Turkey stock

I guess it's no surprise that I made a turkey stock out of the carcass, after we picked at it til there was hardly any meat left on it (it's been three meals of stir-fried noodles with turkey). What's funny is that I almost lost my eyebrows making this stock. FAIL!

It started out like any other stock -- bones, onions, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, etc. I added enough cold water to cover all the ingredients, which meant that the water level was almost to the top of the pot.

I was careful and watched the mixture come to a boil, then quickly turned the heat down to a low simmer. Here's where I made a mistake. I walked away from the stove for 2 mins (literally!) to finish my lunch at the table 7 ft away, and made the mistake of having the lid on. For those of you who have not made stock before, a lot of fat is actually inside or between bones, so it doesn't take long before the fat floats to the top and forms a layer. What happens when the stock boils over with a layer of fat on the top? It catches on fire! Thankfully, it was brief, and I took the lid off immediately, but had I completely walked off, I wouldn't have my laptop to type this post with.

Yes, even experienced cooks do dumb sh!t once in a while.