Stocks 101

[robin3mj]

I'm no pro, but will start with a very basic that someone else can expound upon. Make your own stocks! Everything else flows from this.

A whole roasted chicken gives my wife and I a couple/few dinners. Then boil the carcass with carrot, onion, celery, bay leaves etc and throw the stock in the freezer. A duck is even better. Slightly less meat, but pour off the fat and it will keep in the fridge forever (great for roasting potatoes) and the stock has more flavor.

Make sure you always have a buncha frozen types of stock in pint/quart sizes in the freezer. Use for risotto, cooking vegetables, short ribs, etc. I haven't done a Demi glace, but someone in the main cooking thread went into that at one point.
I have been starting BBQ ribs on the stove lately as if doing short ribs before moving to the grill. Probably anathema to the genuine article, but it works for me.

[WadePatton]

Here now is the thread on Stocks. (playing with these shiny new mod buttons)

Each year i think i'll do something with all those carcasses from holiday eats. mebbe this year is the one. i DO now always save the drippings from the BBQ. collect it all, put in fridge, then skim off the fat.

"BBQ jelly" it is and i'm just learning what all i can do with that. it's awesome for seasoning up some beans, hell, it's good on a cracker! short life span though, i may start freezing it.

[Too Tall]

Great thread.
When I cook an whole turkey the bones minus the fat are broken into manageable pieces and frozen.
These go in an large heavy pot with white and black peppercorns to slow simmer. The result is strained, cooled and skimmed to make soup and I'll reserve 1 quart for use in a variety of things.
Oh...I make turkey soup with carrots, bay and wild rice yo.

[maunahaole]

There's still a bunch of meat and flavor on a turkey carcass that most folks want to pitch. Perfect for making some soup. Just takes a bunch of time, but good for a few more meals once it is done plus you get to control the flavor. I like to drop some udon noodles in there to make it a little more hearty.

[echelon_john]

We don't have lobster too often, but when we do we always make a stock with the shells/any leftover bits. Some carrots, onions, a bay leaf or two, black peppercorns.

Makes it a snap to whip up a quick seafood risotto, either with additional fish (we like to use minced clams/mussels, or bigger chunks of shrimp) or just a super-plain (but delicious) rice with stock.

Every chicken, every turkey gets turned into stock.

One thing that a lot of folks may not do that we've found makes it super easy is to use the crockpot for stock rather than on the stovetop. It means that, after dinner, you can literally chuck everything in the crock pot, top with water, put the lid on, and set it to simmer overnight. Next morning (or whenever) let cool and decant for freezing.

Finally, on the subject of crock pots, we invested in this one a couple of years ago and it's really changed the way we use the crock pot for the better.

All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker | Williams-Sonoma

The insert goes on the stovetop, unlike most crock pots. This makes it VERY easy to brown meats on high heat on the stove top, develop some crust/caramelization/fond, then throw the whole thing in the slow cooker for the remaining cooking. Makes pulled pork incredibly simple and fast to make, as well as pot roast, braised lamb, chicken, etc.

JC

[JoB]

Great thread.
When I cook an whole turkey the bones minus the fat are broken into manageable pieces and frozen.
These go in an large heavy pot with white and black peppercorns to slow simmer. The result is strained, cooled and skimmed to make soup and I'll reserve 1 quart for use in a variety of things.
Oh...I make turkey soup with carrots, bay and wild rice yo.

My take:
use chicken carcass or whatever bones you have
top off with Brita water or similar
add peppercorn/allspice/bay leaf, but not the vegetables
put it in the oven overnight at 185*F
in the morning, add the vegetables (onion, carrots, mushrooms, whatever you like) for a couple hours.
strain and chill.

Makes beautiful clear stock.

[zetroc]

If I may add - don't let your stock boil on high. It should simmer, the surface barely moving. Boiling will make your stock cloudy. Skim, skim, skim, strain, strain, strain.

I've only been making my own stock for about 4 years now, but each batch gets better than the last. Tastes great, too.

[Too Tall]

JoeB and Zetroc - that reminds me of an japanese movie (tampopo) involving the intricacies and obsessions they have with food. During the movie there was an especially interesting segment where the protagonist learned how to properly make ramen stock and they spoke about how important it was to not let the stock boil to obtain an clear broth. Ever since that movie I appreciate the quality of soup stocks more when it is done with care. It's the little things isn't it?

[WadePatton]

eggs
ACTLY

what we're here for. them little things.

or busting new ground fundamentals. either one works because everyone is at different points on the curve and the curves are three-dimensional.

[jitahs]

Tampopo is a great film and I use a quote from it a lot. The Japanese know their stocks and soups and seafood and...

There are a lot of good ways to make stock here. I've made it for like 20 years but it was never all that great until I got Keller into my head: good amount of fresh poultry meat, wash the carcasses thoroughly 3 times in cold water, bring to simmer and skim. At one point no more scum is produced (the washing takes care of a lot of impurities) then you can crank the heat up and reduce rapidly. He goes no more than 45 minutes whereas other recipes I'd read want 2 hrs.

It's super fresh and alive his way that freezing cubes just kind of kills it for me. Extrapolate this technique to make a double stock and holy shit.

Used to freeze bones and stuff; now the excess goes into ravioli or tacos.

[WadePatton]

there again--little stuff. from this one i take: super wash (for fresh items) and, a great time saver-when the stock will take mas heat. thanks

[tronstein]

uhhhhg I thought this thread was going to be about finances and how to get rich quick.

