlady]

I consider this a fine mesh strainer. After using the Asian style spider to remove all solids bigger than a pea, I strain the stock through a men's cotton handkerchief in a strainer. That gives me a liquids only stock. I chill that so I can remove the fat that's solidified at the top and portion the remaining stock into quart-size freezer bags.

But that mesh skimmer is not very handy as a plain strainer. It is handy because it is quite flat, very fine meshed, and it is easy to use for skimming.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

Another thing that can be used when making stock, that I learned about here, is a soup sock.

Interesting. I see that the mesh is much finer is some brands.

 

[jennyema]

For some reason I have 4 spiders. 2 were from the terrific Asian junk store and cost maybe $2. They are metal and have wide holes. The others look like I got them at SurLeTable (sp?) but they are plastic and have small holes.

I’ve had all four for many years and they work great.

There is a reason to seek out the “best” in many types of kitchenware and appliances, but no one needs the best spider. Go to the dollar store or find a fun Asian store.

 

[taxlady]

I betcha you could make your own soup sock with tubular gauze. Just tie a knot in one end, fill in your stock ingredients, and then cut to size and tie another knot. Would it be cheaper? I dunno

 

[dragnlaw]

Jennifer, as Andy mentions, those bones from a cooked chicken are cooked, you don't have to cook them again. But you can if you want.

Yes taxy, I assumed you were using raw bones. Mainly I have only ever smelled an unpleasantness from boiling beef, ergo I assumed the bones were like that. Admit I don't often make beef broth but the few times I have, the roasted bones smelled delicious and that carried over into the broth!

Tubular gauze to be used for cooking purposes is rather expensive. Smallest size for fingers or toes is 10 yds, $26.00 cd. and only 5/8th in wide. Not too practical, eh?

That soup sock was mentioned here once before and I had never heard of it either. Haven't seen any but then haven't really looked. Cheese cloth is still (relatively) cheap and easily found. I'd stick with that. I always keep several packages on hand for various things.

 

[caseydog]

Interesting. I see that the mesh is much finer is some brands.

It is not the brand, but the purpose that determines how fine the mesh is.

CD