I make stocks a couple of times a week; it takes very little time and when I am finished I have nutritious, delicious liquids to add to soups, stews, sauces and grains.

In “Broth is Beautiful”, Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundation goes into detail about the history and health benefits of stock and also provides a comprehensive recipe and tips. I won’t inundate you with the same material, but instead let me offer some tips on what has made stock-making a little easier to fit into my life.

First, let me be honest: most weeks I buy rotisserie chickens from a great vendor at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market in San Francisco. What can I say? They are free-range, it frees up my time and I prefer the taste of rotisserie method to the poaching method. When I get home I loosely shred the chicken, leaving the meat on the bone in the wing area and other harder-to-shred areas. I store the shredded chicken in the fridge - it is perfect for a quick meal later in the week. Next, I take the bones, some vegetables (usually some carrots and onions) and a touch of apple-cider vinegar and throw it into a pot. I cover these items with filtered water, bring it to a boil and then skim.

After the water comes to a boil it is recommended that you simmer for six to 24 hours. This is much longer than traditional cookbook recipes but the longer hours ensure that all of the valuable minerals have been drawn out.

When I first started making broth with the longer method, I had a difficult time leaving an open-flame on the range all day or overnight. I might be a little bit of a Nervous Nelly but when I left the house with the flame on, I had visions of coming home to find the fire department in my driveway. To alleviate my worries I brought in my I-have-to-be-someplace-else cooking hero: the crock-pot. The crock-pot is great for stock because it holds a steady low simmer over hours without any fears of flames engulfing your kitchen while you are away.

With the crock-pot in the lineup, I pour the boiled and skimmed liquid into the crock and set the timer to low for 10 hours. After 10 hours I taste and reset the timer again for another long simmer. I then strain the stock and store it in the refrigerator for five days or the freezer for a few months. I put the remaining bones and vegetables (which are really soft and pliable now) in a food processor and the result is great dog food for Skyler.