[zetroc]

Oh yeah, another thing. With beef stock, a lot of people say that you only get a deep brown stock from searing the beef you're using, but in Jacques Pepin's La Technique he reveals the true cause. Get a saute pan very hot (I use cast iron), cut an onion in half (skin and all), place the halves face down in the pan and let that onion sit there until the parts that contact the pan are black. Use this onion in your stock and you'll get a nice, deep brown color.

[WadePatton]

uhhhhg I thought this thread was going to be about finances and how to get rich quick.

sorry, the best stuff has to simmer and cook low and slow. my financial adviser says this is the best way to get rich too.


and BOOM! there's another one for the scrawl-in section of your cooking notes book!

...let that onion sit there until the parts that contact the pan are black. Use this onion in your stock and you'll get a nice, deep brown color.

[Sean in CA]

Yeah, me too. Buy low sell high, etc.

uhhhhg I thought this thread was going to be about finances and how to get rich quick.

[JoB]

Tampopo

Fun movie.

Speaking of - I'm generally not a big fan of specialty cookbooks, but the Momofuku cookbook is pretty amazing. Chang may be hard to take (esp if you work for him), but he's got some really nice techniques. I've learned a lot from reading that book.

BTW, if in doubt, I go with Jacques Pepin says. He's great.

[hampco]

JoeB and Zetroc - that reminds me of an japanese movie (tampopo) involving the intricacies and obsessions they have with food. During the movie there was an especially interesting segment where the protagonist learned how to properly make ramen stock and they spoke about how important it was to not let the stock boil to obtain an clear broth. Ever since that movie I appreciate the quality of soup stocks more when it is done with care. It's the little things isn't it?

"ecume" being the french word for the scum on top of the stock of course

but we all knew that, right?

[bellman]

"ecume" being the french word for the scum on top of the stock of course

but we all knew that, right?

Yeah.... not.

I'm putting that in my 'E' words right next to Espalier

Thanks!

Funny timing this thread,
last weekend I defrosted the garage freezer finding a half gallon of killer turkey stock I made last year.
I also turned up a one soup-pot sized package of homemade egg noodles from last winter as well.
Guess what I ate for sunday-monday-tuesday ? :-)

[Too Tall]

Jitahs, when pals get sick I make chicken soup the way you've described for super fresh / alive stock. To make about 1 quart of soup I use an entire chicken with the obvious fat trimmed than rough chopped into hunks. Celery and carrots go in near the end with some macerated chicken meat and that's about it. If this is for someone with a fever it's clear stock nothing else. Boy that's good.

[HSTFixed]

Oh man I'm glad to be back here with this thread and this whole folder for cooking related posts. I've got Lobster bodies, lamb bones, beef bones, pork bones and chicken backs all in the freezer. I got all of it sometime this summer when I didn't feel like turning a stock pot on all day but I can feel the nights getting longer and cooler and stocks and braises fill my dreams.

The number one rule of making stock is don't boil it. At no time during the process should there be any jostling movement on the surface of the water. Just an occasional bubble. Take it's temperature and make sure it's not getting too close to 200 degrees. and 180 is just great. The boiling clouds the stock and emulsifies the things that you want to be skimming off the top into the liquid. Stock is not an emulsion, it's an extraction. And rich gelatinous stock is arguably one of the more ridiculously healthy basic staple foods of the past that very few people eat anymore, let alone make their own.

The thing is, it's easy, and it makes everything else you can make better. Making rice or polenta or barley or soup or braising anything. Any time that your cooking, and you need liquid, why not use flavorful nutritious liquid like stock instead of water.

Michael Ruhlman's book ratio recommends a 2:3 ratio of bones to water. 2lbs of bones 3lbs of water for example. If you roast a chicken and you have a carcass left over and you want a rough estimate of how much water to add, weigh bones, and then add a little more weight in water. Roast bones (if you want) and add to the water. Bring to heat and keep it there for the longer the better. Add hot water as necessary to keep the level constant. For the last hour of cooking add aromatics.1:2:3. 1 part aromatics, 2 parts bones, 3 parts water. Onion, Leek, Carrot, Celery( if you want, too much of it, or adding celery too early can make stock taste bitter) Parsley, Thyme, Garlic cloves, Black peppercorns. If your making Pho add some star anise and cinnamon, or if you know of other aromatic ingredients you like, add whatever you want.

When your straining. Don't force anything through the strainer. This is the other way to cloud your stock with impurities.

Everyone should do themselves a favor and get the Momofuku Cookbook and make the Ramen Stock (it's absolutely incredible the depth of flavor and overall deliciousness this stuff has. I can't over state it) and then make Ramen. If you're crazy like me you'll search out David Chang's new magazine Lucky Peach and read Harold McGee's recipe for making your own alkaline salts for making your own ramen noodles from scratch (mabye that'll be a blog post). But last time I made Ramen Stock i just used instant ramen and it was fucking dericious.

Everyone who's never made stock before needs to do so when it's cold out. It'll make the world a better place if more people have the delicious aroma, warmth, and moisture that a stockpot on the stove provides in the dry cold dead of winter.

Sorry for sounding so adamant, I just really really love a good stock. It's like Escoffier said "Stock is everything in cooking, at least in French cooking. Without it, nothing can be done. If one's stock is good, what remains of the work is easy; if, on the other hand, it is bad or merely mediocre, it is quite hopeless to expect anything approaching a satisfactory result. The cook mindfull of success, therefore, will naturally direct his attention to the faultless preparation of his stock..."

"Without it, nothing can be done." That's some serious shit.

Sorry i've been gone. Didn't go anywhere. but i'm back. i'll try to get a blog post in wed or thurs.