Here's Why Your Chicken Stock's Consistency Is Wrong, According To Ina Garten

Celebrity chef and culinary expert Ina Garten sure knows how to spice things up in the kitchen. One of her strengths is being accessible to her fans and providing them with cooking tips and techniques that they can use on an everyday basis. According to Food & Wine, there are some kitchen rules that Garten swears by. For example, she suggests storing bread in the freezer in chunks which makes it super easy to use them later. The hack ensures that the original texture of the bread stays intact.

Also, Garten is a big fan of always keeping plenty of chicken stock in her freezer. That way, she never runs out of the essential item when she's cooking. Bonus: She doesn't need to use canned products. Speaking of chicken stock, Garten recently offered a rather useful tip to a fan who wondered about the best way to achieve the right consistency while preparing chicken stock. Turns out, there's a simple answer to this question.

A fan posted a question on Garten's website, asking her to spill her secrets on perfecting her chicken stock recipe. They said that their broth never seems to live up to their expectations and doesn't turn out quite right in terms of its consistency. They explained, "...Even though I follow your recipe to a T, my chicken stock never fully congeals and turns gelatinous the way yours does."

Garten had an easy answer for her fan. She wrote, "The gelatin in the bones should only congeal the chicken when it's refrigerated. At room temperature, or when heated, the stock will return to a liquid." An answer that's simplicity itself — but even better, effective.

The Barefoot Contessa's chicken stock recipe uses wholesome ingredients such as onions, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, garlic, and more. If you're going to give it a shot, remember to set aside at least four hours to simmer the dish.