OK, I wasn't actually making proper chicken gravy last night... I was
mushing some leftover chicken parts for treats, but it's chicken bones
that kill the blenders either way, right?  Here's what I did... which
didn't seem to strain the blender at all:
 
1 (HOT TIP) - I got a factory refurbished KitchenAid (ie,
built-like-a-tank) 5-speed blender on Amazon for $39.99.  Great blender,
great price... (Heck, I should have bought 2 just to keep a spare.  They
retail for between $90-120 when I was shopping around for a new one.)
 
2 - I put the chicken parts (mostly legs and thighs) into my pressure
cooker for about 10 min., and let it cool/lose pressure slowly.
 
3 - I separated the bones from the soft tissue, and hacked them up a
bit with a heavy meat cleaver before pitching them into the blender.
 
4 - I ran the blender on pulse/chop speed in short bursts, for about 5
min. at a time.  Then I'd take a 5 min. break, blend some more, etc.
All the electric appliances I've killed (poor things) died as a result of
severe overheating... so I figure the frequent breaks and running it on
pulse help prevent that.  (I am *very* familiar with the smell of an
electric motor burning itself alive, so I keep a vigilant nose out...
LOL)
 --
  :: Teresa ::
& the 3 Polar Packrats
http://www.clearvote.org/
[Posted in FML issue 4730]