Why bother making homemade chicken stock when there are so many respectable versions at the supermarket? Flavor, of course. At the end of the day the stock you pour out of a can or a box just can’t touch the stock you make at home. The difference is gelatin, which adds unbeatable body to a stock. Gelatin come into a stock from the long, slow simmering of bones. Homemade has it. Store-bought doesn’t. You can see for yourself if you ever boil them down side by side. A homemade stock becomes thick and viscous, its flavor very concentrated. A store-bought stock simply disappears into thin air. (Makes you wonder what the heck it’s made from in the first place.)

Of course, I’m not a snob and I’m not a purist. I use good store-bought chicken stock or broth all the time. But for a special occasion--let’s say I’m making matzo ball soup for Passover--I start from scratch with chicken wings. It’s part of what makes the occasion special.

Chicken stock freezes beautifully and can be stored in the freezer (I use 1-cup containers for convenience) for up to 6 months.