Video summary

$6 Michelin Stock in 60 Minutes (Costco Hack)

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Source

  • Presenter: H. Blumenthal, chef associated with The Fat Duck (UK).
  • Video includes the creator explaining techniques and the underlying science.
  • Referenced figures/concepts:
    • Auguste Escoffier (classical stock rules)
    • Alain Chappelle
    • Albert Adrià
    • Gared Clark (German scientist) on gel physics
    • Mentioned: Arrhenius equation and diffusion concepts

Ingredients (with quantities / substitutions mentioned)

Fast roast chicken stock (pressure cooker / InstaPot style)

  • 1 Costco rotisserie chicken (meat used/stripped; carcass implied for extraction)
  • 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 quarts water, brought to a boil
  • Chicken fat, skimmed from past batches (for heating)
    • Substitution: “any neutral oil”

Consemé (consommé-style clear consommé)

  • Some of the finished stock (used to make the “smoothie”)
  • Raw chicken, blended
  • Uses a blender + high pressure + natural cooling (no exact amounts given)
  • Garnish: “some fine brunois vegetables” (brunoise vegetables)

Jelly clarification improvement (ice cube / slow thaw method)

  • Stock (no amounts given)
  • Purified gelatin for setting the final jelly (optional): 0.5% to 1% by weight
  • Technique also mentions:
    • Freeze into ice cubes
    • Thaw slowly in a strainer in the fridge

Equipment + Prep Requirements

  • Pressure cooker / InstaPot
  • Lid to seal pressure cooker
  • Hot oil + pot
  • Timer/clock (example timing given at ~40 minutes)
  • Slow pressure release method (avoid quick valve opening)
  • Thermometer / predictive thermometer mentioned conceptually (video discusses; not required for home cooking)
  • Countertop centrifuge and refractometer mentioned for measuring (research use; not required)
  • Blender (for consommé “smoothie from hell”)
  • Sieving (sieve/strainer) and optionally squeezing the raft (for refined extraction)
  • Strainer and freezer/fridge (for ice-cube slow thaw clarification)
  • Bottling vessel (for storage)

Step-by-Step Method

A) Roast chicken stock in under 60 minutes (pressure approach)

  1. Prep aromatics

    • Peel and thinly slice 1/2 carrot and 1/2 onion
    • Smash 2 cloves garlic

  2. Heat fat/oil

    • Heat chicken fat (skimmed from past stock)
    • Substitute: neutral oil

  3. Sweat aromatics

    • When oil is hot, add onion/carrot/garlic
    • Sweat and get a bit of color while prepping chicken

  4. Add water + chicken

    • Bring 2 quarts water to a boil
    • Strip meat off the carcass and shred
      • (Shredding is used to reduce the “diffusion barrier”)
    • Add shredded chicken (and likely carcass/meat as implied) to the pot

  5. Pressure cook

    • Add boiling water to the pot
    • Seal lid and bring to pressure
    • Example timeline: timer hits ~40 minutes, then cooling begins

  6. Cool down properly (critical for clarity)

    • Do not flip/open the valve quickly
    • Quick release can cause superheated water to flash and churn, clouding stock
    • Either wait for it to cool, or release pressure slowly

  7. Finish and strain

    • Taste test: described as “delicious” and “smells like roast chicken”
    • Yield note: starting with 2 quarts water produces more than 2 quarts stock (extraction of meat juices)

Sweet spot guidance (from tasting/data in the video):

  • Presenter’s palate: ~30 minutes to 3 hours at pressure
  • General rule of thumb:
    • Chicken stock: 30–90 minutes (collagen easier)
    • Beef stock: up to ~2 hours (tougher collagen needs longer)
  • Beyond ~3 hours: reported metallic and bitter notes (minerals/proteins breaking down)

B) Consemé / consommé clarity using “smoothie from hell” raft

  1. Create a “smoothie”

    • Blend some stock, raw chicken, and “my blender”
    • Goal: obliterate meat to release myosin and whip in air bubbles

  2. Re-incorporate

    • Pour the blended mixture back into hot stock

  3. Pressure cook / high pressure step

    • Bring to high pressure
    • Turn off heat and let it cool naturally

  4. Protein coagulation + raft formation

    • As it heats up, raw myosin denatures into sticky strings that grab oil droplets/particles
    • Air bubbles form a buoyant raft that rises and “scrubs” the stock

  5. Strain

    • Remove raft
    • Unlike traditional French method, you can:
      • Pour through a sieve
      • Squeeze the raft for more flavor

  6. Serve

    • Garnish with fine brunois vegetables
    • Video references “consume brunois”

C) Extra-clear, intensified consommé via freeze-thaw clarification (serendipity method)

  1. Freeze the consommé

    • Freeze into ice cubes

  2. Slow thaw in a strainer in the fridge

    • Thaw slowly (let it “walk away”)

  3. How it clarifies (mechanism explained)

    • Ice crystals stretch/strain the gelatin mesh
    • Melt carries stock essence through holes while cold keeps fat droplets solid
    • Large hazy proteins can’t pass the mesh
    • Result: drip-by-drip, crystal clear, twice as concentrated (as described)

  4. What remains + use

    • Leftover becomes basically “a demig gloss,” suggested for sauces

  5. If you want it to set as jelly

    • Clarification reduces gelatin’s ability to set
    • Add back purified gelatin: 0.5%–1% by weight

  6. Finish

    • Season lightly (no exact amount given)
    • Bottle

Chef Tips / Common Mistakes Emphasized

  • Cut the “diffusion barrier”
    • Shred meat and use small pieces to speed extraction (diffusion/coffee analogy)
  • Avoid quick pressure release for clarity
    • Rapid valve opening can flash-boil and churn, clouding stock
  • Don’t overcook under high pressure
    • Past ~3 hours: metallic then bitter notes from minerals/protein breakdown
  • Expect gel behavior to matter
    • Filtering alone (down to ~0.2 micron, then submicron) still failed after chilling because oil droplets clump/solidify and cloud the consommé
  • Raft handling differs from classic French method
    • Raft method allows more aggressive sieving and squeezing

Plating / Serving Suggestions

  • Stock: good for pan sauces, soups, risottos
  • Consommé: serve with fine brunois vegetables (“consume brunois”)
  • Concentrated clarified consommé:
    • If not made into gel: save as an intense essence for sauces
    • If made into jelly: season and bottle

Time / Temperature Highlights

  • Pressure cooker example: done around 40 minutes
  • Temperature claim (mechanistic justification):
    • Pressure cooker water can reach ~250°F vs normal 212°F
  • Cooling guidance:
    • Let it cool or slow release pressure to protect clarity

Variations Discussed (Concise)

  • Oil choice: chicken fat (preferred) vs neutral oil
  • Timing by protein:
    • Chicken: 30–90 min
    • Beef: ~2 hours
    • Sweet spot (presenter): 30 min to 3 hours
  • Consommé setting:
    • Jelly requires adding gelatin (0.5%–1% by weight)
    • Without added gelatin: remains a non-setting intensified consommé/essence
  • Clarification enhancement:
    • Standard pressure-made consommé vs freeze-thaw ice cube clarification for clearer, more concentrated drips

Original video