That fat hen was so lush and fragrant and savory that I HAD to make stock,
gel or not. It is the most gorgeous stock I have ever seen, a golden color,
a little cloudy, just perfect. I just reboiled and strained it, and it just
hit me that it is more YELLOW than my many other stocks have been, and the
first time I have used this brand of chicken.

Is it dyed?

"cybercat" > wrote

> That fat hen was so lush and fragrant and savory that I HAD to make stock,
> gel or not. It is the most gorgeous stock I have ever seen, a golden
> color, a little cloudy, just perfect. I just reboiled and strained it, and
> it just hit me that it is more YELLOW than my many other stocks have been,
> and the first time I have used this brand of chicken.
>
> Is it dyed?

Heh, no ... the chickens are fed marigolds, it's something they
advertise. There was a discussion about that here recently, google on
marigolds.

nancy

cybercat wrote:
> That fat hen was so lush and fragrant and savory that I HAD to make stock,
> gel or not. It is the most gorgeous stock I have ever seen, a golden color,
> a little cloudy, just perfect. I just reboiled and strained it, and it just
> hit me that it is more YELLOW than my many other stocks have been, and the
> first time I have used this brand of chicken.
>
> Is it dyed?

All meat is dyed, by the diet the animal ate... the pigments in it's
feed will affect the animal's coloring, the animal mostly stores those
natual colorants in it's skin and fat... imagine the color of your
stock if instead of yellow flower petals and carrots that chicken's
feed contained beets. A lot of ordinary everyday foods are color
enhanced with natural ingredients, like how turmeric is used in
prepared mustard, otherwise it would be dull gray. I sometimes add
tumeric to my stock, makes it prettier the same as when added to rice.
But I seriously doubt that Perdue dyes it's chickens after they're
slaughtered, unless you bought one of those preseasoned types.

Sheldon

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "cybercat" > wrote
>
>> That fat hen was so lush and fragrant and savory that I HAD to make
>> stock, gel or not. It is the most gorgeous stock I have ever seen, a
>> golden color, a little cloudy, just perfect. I just reboiled and strained
>> it, and it just hit me that it is more YELLOW than my many other stocks
>> have been, and the first time I have used this brand of chicken.
>>
>> Is it dyed?
>
> Heh, no ... the chickens are fed marigolds, it's something they
> advertise. There was a discussion about that here recently, google on
> marigolds.
>

Thanks. Sheldon's answer was good too. It is so pretty! Now if I can
just get past the gel thing. I plan to freeze it in freezer bags and use it
for, say, cooking rice and such. Maybe gravy.

I LOVE those big fat hens. If you're going to go to the trouble of
roasting a bird, an 8-lb one makes it worth it! I find that rosemary
gives it such a fresh, clean flavor, too.