Making a Basic Stock

Making stock is much easier than you might realize. I will admit, it takes a bit of time, but the end result is tres magnifique!

There are a couple of things that you can do that will make this an easier process. Here are my stock making tips:

• When you make a roast, chicken or turkey, collect miscellaneous bones and scraps, put in a vacuum sealer bag and seal it up tightly. Store in the fridge for up to a year.
• Any leftover veggies or veggie scraps (like the ends of asparagus) can be saved this way, too. If you don't use them in the stock, you can always add them to the soup.
• Parmesan cheese rinds are great for flavor enhancing...throw them in the freezer.
• In the summer, dry herbs, tomatoes and mushrooms for use in winter soups.
• Ginger, horseradish and other flavorful roots are great in stock.
• If you want a deeper, richer flavor, throw the bones and root veggies in the oven and roast until caramelized, then add to stock pot.

Alright, that said, let's get down to business. This is my basic stock method:

• One or two chicken carcasses or whole chicken parts (bone-in, only)
• Carrots, celery, other handy root veggies
• Large onion or two
• Head of garlic
• Bay leaves, basil, rosemary, thyme, various herbs and spices to suit your taste
• Salt and pepper

Throw said contents into a large stock pot. Don't bother with too much vegetable prep, just clean and rough chop. Many people don't remove the outer shell of the onion or of the garlic...but that just bugs me. So, I remove the papery part, rough chop and throw in.

Here are the two things that I find greatly affect the outcome of my stock. One, if I don't reduce enough, it tastes like water. Always reduce your stock by half, even by two-thirds... Two, if I don't add enough salt... always add some salt in the beginning. When it is getting closer to the right level of reduction, I adjust for flavor.

And that's it! I know you can do this...and it is such a wonderful, creative process...give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Comments

[Janis]

This method makes a great stock! Back in my grad school days, we ate store-bought rotisserie chicken about once a week. I'd stash the leftover carcass in the freezer, and when I had three carcasses, would make chicken stock.

Nowadays, I am mostly vegetarian, so I do this with veggies only.

Making your own stock (or veggie broth) is easy and highly economical!

[Lisa]

I am a huge advocate of stock. I always have some in my freezer and fridge and use it very frequently.