Yes, the chicken ‘essence’ broth that supposedly magically imbues you with health and vigor - so my mom used to say.
Not gonna lie - that clay pot stacking is pretty cool.
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Hi chem, looks amazing!! 
Which thread?
This thread by shrinkrap. Below is the post which I took a turn onto this type of steam pot.
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It’s just steam. But the condensation accumulates.
It’s been a couple of years since I did it but I thought maybe 2 hours, not more. I remember scallions, ginger, salt, chicken, that was about it. The soup was remarkably delicious and simple. Part of me thinks boiling the same ingredients in a Dutch oven might get similar results, but I loved the steaming process of this beautiful Yunnan clay pot.
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I just did another run with chicken breast this weekend. This is after 4-5 hours. I think this time I did a better job of “sealing/minimizing” steam loss, and the liquid seems to accumulate a little faster this time. This photo here is after it is done and I took the pot out of the steamer. The broth is very clear.
I am going to try my standard double boiling method next time.
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That looks perfect.
Kind of curious what the thoughts on energy usage for these kinds of things are. Seems very inefficient to have something going for 4 to 5 hours, unless the energy was being used for other things anyway.
Do you mean making stock and broth taking hours? I always thought that is not an unusual amount of time. For example, when I make my ramen broth, wonton broth, supreme stock… they all take 4+ hours. You probably know tonkotsu ramen broth often take 12+ hours to make.
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Yes, but professional setting energy use vs home setting rationale should be different imo.
Chem, do you have a wired probe thermometer you can use to monitor the broth? It would be interesting to compare the temps in this pot versus in a regular double boiler.
These old tried and true recipes were from families who burned wood they foraged in their stoves… not practical to modern appliances at all. My mom’s generation certainly believed you had to let it go low and slow for a long time to get the best taste, and to keep the nutrients (in Chinese cooking - soup is viewed as medicinal and healing). Realistically, my modern electric double boiling device makes the chicken ‘essence’ soup for about 2.5 to 3 hours. You can set the time for longer manually, but I find it tastes pretty good after the 2.5-3 hrs is reached. Different ingredients I’m sure would do better or less so when time varies.
Sorry, no. I don’t have a probe. Also, I should say I don’t turn full power. I feel I get more condensation with enough steam, but too much steam. It kind of make sense to me. If the heat is too high, then the entire pot is very hot, and not enough cold surface to condense.
Anyway, I think it is the same as many double boilers I think. Unfortunately, I do not have real temperature data.
I also think it depends on what type of broth too. Chicken and fish do not take as long (especially chicken breast). However, any pork or tendon will take longer. It is the same idea of BBQ really. It does require low and slow for long period of time to break down these tissues. (e.g. putting a pork butt on slow and low for 12 hour cannot be achieved in hot and fast for 1 hour). When I do my BBQ (not claim to be an expert), I also have to go for hours.
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It’s an interesting concept, the steam entering the pot from outside, condensing and accumulating to immerse the solid ingredients in what becomes a broth.
When steam changes phase back to water, it has a lot of heat to release. It could be that the solid ingredients are well-steamed long before much liquid accumulates, and once they’re submersed, the heat is slower and lower.
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You may be on to something about being steam can release more heat (but steam is less dense than water).
I did a normal double boil chicken broth a few days ago ,and it tasted quite different. There was too many variables, so I repeated side-by-side last night for my own curiosity.
The left is the clay Yunnan steam pot. The right is a Chinese style double boiler. 750 mL of water was added to the double boiler from the start (I was hoping the Yunnan steam pot can yield ~750 mL broth)
Both were cooked for 5 hours. The Yunnan steam pot did not yield 750 mL, so I directly added more water and steamed for another 30 min.
On surface, they look rather similar. The one from the Yunnan steam pot is ever slightly darker
When shaken and stirred, the Yunnan steam pot broth has larger bits whereas the double boiler broth has tiny bits. This photo was taken under the refrigerator light.
Finally, double boiler broth has a slightly thicker layer of oil layer. The double boiler broth also appear to be slightly more viscous.
Taste-wise, they are similar. I had to taste them side by side to pick up the small difference. The Yunnan steam pot broth is a bit meatier. The double boiler broth is lightly, but has a slightly different taste profile that I won’t simply call it weaker. it has a little more mouth feel which may be because of the oil layer, but possible there is more gelatin.
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