Realistically, I know that most people wouldn’t go out of their way to make a stock at home. It may seem intimidating, time consuming, or simply inconvenient. The truth is that stocks are really quite simple to make and the key is starting with good quality ingredients. This is something that you can make on the weekend and store it to use at your convenience. It keeps in the fridge for up to seven days or in the freezer for several months.
All standard stocks, except for vegetable stock, consist of four basic elements.
1. Bones
2. Flavoring vegetables (mirepoix)
3. Seasonings
4. Liquid
Principles of stock making:
A. Start the stock in cold water
When bones are covered in cold water all the impurities are drawn out. As the water heats up, the impurities coagulate and rise to the top, where they can be skimmed easily.
B. Simmer the stock gently
The stock should be brought to a boil and reduced to a simmer. Boiling any stock for a particular length of time causes the impurities and fats to blend with the liquid, affecting the overall quality of the stock.
C. Skim the stock frequently
The more impurities are removed the better the end product will be in both appearance and flavor.
D. Add mirepoix, herbs & spices
(onions, celery & carrots, diced)
A lot of Chefs and cookbooks tell you to add these favoring agents at the beginning. The problem with this is that you will remove some of the flavorings as you skim your stock. You can add this component 2 to 3 hours before the end of cooking time, or just long enough to release the flavors.
While veal or beef bones are tougher to find, unless you go out of your way to arrange something with your butcher, you can still achieve something rich in flavor by using tougher cuts of meat like the brisket, shank or shoulder. This is called a broth, and the same principles apply when making it.
Recommended Cooking Times:
Poultry (3 to 4 hours)
Veal, beef (6 to 8 hours)
Fish (30 to 40 minutes)
Vegetable (30 to 40 minutes)
It’s always a good idea to cook meat stocks for a longer period to allow the liquid to reduce. While no additional flavor compounds may be extracted from the bones after a certain period, the reduction concentrates the flavor of the stock.
Basic White Stock (yield: 5L)
Ingredients:
Bones: chicken or beef 2.5 kg
Cold water 7 L
Mirepoix 500 g
Bay leaf 2
Peppercorns, crushed 0.25 g
Dried thyme 0.25 g
Parsley stems 8
*A generally accepted ratio of ingredients for a given amount of water is 50% bones (by weight) and 10% mirepoix (by weight). For example, to produce 20 L of stock you would need 10 kg of bones and 2 kg of mirepoix.
Directions:
1. Place the bones in a stock pot and cover with cold water.
2. Bring the cold water to a boil and skim off the scum that rises to the surface. Reduce liquid to a simmer.
3. Add the mirepoix and flavoring agents to the simmering stock.
4. Continue cooking the stock for as long as the type of bones require, skimming as needed.
5. Strain, cool, and refrigerate over night.
6. Degrease the stock. When a stock is refrigerated, the fat content rises to the surface and hardens, forming a layer that needs to be lifted and discarded before the stock can be used.
Since most stocks are prepared to use at a later time, great care must be taken when cooling a stock to prevent food borne illnesses or souring. A stock should be cooled quickly before storing in the fridge or freezer.
The best place to cool your stock is in your sink. Simply place the stock pot in the sink, making sure that it won’t tip over then, add crushed ice, water & salt. Why salt? Simple physics.
When salt dissolves in water, the water dispenses energy (in the form of heat) to break the bonds that hold the ice crystals together. As the water loses heat it gets cooler, lowering the freezing point of water, causing the ice to melt faster than the water can freeze.
This process works well whenever you need to cool anything quickly before storing.
*Vegetable Stock (yield: 4L)
Ingredients:
Vegetable oil 50 mL
Mirepoix, small dice 600 g
Leek, chopped 125 g
Garlic, chopped 4 cloves
Fennel, small dice 100 g
Tomato, diced 100 g
Water 4.5 L
Bay Leaf 1
Dried Thyme 0.25 g
Peppercorns, crushed 0.25 g
Parsley stems 8
Directions:
1. Heat the oil and add the vegetables. Sweat for 10 minutes
2. Add the water and the rest of the ingredients.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Strain, cool and refrigerate.
* When making a vegetable stock, stay away from vegetables that contain strong flavors such as cabbage and cauliflower.
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